Running head: HOUSTONS WAYS TO ENGAGE THE AUDIENCE

Captains of Their Own Lives

Angelica Cramr
Antioch University Santa Barbara
Academic Writing 310
September 8, 2015

CAPTAINS OF THEIR OWN LIVES

She has worked as a Hollywood photographer, a chief pilot for a flight school, and a captain
for an airline. When Lynn Houston graduated from Antioch University Santa Barbara four years
ago she wanted to make an impact on the world by helping teenagers who lack a belief in their
ability to succeed, so in June 2011 she founded A Different Point of View. Today, she is the
president for her non-profit organization and she is also the head of the marketing and
communication division at Santa Barbara airport. Lynn has a lot of passion for writing, and for
her it is important to write form the heart. When she is writing the mission statement and
speeches for her non-profit, A Different Point of View, she uses personality, passion, and stories
to engage donors and judges.
A Different Point of View (ADPOV) is a non-profit organization that shows youths in the
ages 14-19 how to become captains of their own lives, and at the same time they teach them how
to fly an airplane. These youths are in danger of losing their way in life, and ADPOV helps them
to understand that they can be and do anything they want. ADPOV offers an aviation career
program that introduces the youth to the exciting world of aviation. Each student participates in
self-awareness and leadership training while they interact with airline pilots, air traffic
controllers, aircraft rescues and fire fighters, aircraft mechanics, and other leaders in the aviation
field (Houston, 2015). Through the aviation career program the youths receive professional flight
training and gains a new understanding of what the aviation world has to offer. The organizations
purpose is to give the students the tool to live a full and meaningful life, and it could be through a
career in aviation or another career that the feel passionate about.
ADPOV help their students to gain self-confidence, self-advocacy, and a belief in themselves
that they can and will succeed in this world. The organization helps youth understand who they
are and what matters the most to them. Judy Hawkins who is the board treasure for ADPOV
stated, By demonstrating different points of views, they show youths that there is not just one

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way to do or be anything. Students get an understanding for what they are capable of doing, and
with their talents and skills they can bring something unique to this world (Hawkins). To be able
to give their students scholarships and chance to help them stay off the streets ADPOV are
depending on their donors.
Lynn is a woman with a lot of great experience, and on August 6th I was given the
opportunity to interview her. Lynn explained that when she wrote the mission statement for her
non-profit she wanted it to be powerful, and have a strong impact on future donors. ADPOV
mission statement is to engage, inspire, and transform youth using flight lessons as a launching
pad. Through aviation education and mentoring, we show students, a world theyve never seen
before. Lynn chose to create a mission statement with three powerful wordsengage, inspire,
and transform that describes exactly what the organization do for their youths. She wanted to
make the statement as clear and descriptive as possible, which she accomplished doing.
The style of the mission statement is strong with a straightforward tone. The tone and voice
are both important, because the tone should invite the audience to feel receptive to the message
and the voice should give the audience a sense of the writers identity (Losh, Alexander, Cannon,
& Cannon, 2013). Lynn wants the mission statement to show the passion she has for the students,
and that ADPOV is the right way to help them. While showing the passion she has for her student
she also hopes to inform donors, and that it will have an impact on them to take action.
Lynn has also been writing speeches for the organization. During our interview we where
discussing two of the speeches she has made. One of the speeches was for a fast pitch
tournament, which is a contest where leaders give impassioned speeches to impress judges and
donors. The other one was for the Adrienne Hall Emerging Leadership Award, which is an award
for women in leadership positions, and Lynn gave the speech trying to engage donors.

