Dolph Lundgren

Actor and speaker

On working with John K. Bates, Executive Speaking Success

Finding the personal story behind a powerful talk

Dolph worked with John Bates on a deeply personal talk about his upbringing, healing, and forgiveness. His testimonial describes the experience of sharing a more vulnerable side of himself and hearing how that story connected with a member of his audience.

In Dolph’s own words

“It was a tremendous pleasure to work with John Bates on my TED Talk. I went back in time to my upbringing in Sweden and the troubled relationship I had with my father. The segment we did ‘On Healing and Forgiveness’ was a very special experience for me. With John’s help I also seem to have touched others. The Youtube version, where I show a more vulnerable side of myself than in my films has had over a million views and counting. The other week an LAPD officer came up to me, shook my hand and said: “I like your movies, but I loved your TED Talk more.” There was a soft glint in his eye that revealed an upbringing not very different than my own. I learned so much from John and anytime I face a challenging speaking situation I certainly know whom to call.”

This is Dolph’s original account. Audience and viewing figures in the quotation reflect the time he wrote it.