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TJ's Insights

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Leading media training practitioner TJ Walker shares his insights regarding media and presentation training issues affecting news makers and the larger world of executive and personal communication. Please check back here for regular updates. For home email delivery, please send your email here: TJ's Insights.

ARCHIVED Insights below:
(For the latest column, please visit TjsInsights.com)

Live Is Better Than Tape
10-6-05

The Danger of Condescension
10-5-05

Why The Need For Speaking Skills Can Only Increase
10-03-05

Complexity Equals Media Controversy
09-30-05

Re-Live stories, Don’t Re-Tell Stories
05-26-05

Are You a Mumbler?
05-25-05

Jokes Still Work
05-24-05

Positive Arguing
05-23-05

Contract and Shorten
05-20-05

The Power of Bad Examples
05-19-05

Substance Can Trump Style
05-18-05

Big Brother Is Watching And Listening
05-17-05

Your Worst Media Nightmare
05-16-05

How Do Your Know If You Need Presentation Training?
05-13-05

How Important Are Presentation Skills?
05-12-05

Save Prep Time By Speaking More Often
05-11-05

Making The Best Of A Bad Situation
05-10-05

Adjust Your Volume In Your Microphone, Not Your Voice Box
05-09-05

10 Questions To Determine If You Need Media Training?
05-06-05

Don’t Read, Even If Your Audience Can’t See You
05-05-05

The Unexpected Hit
05-04-05

True Experts Speak. Period!
05-03-05

Old Solutions For New Problems
05-02-05

Bad Presentation Advice
04-29-05

Ask For SPECIFIC Action
04-28-05

Good Times for Bad News
04-27-05

Form Handouts for Presentations
04-26-05

You And The Spotlight
04-25-05

Dare To Be Different, But Don’t Be Different Just To Be Different
04-21-05

Focus On Your Own Interesting Stuff
04-20-05

There’s No Taking Back Words After They Have Left Your Mouth
04-19-05

Have You Improved In the Last 30 Years?
04-18-05

Managing Your Worst Nightmare
04-15-05

You Are What You Watch
04-14-05

Triage Speech Prep
04-13-05

Can Your Audience See You?
04-12-05

Leaders Of Every Stripe Need Communication Skills
04-11-05

“Nice” Sells The Speaking Audience
04-08-05

Comfort, For You And The Audience
04-07-05

Sincerity—Get It or Fake It
04-06-05

Answering Media Questions With Precision
04-05-05

Confidence In Your Message
04-04-05

Love Your Family—But Not for Speech Critiques
04-01-05

Smile Your Way to Speech Success
03-31-05

Johnnie Cochran —Orator
03-30-05

Create A Core Speech
03-29-05

Bad and Worse Reviews
03-28-05

Aggressive Vs. Pushy
03-22-05

Be Different!
03-21-05

Know Your Draft Needs
03-18-05

Shut Your *@#$ing Mouth
03-17-05

Design Your Presentation Image
03-16-05

Don’t Leave Out the Details
03-15-05

Self-Talk Your Way to Self-Destruction
03-14-05

More Radio Tips
03-11-05

Radio—The Feel Good Medium
03-10-05

Speaking Wisdom of the Ages
03-09-05

How To Deal With Hostile Questions
03-08-05

Don’t Give Your Script In Advance
03-07-05

Big Words=Big Sleep
03-04-05

The I-Pod Speech Experiment
03-03-05

Don’t Date Yourself
03-02-05

More Tips On Handling Speaker Anxiety
03-01-05

Keep ‘Em Awake With Eye Contact
02-28-05

The Handout Strategy 
02-25-05

Concluding Versus Closing
02-24-05

TV Needs Action And Words
02-23-05

Prepare Your TV Comments In Advance
02-22-05

One Laugh At a Time
