TJ Walker, president of Media Training Worldwide, introduces the video's central claim: to communicate effectively you must balance style (how you look and come across) with substance (the message). He cites his credential of training people from 191 countries and uses anecdotes (a TV appearance ruined by an ugly tie; resume vs. cover letter) to show that poor style distracts from substance. He explains that media training should begin with getting appearance, demeanor, and delivery right so audiences focus on the message, and promises practical tips to follow.
Questions this video answers
191 countries
Chapters
My name is TJ Walker. As president of Media Training Worldwide, I have trained people from 191 countries on how to speak effectively to the media. And hold on, folks. Would you want to buy something from that guy? Would you want to listen to someone like that? Ultimately, we care about the messages, the messages of your company, your organization, your product, your service, your campaign. But we are human beings, and human beings do not divorce the style and the substance. It's not that one is more important than the other. You have to have both. So when it comes to speaking to the media and if there's a visual component with television or video, you got to get that right. Because if you look scared, stiff, nervous, like that guy a few seconds ago, no one's going to focus on any. Anything you say. No one's going to remember your message. I remember about 30 years ago, I was hosting a political TV talk show, and I thought I just had the best show ever. I said, so many brilliant insights, or so I thought. Couldn't wait for the viewer mail to come in. This was before the days of email letter comes in. Dear T.J. what'd you wear that ugly tie for? If you have something that stands out visually, no one's going to remember anything you said. So that's why it's critically important. You know how to look your best, come across your best, sound your best, and not be distracting. Now, this is nothing specific to video or tv. It's with all communication. If I send you a resume and a cover letter, and my resume is perfect, everything you're looking for but my cover letter filled with typos, spelling errors, smudges on the paper. Chances are you're gonna throw away my resume and the COVID letter. Right? Bad grammar, commas in the wrong place. It's a mess. In that case, my style will overwhelm my substance, even though my resume was great. On the other hand, let's say I write you the most beautiful cover letter ever. Great paper, punctuation, style, everything flows perfectly. But then you look at my resume. I have no relevant experience in your field, and I've never worked anywhere other than fast food for two weeks. You gonna hire me? Probably not. My point is, in all communication, it's never just about style. It's never just about substance. You always have to have both. But if you don't have the initial style, it's going to turn people off. They're not even going to focus or listen to your substance. So that's why I always start off a media training, whether it's in person or online, giving people the tips they need to know to look their best, to come across comfortable, confident, relaxed. I want you to really feel comfortable with, with how you're coming across, whether it's your own video or whether you're being interviewed by the toughest, harshest, most confrontational talk show host in your country. So that's what we're going to cover right now.
