Chris Hadfield: Leadership, Media Savvy, and Persuasion Analysis

This essay examines Chris Hadfield, a Canadian astronaut, engineer, and former fighter pilot, focusing on his leadership qualities and effective use of media, particularly social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. The essay highlights Hadfield's ability to connect with a global audience by sharing insights into life as an astronaut, both the scientific and the mundane. It also mentions his books, musical album, and TED Talk, showcasing his diverse media presence. The analysis emphasizes Hadfield's role as a persuasive communicator, effectively selling the idea of space exploration through his engaging online content and public appearances. The essay concludes that Hadfield's media savvy, managed in tandem with his son Evan, has made him one of the most influential astronauts in terms of public engagement and outreach.

Running head: Chris Hadfield
1
Student name
Institution name
Email on Chris Hadfield

Chris Hadfield
2
Persuasive email on Chris Hadfield
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Dear tutor,
Chris Austin Hadfield born August 29, 1959) is a Canadian retired astronaut, engineer,
and former fighter pilot. The first Canadian to walk in space, Hadfield has flown two Space
Shuttle missions and served as commander of the International Space Station.
Hadfield has used the media effectively through writing. He is the author of An
Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, You Are Here and a children’s book called the Darkest Dark.
Additionally, he released his musical album, Space Sessions: Songs from a Tin Can, in 2015. He
is also featured on Ted.com for his talk, What I Learned from Going Blind in Space.
Hadfield has a social media presence, with over 2,170,000 Twitter followers as of
July 2017. He created one of the top threads of all time on February 17, 2013. He is also on
Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube and Google.
Hadfield enlisted the help of his web-savvy son Evan to manage his social media presence. They
work in tandem to share information over the internet about aspects of life as an astronaut, both
the scientific and the mundane.
Colonel Hadfield is also the producer of the celebrated Rare Earth series on YouTube,
and the creator of the on-stage celebration Generator, which combines science, comedy, and
music for sold-out audiences.
In conclusion, Hadfield was described in Forbes magazine as “possibly the most socially
media savvy astronaut to leave the Earth through his persuasion techniques and selling of space

Chris Hadfield
3
activities. He is therefore able to use the media effectively especially through twitter and face
book.
Sincerely,
Student Name
Email Address