Live-streamed media-training session in Bangkok led by TJ Walker for United Nations officials. Walker fields audience questions about working with UN agencies and the main challenge trainees face—shifting from answering reporters’ detailed questions to repeatedly bridging back to three key message points. He shares a personal origin story: his first media experience was at age 12 (a junior-high Fonzie lookalike contest) and he later entered student government, which set him on a path toward politics, media, and public speaking.
Questions this video answers
42 years ago.
12 years old.
Chapters
Poor.
Now we're on.
Hi, I'm TJ Walker, and I help people speak their best because how you present your ideas is often the most important aspect of your success. We're here today live in Bangkok. I'm doing a media training session with.
United Nation officials and we're going to take live questions now. Any questions from our audience?
Does UNHCR your worst media giant?
Asking about a particular UN agency? Is it the word no? In fact, I love working with the.
United nations because everyone I work with here is very passionate about making the world a better place and really helping people, especially those in need.
But part of what is interesting about.
My work is I work with people, private sector, public sector, government, UN Everyone's a little bit different and yet everybody's.
Exactly the same in that they want to come across their best. They want to come across natural, relaxed.
And they want to get their message.
Their quotes, into the final story.
Other questions, what do you find the.
Most challenging of training us today?
What do I find the most challenging about the training today and for that matter, any training?
The hardest part for most people is.
Making this transition from focusing just on what the reporter wants, answering their questions in great detail, and then making the switch to focusing on here are my messages that I want.
And getting used to answering questions and.
Then bridging back to not one, not.
Two, but all three message points in.
Every single answer because it feels awkward, it feels weird.
It's not how you talk in normal.
Conversation, but unfortunately it's the only way to increase the odds of you getting what you want. In a final story, we have time for one last question.
Is there any personal experience that got you interested in doing media training?
How did I get interested in this in the first place?
My first taste with the media happened 42 years ago. I was 12 years old in junior high school.
And There was a 50s Day celebration, a contest for a lookalike contest, a Fonzie lookalike contest. A character from a sitcom.
And this character had thick black hair slicked back and I had a little.
More hair back then and it was black.
I won the look alike contest. The reward was I got to do my own junior high school newscast. Closed circuit TV, 1200 students.
And that was kind of my first taste, being in front of a camera and being involved with news and the media, even though it was a tiny little thing.
And a few months after that, I.
Got interested in politics and ran for student government. Won that. And ever since, I've somehow been involved.
With either politics, media OR SPEAKING I'm T.J. walker.
Thanks for joining me today. For regular updates on dealing with the.
Media, giving speeches and presentations, please come to this page and like it. Facebook.com TJwalkerspeaktoinfluence.