02-18-05

The Pause Solution
02-17-05

Don’t Go Stale
02-16-05

Beware the Complex Double Negatives
02-15-05

Style Is Never Versus Substance
02-14-05

Props Aren’t Just for Magicians
02-11-05

Time for Your Photo Close-Up
02-10-05

What You Can Learn From Honest Abe
02-09-05

The Speech of Your Life
02-08-05

A Blot On Your Image
02-07-05

Are You Adding the Value of Wisdom?
02-04-05

Four Ways to Data Dump
02-03-05

Bush 2005 State of the Union Address
02-02-05

Body Language Matters for Print Interviews Too
02-01-05

Shut Up!
01-31-05

Know Your Room
01-28-05

Conserve Your Voice
01-27-05

Tips For Teleconferencing
01-26-05

When Smart People Use Dumb Words
01-25-05

In the Blink of an Eye
01-24-05

Skeletons In the Closet
01-21-05

George W. Bush’s Inaugural Address
01-20-05

Audience Expectations
01-19-05

Summers in Trouble
01-18-05

Golden Throat Awards
01-17-05

Harry Times In Media Land
01-14-05

Reach Out to Reporters
01-13-05

Let Your Body Breath
01-12-05

Grocery Store Certainty
01-11-05

Speak, Don’t Talk About Speaking
01-10-05

Thin Walls—Tough Interviews
01-07-05

Attack of the Gadflies
01-06-05

Dare To Be Different
01-05-05

The Power of the Negative
01-04-05

Speak Like A King
01-03-05

Resolved: I Will Not Fear Speaking
12-31-04

New Years Toast
12-30-04

“I Was Wrong”
12-29-04

Be Your Own Speaking Role Model
12-23-04

The Modest Guru
12-22-04

Bad Advice
12-21-04

Expert Free styling
12-20-04

Rehearse Without Shame
12-17-04

Presentation Training Return On Investment: Priceless
12-16-04

Interviews Are Not Debate Clubs
12-15-04

From Sales Pitch to Sales Miss
12-13-04

The Age of Instant Corrections
12-10-04

Reruns Are Your Way to Insight
12-09-04

Just Say No When Speaking
12-08-04

Reading Is Fundamental…ly A Bore to Reporters
12-07-04

Practice Can Sometimes Make You Worse—And That’s OK
12-06-04

Forget The Unrealistic Role Models
12-03-04

Retain the Element Of Surprise
12-02-04

Secret Sources of Speech Content
12-01-04

TV Blunders and Blemishes
11-29-04

Just the Facts
11-24-04

Draw Your Speech
11-23-04

Speech Writing for Lawyers and Aides
11-22-04

Frame Your Words And Your Issues
11-19-04

Sissy Stuff—Not!
11-18-04

Pace Yourself For The Big Interviews
11-17-04

Disarming the Distractions
11-16-04

Sap is for Christmas Trees
11-15-04

In-Person Is Better Than Remote
11-12-04

Get It Right The First Time, Or The Second, Or Third Time
11-11-04

Make the Most Of Your Conference Calls
11-10-04

Big Egos Can Hurt You, Or Help You
11-09-04

Ignore the Will of the People
11-08-04

Talk Radio Tips
11-05-04

Potluck PowerPoint
11-04-04

Volunteer Your Way to Presentation Excellence
11-03-04

Practice Makes Per…Better
11-02-04

Volunteer Your Way to Presentation Excellence
11-01-04

Picture Your Numbers
10-29-04

Stemming Stage Fright
10-28-04

Dispense with the Chewing Gum
10-27-04

Cracking Under Pressure
10-26-04

Tale of Two Speakers
10-25-04

Even More Prep For the Ad-Lib
10-22-04

Planning Your Way to the Ad-Lib
10-21-04

You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks
10-19-04

Mind the Clock
10-18-04

Life Practice Opportunities
10-15-04

3rd Presidential Debate Analysis
10-14-04

Faster, Faster, Faster
10-13-04

Preacher Presenter Pros
10-12-04

Character Does Count - Christopher Reeve’s Speaking Career
10-11-04

Presidential Debate Critique
