On May 1, 1969, Mr. Rogers spoke to the US Senate Subcommittee on Communications to ask them to grant funding for the newly created PBS after President Nixon attempted to slash their funds in half. Watch a video of his speech.
Saying “I’d just like to talk about it if it’s alright,” Mr. Rogers asked permission to simply speak from his heart rather than reading a philosophical statement.
In this compelling piece of video, Mr. Rogers demonstrates the soft power of the introvert doing what introverts do best – speaking from a deep place of emotional honesty. With breath-taking courage, he shares that he gives a meaningful expression of care to children on his daily TV program. We see Mr. Rogers model authentic communication to the Communication Subcommittee, stating that it is OK to express emotions and that children need to be taught to express their emotions in healthy ways.
Watch this video and be charmed just as cragy Senator John Pastori was charmed by the open-hearted, gentle and respectful style of a master communicator, Mr. Rogers. Authenticity is persuasive.
