Bertrand Piccard, doctor and psychiatrist, explorer and aeronaut, combines science and adventure to deal with today’s global challenges. Always interested in the study of human behavior in extreme situations, he was one of the pioneers of hang gliding and micro-light flying in the 1970s. Qualified as a balloon pilot, he won the first transatlantic balloon race in 1992. Piccard then initiated the “Breitling Orbiter” project and completed with Englishman Brian Jones the first ever non-stop round-the-world balloon flight, achieving the longest flight in terms of both duration and distance in the history of aviation: 45,755 kilometers in 19 days, 21 hours and 47 minutes, capturing a total of 7 world records.
After this circumnavigation, which was considered the last great adventure of the 20th century, he launched the Solar Impulse project to fly around the world with a solar powered airplane, without any fuel, in order to demonstrate the potential of the new technologies for sustainable development. In summer 2010, the prototype became the first airplane ever to fly a complete day and night cycle on solar energy only.
Dr. Piccard became a sought-after speaker both by the public and by big companies who invite him to address their management, employees or clients. He knows that his audience isn’t there to learn how to fly a balloon, but rather to find in his experience a source of inspiration for their private or professional lives. Using his aerial exploits as a backdrop, Bertrand Piccard illustrates his concept of the psychology of life, human communication, team-work, motivation, pioneering spirit, as well as how to deal with stress, uncertainty and crises. At the request of some audiences, he also covers medical topics such as the use of hypnosis and self-hypnosis.
TOPICS
Adventure is a State of Mind: The Metaphor of the Round-the-World Balloon Flight
Be a Balloonist in Your Business
Team Spirit and the Psychology of Communication
How To Play With the Winds of Life
Coping with Crisis Situations
Managing Stress
Hypnosis and Self-hypnosis
(for audiences interested in medical topics)
