Actually, he started out as "The Pretty Good Communicator" when he signed on with General Electric Company in 1954. He had been a popular sportscaster who decided to try his hand at acting in Hollywood. He had made a few dozen movies. In two of these he delivered outstanding and memorable performances (Knute Rockne, All American and Kings Row). He had been president of The Screen Actors Guild and developed some negotiation skills in that capacity. He was blessed with a good speaking voice, good looks and a lot of personal charm, but his movie career was not quite "world class" by the early 1950's.

Reagan made his debut on television 7 December 1950 as a detective on the CBS Airflyte Theater adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel. After a dozen appearances over the next four years on various shows, Reagan's big television break came when Taft Schreiber of MCA acquainted him with G.E. Theater.

General Electric Company had wanted to establish a first class presence in the new entertainment medium of television, so they introduced a dramatic anthology series in 1952, G.E. Theater.

By December 1954, after only four months on the air with Reagan as program host, the new General Electric Theater achieved Nielsen top-ten status among all programs as television's most popular weekly dramatic program.”

Reagan hosted this popular Sunday evening show from 1954 to 1962, starring in thirty-four episodes himself. Reagan was one of the first movie stars to see the potential of television and, as host, he introduced such Hollywood notables as Joan Crawford, Alan Ladd, and Fred Astaire to their television debuts. He also became a goodwill ambassador for G.E.--plugging G.E. products, meeting G.E. executives, and speaking to G.E. employees all over the country. This proved fine training for his future political career as he honed his speaking skills, fashioned his viewpoints, and gained exposure to middle-America.

“The addition of Ronald Reagan as program host commencing the third season 26 September 1954 reflected GE's decision to pursue a campaign of continuous, consistent company voice advertising. The Reagan role of program host and occasional guest star brought needed continuity to disparate anthology offerings. The casting of Don Herbert of TV's Watch Mr. Wizard fame in the role of "General Electric Progress Reporter" established a clear-cut company identity for commercials. "Outstanding entertainment" became the watchword of GE's public and employee relations specialists. Reagan, in the employ of BBDO, helped merchandise the concept within the company itself. The first of many promotional tours orchestrated by BBDO and the GE Department of Public Relations Services sent Reagan to twelve GE plant cities in November 1954 to promote the program idea, further his identity as spokesman, and become familiar with company people and products. By the time General Electric Theater concluded its eight-year run in 1962, Reagan claimed to have visited GE's 135 research and manufacturing facilities, and met some 250,000 individuals. In later years, Reagan's biographers would look back upon the tour and the platform it provided for the future President of the United States to sharpen his already considerable skill as a communicator.

What is not widely known is that General Electric Company was one of SAI's earliest clients starting in the early 1930's and an enthusiastic booster of the SAI Program throughout the corporate ranks. By the 1950's most of the sales, marketing, and top executives had received SAI Training and practiced SAI Methods in all their dealings with customers and the public. This would naturally have included General Electric's most public face man.

Here we had a man who was already a practiced and confident speaker, and who had an easy capacity to relate to others. In the course of his work he learned the advanced SAI Methods for analyzing and communicating ideas from the Listener's Viewpoint. He learned the SAI Methods and he learned them well. And he practiced them. And eventually he sold his ideas to enough people to communicate his way to the very top and into the history books.

It was a well-received televised speech on behalf of Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater in 1964 that catapulted Reagan's political career from the sound stage to the world stage. Reagan was elected California governor in 1966 and again in 1970.  He made two failed attempts at the White House in 1968 and 1976 before his 1980 victory.

Known for his personal charm and talent — and for making masterful speeches to win support for his policies — many of the foreign leaders with whom he met were said to have been more impressed with his star quality than his intellect.

"You could see it in the faces of the foreign leaders — Mitterand, Thatcher, even Gorbachev," a U.S. official who accompanied Reagan on many trips abroad was quoted as saying by Lou Cannon in his biography, "President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime."

"They didn't pay much attention to what he was saying. Either they had heard it before, or they realized it was just talking points. But Reagan the man, the politician, fascinated them. It was almost as if they were saying, what does this man have that works so well for him? It was like they wanted to bottle it and take it home and use it themselves."

We at SAI International cannot sell you any part of Ronald Reagan's one-of-a-kind personality. We cannot sell you his good looks. We cannot sell you any of his tremendous personal charm. We cannot sell you his well-modulated speaking voice. We cannot sell you his ideas and desires.

What we CAN sell you is access to the same principles and methods of human relations that he learned so well and practiced so long, and that enabled him to sell really significant concepts to a large part of the world.

We CAN sell you the most effective training available anywhere to help you analyze and communicate your ideas, suggestions, products, plans or services so that they have the highest possible chance of winning the acceptance of the people you deal with.

You have to bring your own personality to the party. You have to bring your own presence, talents, experience and knowhow. You have to bring your own voice and your own ideas and desires.

We can help you make the most of what you have and what you know, but it will not happen by osmosis. You must be willing to learn. You must be willing to practice what you learn. The SAI Methods are well proven and time-tested. They work very well, but YOU have to work them. You must pay the price, but it is a small price to pay for a System that can bring so much improvement to the rest of your life.

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