We all know what a huge fan I am of TED talks and how giving one is like the Super Bowl of public speaking (well, to me at least). When the class after mine for TEDxMileHigh had been selected and they were rolling out the speaker announcements, you can imagine my excitement when I recognized a familiar face.
Local journalist Chuck Plunkett had contacted me back in 2010 for a story he was writing for the Denver Post. I was immediately pleased with his professionalism, sensitivity to victim-related issues, and no-nonsense approach to journalism.
I was still fairly young, but it wasn’t difficult for me to identify Chuck as one of the “good guys” in media.
We stayed in contact over the years, so when I saw the TEDxMileHigh announcement, I was quick to shoot him a DM with my congratulations. I was eager to talk shop and pass along a bit of the knowledge I’d recently gained having gone though the same intensive program six months prior.
As his big day neared, I was flattered when Chuck asked if he might be able to set up a call with me. He had some jitters (we ALL do before these events) and wanted to chat through a couple of points in his script. Knowing his coach Helena Bowen and her crazy-great expertise (Learn more about Helena here), there was no doubt that he was in capable hands. I was happy to help in any way I could, even if it were only for a last-minute boost of confidence.
The Sunday before the event, we got on the phone and spent over an hour discussing how to just “go for it”. He had everything he needed, and he’d been walking the walk for years, but if there’s anything I’ve learned about good journalists, it’s that they hate making the story about themselves. Well, this story was about Chuck, and he had to be the one to tell it.
I don’t want to spoil the content as his video is embedded below, but just know that I was glowing with pride for my friend that day watching the live stream.
He CRUSHED the red dot.
Chuck was kind enough to lend me his praise here on my website, but this accomplishment truly was all him. Sometimes it just helps to remember you’ve got plenty of folks in your corner.
On March 3rd, 2020, TED shared Chuck’s story to their main page as the “Featured Talk of the Day” which is really the highest honor us TED talkers can achieve. As of today, he has over 600k views…and rapidly counting.
So congratulations, Chuck! You’ve earned this!