CAPTAINS OF THEIR OWN LIVES

The fast pitch is a collaborative contest for non-profit organizations, where the leaders for the
organizations get the chance to win cash by giving short speeches. Lynns pitch impressed the
judges and she won the competition, and earned $5,000 for her organization. Lynn starts off her
speech by talking to the audience as if they were on board on an airplane, and she was the captain
speaking. Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome on board! I invite you
to sit back and relax and enjoy this short flight with a different point of view (Houston, 2014).
Immediately after announcing the first sentence, she has engaged her audience, and given them a
sense of what the speech is going to about. She starts telling a story about her life, and she makes
it really personal by telling the audience that she was a runaway and a thief. She talks about both
her struggles and successes. Telling a personal story gives the audience an image of who she is as
a person. It gives her an identity and creates a personal bond to the audience, which help her
engage and persuade the donors and the judges.
In the speech Lynn is also describing the students in the organization, and that many of them
come from low-income households or the juvenile justice system. She mentions that many of
them have a lack of belief in their ability to succeed in this world. With this argument, Lynn
points out the students living conditions while trying to convince the donors of their situation.
She uses low-income households and juvenile justice system to point out the issue that the
student face, and to push the donors to take action. She uses proposal arguments to present the
issue that these youths have, and with her arguments she hopes to question the donor and make
them wonder what they can do to help and how they can do it.
Later in the speech Lynn also uses a personal story from one of her students to further
explain how close some of the students are to end up in the juvenile justice system, and how
ADPOV have and can help students get back on track. Lynn stated,

CAPTAINS OF THEIR OWN LIVES

Nicole has since the age of 11 been in and out of Juvenile Hall fighting her
way through the streets of Santa Maria. At 14, she attended their Aviation
Career Program. She was nervous and not at all trusting, but she agreed to
attend their leadership and self-awareness training. In the afternoon of that
first day they took her and the other students for their first flight lesson.
Nicole took off with her instructor, far away from her troubled life. Where she
went, how she went, and how far she flew were all up to her (2014).
By using one of her students story Lynn makes the argument very personal, and it shows the
passions and love she has for her students. The fact that Nicole is only 14 years old makes the
story more powerful, and this story is a proof that ADPOV know how to help the students. Using
a real story is a good way to persuade the audience, and it also makes it easier to make the
audience feel engaged.
In the beginning of the story Lynn explains to her audience about the students struggle by
using words such as Juvenile Hall and fighting on the streets. It gives the audience an idea of how
much Nicole was struggling before she became a part of ADPOV. In the second part she explains
how Nicole took her flight lesson (life) in to her own hands, and that she was in control over
everything. This explains how the organization has helped Nicole, and how it can help other
students. With more donors ADPOV can help other students get on the right track.
While talking about her student Lynn uses pathos. Pathos is arguments that are based on
emotions, and the reason why she uses that is because she wants the audience to feel something.
Nicoles story is a sad and happy story that evokes a lot of emotions, such as sympathy and love.
By evoking emotions and make the audience feel something Lynn hope to create a personal bond
between the organization and the donors. In this case pathos is helpful and a good strategy to
persuade the donors to take action.

CAPTAINS OF THEIR OWN LIVES

One of the strongest arguments Lynn makes in this speech is,

Are you aware that there are over 800 children in the juvenile justice system
in Santa Barbara County and hundreds more who are in danger of losing their
way? A Different Point of View is forming strong partnership with probation
and Peoples Self Help Housing and other aviation organizations to help
theses youth find their very best selves (2014).
With this argument Lynn is questioning her audience by asking if they are aware of the high
number of youth that needs help. At the same time as she is claiming what ADPOV can do for the
students. In this argument she is using Logos, which is an argument based on facts and reason.
According to Losh, Alexander, Cannon, and Cannon, Writers stake out a claim and then present
reasons that you should consider, or they may present reasons and lay out a case that leads you to
accept a claim in the conclusion (2013, p. 102).
Lynn provides her audience with statistics, and a solution to lower those numbers. She claims
that 800 children are in the juvenile justice system, and then she provides her audience with a
solution, which is ADPOV. The reason she is giving this example is because ADPOV needed two
additional board members, and she was asking for $150,000 to help 150 youth get off the streets
and enrolled in their Aviation Career Program. With this money the 150 students would get
mentoring for a year. She continues giving her audience evidence by comparing the cost of
keeping youth incarcerated on Juvenile Hall for a year, which would cost $88,000 per student,
compared to what it would cost to have them enrolled in the Aviation Career Program, which
would cost $1000 per student.
In the end of the speech she ties back to the story about her student and leave the audience
with a quote from her. A different Point of View taught me that I can turn my life around and do
something bigger and better. I dont always have to run to the streets because I have a mentor