10-08-04

Know Your Media Role
10-07-04

The VP Debate
10-06-04

Improve the Lives of Your Audience
10-05-04

The Camera Is Always On
10-04-04

Rehearse, Don’t Rehash
10-01-04

In Conclusion, Summarize
9-29-04

Rapport Is Key
9-28-04

Small Is Beautiful
9-27-04

Re-Live Events
9-24-04

The Right Foot
9-23-04

Priming The Hand Pump
9-22-04

The Art of Answering Media Questions
9-21-04

Managing Media Interviews
9-20-04

Believability Is Key
9-17-04

More Reading Challenges
9-16-04

Don’t Get Swept Up In the PowerPoint Backlash
9-15-05

Confess Nothing
9-14-04

Test Your AV Equipment From the Audience’s Perspective
9-13-04

Know Your Audience
9-8-04

Know Your Microphones
8-31-04

Protect Your Voice
8-30-04

Opposition Quotes
8-27-04

Comment With A question
8-26-04

Shout It Out
8-25-04

So, You Want To Be a Comedian
8-24-04

I’m Dying Up Here! 
Coping With Extreme Fear
8-23-04

Mic Failure Woes
8-20-04

Populate Your Quotes With Pop Culture References
8-19-04

Wake ‘Em Up After Lunch
8-18-04

Build Your Speaking Library
8-17-04

Joking Your Way On To The Airwaves
8-16-04

Flow Schmo
8-13-04

Cliché Your Way To The Top
8-12-04

Absolutes Are Absolutely Quote Worthy
8-11-04

Attack Your Way To The Headlines
8-10-04

The Quotable Example
8-9-04

Let Your Emotions Flow Freely
8-6-04

Use Bold, Action-Oriented Words
8-5-04

Analogies In Your Answers
8-4-04

The Art of the Sound Bite
8-3-04

Positive Answers Only
8-2-04

Aim For All Three Message Points—In Every Answer
7-30-04

Rewrite Questions To Suit You
7-29-04

Keep Your Tongue In Your Mouth
7-28-04

Prepping for Primetime
7-27-04

Be A Name Dropper
7-26-04

Always Hold Questions Up to the Light
7-23-04

Posture Is Paramount
7-22-04

Delete Your Database of Knowledge
7-21-04

Localize Your Message
7-20-04

Talk To Your Best Friend
7-19-04

Eliminate Complexity
7-16-04

Move to Your Message Points
7-15-04

“I Am Not A Crook”
7-14-04

Words Are Not What’s Most Important
7-13-04

Why Give A Speech?
7-12-04

The Limits of Spin
7-4-04

There Are No Little Speeches, Only Little Speakers
7-3-04

Eyes on Your Message
7-2-04

One Question At A Time
7-1-04

Spell It Out
6-30-04

Open With A Short Answer
6-29-04

Make Your Message Tight and Simple
6-28-04

A Guaranteed Quote
6-27-04

Accomplishments and Solutions
6-26-04

Reporters Are Distracted
6-25-04

So What’s NEW With You?
6-24-04

The Expert Dilemma
6-23-04

“I Don’t Know” Is A Perfectly Good Answer
6-22-04

What Is Your Problem?
6-21-04

Say Everything You HAVE To Say
6-20-04

Give Your Presentation; Don’t Talk About Your Presentation
6-19-04

Do Not “Build”
6-18-04

The Foreign Language Power Point Solution
6-17-04

Results Are Key
6-16-04

It’s Not About You
6-15-04

What Do You Want?
6-14-04

Does The Audience Care?
6-13-04

In The Moment
6-12-04

Don’t Think On Your Feet, Think On Your Seat
6-11-04

What Do the Media Want?
6-10-04

The Power of Three
6-9-04

Keep It Short
6-8-04

Answer the Basic Questions
6-7-04

The Power of the Positive
6-6-04

The Reagan Rhetorical Legacy
6-5-04

Makeup Your Mind About Makeup
6-4-04

Test, Test, Test
6-3-04

Lean Forward To Look Lean
6-2-04

Move Your Head
6-1-04

Smile For the Camera
5-31-04

The Eyes Have It
5-30-04

Move Your Eyebrows
5-29-04

What Were You Thinking?
5-28-04

“Winging It” Is For The Birds
5-27-04

Visuals Are Everything In a Visual Medium
