TJ's Insights

VP Debate Analysis -2008 Who Won?

TJ Walker — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:45:20 +0000

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Ugly Sides Make Ugly Presentations

TJ Walker — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:52:43 +0000

Many people who create PowerPoint slides for their bosses seem to be playing a game called “Let’s see how much useless stuff we can cram on a single slide before anyone notices that we are trying to make them look bad.” But no one ever calls them on it. Too many people write out a conventionally [...]

The Demagoguery Dimension

TJ Walker — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:00:40 +0000

It happens every so often, after I have finished conducting a presentation training session with a number of clients. After the first post-training cocktail has been consumed, one of my student’s will meekly put forth this question in hushed, apologetic tones: “TJ, what do you think of Adolph Hitler as a public speaker?” At first blush, it [...]

Populate Your Quotes with Pop Culture References

TJ Walker — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:18:21 +0000

If you want to see your message quoted in the media, one sure way is to add a pop culture reference. Reporters LOVE anything that relates to someone or something that is currently receiving attention in pop culture or is generally known to the masses. If you say “I believe that ACME Company did not [...]

What Is The Point?

TJ Walker — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 15:48:47 +0000

When you are telling a story, anecdote or joke to an audience, it is imperative that you have a message point that is being brought to life. Unless you are rich and famous, nobody cares about the minutiae of your life unless it reveals lessons that are applicable to all. If your joke makes an important [...]

Confess Nothing

TJ Walker — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:34:09 +0000

So you’ve just finished your big speech. You think you covered everything. You hope you did a great job. You think you’ve done a great job. People start coming up to you and telling you, “You did a great job!” Finally, you relax. You really did a great job! And to think you were so nervous. [...]

Have You Improved In the Last 30 Years?

TJ Walker — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 14:00:11 +0000

I went to a business conference recently to see a colleague give a major presentation. During the course of the conference I saw speakers of every skill level. Some were dynamic, interesting and had good eye contact. My associate gave a particularly strong speech – one that was memorable for both its content and passionate [...]

Focus On Your Own Interesting Stuff

TJ Walker — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:54:02 +0000

“How can I find more interesting things to say in my speech?” I hear this all of the time from clients. Often, they are looking for a quick fix, like a web site or a reference book. Sadly, these are useless to most speakers. Most people have interesting content i.e. stories that they use in real life [...]

The Sourpuss Audience Member

TJ Walker — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 13:46:34 +0000

What do you do if you regularly have to speak in front of someone who is a sourpuss? In every big organization there is always one person who has a perpetual frown on his or her face. This person likes to give lots of feedback—all of it negative! The sheer possibility of having to give [...]

Blogging Your Way To Great Speaking

TJ Walker — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 14:05:20 +0000

Ironically, one of the best ways to become a better speaker is to become a better writer. And there is no better way than to write a daily blog. As the most successful bloggers will tell you, a well-written blog sounds exactly like a real person talking in a real conversation. And the sheer act [...]

Adjusting to the Time Crunch

TJ Walker — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:40:52 +0000

What do you do if you are scheduled for an hour-long conference call to pitch new business and this is the first thing you hear at the other end of the line? [...]

Ask Questions

TJ Walker — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 13:47:37 +0000

Vendors come to us at Media Training Worldwide and the Speaking Channel quite frequently to pitch us their wares (as we do with prospects as well). The atmosphere is relaxed, with people sitting around a conference room chatting. Normally, the sales pitches are interesting, engaging, and useful, even if we donâ€™t ending up hiring the [...]

Scatter Your Notes

TJ Walker — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:25:01 +0000

I am a big believer that audiences reward speakers who donâ€™t appear to be reading from scripts or notes. The keyword here is â€œappear.â€ I also know that most people, me included, donâ€™t have an extra 40 hours a week to memorize speeches. Thatâ€™s why I use notes for my speeches. As I have written about [...]

The One-Second, Two-Word Speaking Solution

TJ Walker — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:03:12 +0000

Watch Video In Al Goresâ€™s 2007 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, he shows that, once again, he is an excellent speaker. Why, many people ask, was Gore considered such an awful speaker in the 90s and in 2000, and now is considered a great speaker? It all comes down to two words: â€œStop yelling!â€ Old Gore used to show [...]

The Answer Is Right In Front of You

TJ Walker — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:19:38 +0000

I just spent two days helping a team of corporate executives rehearse major presentations. The company was in the process of trying to sell itself for a bundle of cash to a new group of private equity investors. We were in the companyâ€™s conference roomâ€”complete with fancy overhead projector, big screen, nice conference table, and a [...]

Donâ€™t Sweat The Small Stuff (Not everything is the small stuff)

TJ Walker — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:49:37 +0000

Too many speakers sweat the small stuff of speaking, i.e. the occasional â€œumâ€ or â€œuh.â€ This is a misplaced fear. I am reminded of a well-know self-help series called â€œDonâ€™t sweat the small stuff, and everything is small stuff,â€ only, not everything in speaking is small stuff. Having something interesting, memorable and relevant for your audienceâ€”this [...]

Dare To Be Different

TJ Walker — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:07:30 +0000

There is great comfort in mediocrity when it comes to public speaking. It is easy to joke around with your colleagues about how you “hate” speaking in public and that you “just want to get through it.” To publicly admit that you like speaking and that you think you are good at it is heretical [...]

Why Speaking Matters

TJ Walker — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 14:15:52 +0000

President George W. Bush has been the worst thing to ever happen to the presentation skills training industry. For the last 7 years, those in my profession have looked like fools when we said things like â€œpublic speaking skills are integral to success in business and public life.â€ People could and would just say â€œHa. Then [...]

Attack of the Gadflies

TJ Walker — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 15:35:07 +0000

What do you do when you are attacked in the media by your local gadfly? Most communities with more than 100,000 residents have at least one professional agitator/complainer. (I don’t mean to imply that all citizen activists are without merit, but some are running a permanent gripe/industrial complex.) This “media activist” never met a corporation or [...]

Thin Walls – Tough Interviews

TJ Walker — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 15:41:13 +0000

The best part about doing media interviews for radio programs is that you can do them anywhere. The worst part about doing media interviews for radio programs is that you can do them anywhere. By that I mean you can find yourself in situations where distractions erupt right in the middle of an interview. Recently, I [...]