CAPTAINS OF THEIR OWN LIVES

who will help me through my hard times. I want to thank you for teaching me how to fly
(Houston, 2014). Using this quote from one of the students in the end of the speech leave the
audience with a great impression. The quote shows how much the organization can do to help
their students who are in danger of losing their way and prevent them from end up on the streets
or in Juvenile Hall.
When Nicole and Lynn use the word fly they do not only talk about an airplane. They are
illustrating Nicoles and other students life, and how they can get control over it. The word fly
becomes a metaphor to the word life, which makes it more powerful. Using arguments that shows
evidence and success for the organization is a good way to persuade the donors to take action.
Lynn is using the same strategy in the end of the speech as in the beginning. She uses pathos
throughout the whole speech to keep the audience engaged. She uses sympathy when she
explains Nicoles story, and she shows the love she has for all her student and how much she
believes in them.
The other speech Lynn did was for The Adrienne Hall Emerging Leadership Award. Lynn
was honored with The Adrienne Hall Emerging Leadership Award for her excellence in
leadership and for her great contribution to society. She received $5,000 that will be used for the
students in ADPOV. She starts her speech with a Chinese quote that means a lot to her: An
invincible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or
circumstance. The thread my stretch or tangle, but it will never break (2015). With this quote she
want to engage the audience and make them start to think and consider the people around them.
Throughout the speech Lynn wants the audience to keep the quote in their mind, while she
explains why the student choose ADPOV. We teach our students that it is important to
acknowledge the people in your life that have reached out an taken your hand when you most
needed guidance, understanding, and encouragement (Houston). She ties this argument back to

CAPTAINS OF THEIR OWN LIVES

the story in the beginning of her speech, explaining what they do for the youth and how much
they need the donors. Lynn explains that she as a child was always lying on the green grass in
their back yard, while looking up at the blue sky and saw airplanes flying by. Seeing the airplanes
made her think about freedom and places she had never been before, and that she someday would
travel to all those places. The story about Lynn lying in the grass shows how passionate she is
about flying. Lynn uses a lot of details such as the green grass and the blue sky, to give her
audience a perfect image of what she experienced at that moment. Lynn wants to engage her
audience by giving them the option to create their own vision of what she experienced back in the
days.
Lynn is an amazing woman with a strong mind. For Lynn it is important to engage her
audience using personal stories, and using quotes that mean a lot to her. She explains to me
during our interview that she uses personal stories to show how important ADPOV is for her and
for the students who are in danger of losing their way in life. Her goal with the mission statement
and speeches is to give a strong impression. In the beginning of the speeches she wants the
audience to get the feeling that they want to know more, and then she wants to end it with leaving
the audience with a thought. She uses arguments to inform, arguments to persuade, and
arguments about the future to convince the donors to take action. When making an argument it is
important to consider three things: context, audience, and appeals. Lynn considers all these things
for her mission statement and her two speeches. Her writing is powerful and straightforward with
a lot of passion. There are many ways to make an argument, and different concepts to use to
engage the audience. Ethos, pathos, and logos are concepts that are appealing to the audience, and
Lynn is most certain using pathos and logos in her writing. Lynn knows exactly who her audience
is, and how she should reach out to them and engage them.

CAPTAINS OF THEIR OWN LIVES

By using personal stories and stories from her students she provokes a lot of feeling to her
audience. Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz, and Walter claim, How successful your arguments are
depends on how well your strategy, content, tone, and language meets the expectations of the
audience (2013, p. 96). Lynn has been rewarded for both her speeches, which indicates that she
is using the right strategy, content, tone, and language to meet the expectations of her audience.

CAPTAINS OF THEIR OWN LIVES

10
Artifacts

Houston, Lynn. (2014). A Different Point of View - Fast Pitch

Houston, Lynn. (2015). A Different Point of View - The Adrienne Hall Emerging Leadership
Award
Hawkins, Judy. SBFoundation.

References
Lunsford, A., Ruszkiewicz, J., & Walter, K. (2012). Everything Is an Argument. Boston, MA:
Bedford/St. Martin. (Chapter 6)
Losh, E, M., Alexander, J., Cannon, K., Cannon, Z. (2013). Understanding Rhetoric: a graphic
to writing. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin. (Issue 3)