5-26-04

Free Your Hands
5-25-05

Ugly Sides Make Ugly Presentations
5-24-04

One Idea Per Slide
5-23-04

PowerPoint Is Your Dessert
5-22-04

You Are the Star of the Show
5-21-04

Whiteout Is Not Just For Typos
5-20-04

One Thing at a Time
5-19-04

Don’t Betray Your Audience
5-18-04

Three Presentations In One
5-17-04

A Few Notes on Notes
5-16-04

PowerPoint Is NOT a TelePrompTer
5-15-04

PowerPoint Is The Greatest Invention Ever Created For Speakers
5-14-04

It’s OK To Wear Your Emotions On Your Sleeve
5-13-04

The Passion Premium
5-12-04

And she said to me, “
5-11-04

Introduce One Person—The Star of Your Show
5-10-04

It Was A Dark And Stormy Night…
5-9-04

Have An Ending, Happy or Otherwise
5-8-04

Paul Harvey………………………………….Good Day!
5-7-04

What Is The Point?
5-6-04

One Size Fits All
5-5-04

Focus Group Your Way To Speaking Success
5-4-04

More Magical Than Please Or Thank You
5-3-04

Don’t Be Greedy, One Handful Per Customer
5-2-04

Avoid the Weasel Words
5-1-04

Tell Your Story
4-30-04

Get Some ACTION
4-29-04

Data Dump Avoidance
4-28-04

Benefits, Benefits, Benefits
4-27-04

Engage With the Heart and Head
4-26-04

The Water Cooler Message
4-25-04

The Four Corners of the Speaker’s Big Picture
4-24-04

Where Were You When The Lights Went Out?
4-23-04

The Evolution of Bush, The Speaker
4-22-04

Oh, And One More Thing…
4-21-04

To Button Or Not To Button, That Is The Question
4-20-04

Ask Questions, Don’t Write Questions
4-19-04

Learn The Easy Way—From Other People’s Mistakes
4-18-04

Learn From Friend And Foe Alike
4-17-04

Breaking the Rules, But First Learn Them
4-16-04

Got No Time
4-15-04

Consistency Isn’t So Foolish
4-14-04

The One Common Leadership Trait
4-13-04

I Hate My Voice!
4-12-04

Bad Speech. Great Q & A Session
4-11-04

The Question of Questions
4-10-04

The Enemy Within
4-9-04

Recycling Can Be Environmentally and Rhetorically Correct
4-8-04

The X Fun Factor
4-7-04

Notes to Your Demise
4-6-04

Befriend Your Host
4-5-04

The Demagoguery Dimension
4-4-04

You Aren’t the Star of the Universe, Even During Your Starring Moment
4-3-04

Reading Ain’t So Easy
4-2-04

Beware The Over-Reaction into One Size Fits All
4-1-04

Screwing Up While Nobody Notices
3-31-04

Shorter Is Not Always Sweeter
3-30-04

When, Not If, You Bomb
3-29-04

Never, Ever, Ever, Ever Apologize
3-28-04

Battling The Talk Radio Clock
3-27-04

You Aren’t Steven Spielberg
3-26-04

You Can Get A Second Chance To Make A Great Impression
3-25-04

Do You Need Training Wheels?
3-24-04

Break Out The Tux And Gown

3-23-04

More Is More In The Media World
3-22-04

You've Got Four Jobs To Do
3-21-04

Introducing the Fonz
3-20-04

Be Cool, Man
3-19-04

End With A Bang
3-18-04

You Can Be a Star Without Having Star Talent
3-17-04

You Are What You Drink
3-16-04

Speak For As Long As You Are Interesting

3-15-04

 

Stop Worrying About the Questions

3-14-05

Nothing Is Worse Than a Well Written Speech
3-13-04

How Do You Keep From Going Stale?
3-12-04

The Speaker's Enemy--Abstraction
3-11-04

What Do I Do With My Hands?
3-10-04

Do Clothes Make the Man or Woman?
3-9-04

The Rule of Three
3-8-04

Dissecting the Dean Scream
3-7-04

Daring the Impossible--Reading a Speech Well
3-6-04

A Look at Sen. Kerry's Speaking Style
3-5-04

 

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