This content was created by TJ Walker. This content was uploaded by TJ Walker. This is a YouTube video titled "Revealing Ronald Reagan's Style and Substance Mastery" created on January 13, 2007. It features a conversation between TJ Walker and another speaker discussing the importance of style in communication, using historical figures like George Washington, Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, and Michael Moore as examples to illustrate how style complements substance.
A lot of my clients come to me and they think that I'm just going to teach them about style. And some of them little wary of that because they think they're purist. I'm pure. I just care about my substance. I'm all substance.
Well, wait a minute.
It's never quite that simple. In order to communicate the maximum amount of substance, you need the maximum amount of style.
The two really go together. It's like strands of a thick rope.
You need both.
George Washington, for example, was quite particular about his white hosiery. He always had a regal look. Now this is even though he turned down being named king of America. When he was approaching a city, he would take the time to get out of his coach and ride into to the town on a white horseback. He knew his image was crucial to his mission. Winston Churchill gave much attention to the wide wail of his pinstripe, the bigness of his glasses and the use of his cigar. Yes, yes, of course he had substance, but he always extended his substance with style. Do you ever remember seeing a single hair out of place on Margaret Thatcher's head? Of course not. That would have sullied her resolute, strong, principled political image. Ronald Reagan would often joke about his age, but he knew that this would work only if he appeared to be vital and healthy. Throughout his eight years in the White House, he never missed that secret Tuesday morning session with his hairdresser who magically preserved Reagan's hair in the color of chocolate ice cream. Look at Michael Moore, the left wing best selling writer and movie maker. He's successful in part because his image is totally consistent with his message. He always wears a baseball cap, old jeans, a T shirt, and he always has exactly 3.5 days of stubble on his face. This helps him convey his everyman message and image. Moore has fashioned the perfect style that works for him. If you gave him a haircut, a close shave and an Armani suit, it would rob him of his power just as surely as gutting Samson's hair.
The key is to figure out what exactly is your substance. Then what's the style that will spotlight it, that will put a focus on it, that will accentuate it? Remember, there's no debate between style versus substance. You need both. People who are really strong communicators realize this. They don't whine or complain about mere style or mere artifice. They embrace it. Sometimes secretly, sometimes quietly. But those who want to communicate the most amount of message also spend the most amount of time on.
