TJ’s Insights

The world is moving at a faster pace than ever. We’ve got Fed Ex, 1000 emails a day, continual phone text messages, new TV channels are sprouting every day, a billion new web pages added an hour—it keeps coming and coming and coming. Clients come to me all the time and say, “TJ, please help me be more concise and get to my points faster for my presentations!”Hold on. In fact STOP!

It’s time for a reality check. Yes there are more communication options and media sources than ever before. Yes, some people can get bored faster than ever. But some things aren’t changing.

Do you have a big ego?

Of course you don’t. But do you have other colleagues, associates or employees who do?

The problem with big-ego people in media interviews is that they like to show the reporter how smart they are by “educating the reporter” on 1157 separate facts and messages the interviewee knows about the subject. The result is that the reporter picks 3 out of the 1157 messages delivered in the interview for the final story. Inevitably, the big-ego expert is annoyed and surprised by the three messages that got into the story. But he shrugs it off by saying “that reporter wasn’t very bright. If only he were as smart as I am then he would have…”

The voice is a powerful speaking tool. Too many speakers deaden their voices while giving presentations.

Why?

Because the speaker is focusing on the exact words he or she is trying to communicate. Words do matter, but if you flatten your voice to the point where it is dull, lifeless, monotone, and dry, no one will be able to stay awake long enough to hear your words.

If you are looking for vocal role models, I would highly recommend listening to the talk radio show host known simply as “Lionel.” (You can hear him for free at iTunes.com)

For hundreds of years, text writing has been the default medium of choice for most people. It was the simplest, easiest, and most widely used medium for communication.

When television became widespread in the 1950’s, TV soon became the most powerful medium for communication even though it was an expensive and time-consuming medium available exclusively to elites when it came to creation.

It is now my belief that both text and TV are being eclipsed by the medium of video. The costs to create and distribute video are rapidly getting to the point where it no different from text. Average citizens are creating videos on their cell phones, mini-video cameras, the computers and a zillion other devices.

I am on a plane to Paris and then to Bangalore and what do I find in the in-flight magazines? I see ads for remote control devices that can be used on any computer when you are giving a PowerPoint presentation. What else do I notice? Ads for LCD projectors (with and without the remote controls).

Clearly, marketers know that international business travelers have to give a lot of presentations and are looking for every tool they can find to improve. Now I own a lot of projectors and a fair number of computer remotes and I use them too, so I can’t be written off as a Luddite. But to me, as a speaking and presentation trainer and expert, it always seems bizarre to focus on the tools of speaking and not the actual skills need to good job.

Nothing short of a bullet can be more devastating to a person than the full-scale onslaught of a media attack. But no matter how hard the media may pummel you, it is important to remember that nothing is permanent in the ephemeral business of news.

Kate Moss was vilified in the press for being a Coke-snorting junkie in late 2005, and she lost $10 million in endorsement deals over night. But by early 2006 she was receiving fawning articles about what a fantastic “Comeback Kid” she was and a whole new group of endorsements fell into her lap.

A longtime regular follower of SpeakCast wrote to me with the following question:

“If I am asked for a media interview as an ‘expert’ on a topic area, would it be improper professional etiquette if I asked for some advertising space in return? Or would it better to not ask and expect that the PR from the article is enough ‘payment?’ Thanks for your help. I have an interview shortly and have been wondering about this.”

I can understand your request and I am totally sympathetic to your reasoning for wanting advertising space. After all, your time is valuable. You may charge hundreds of dollars for your time. So why should you give it away for free to some reporter?

Bush White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan resigned on April 19, 2006 in his typical less-than-well-positioned style. I was always a McClellan critic because I found that he usually let reporters put him on the defensive. He always seemed slightly embarrassed and even in doubt about his positions and statements. These are firing offenses for any spokespersons.

(Please note that my criticism of McClellan is not in any way partisan. I have spoke out in the past in my believe that McClellan’s predecessor, Ari Fleischer, was the best White House Spokesman ever, because of his brilliant, positive positioning on every issue and his unflappability.)

I work hard every day in pursuit of my goal of becoming the most authoritative speaking expert in the world. But the sad realty is that I have little influence over anyone compared to a boss. If you are a boss, you have tremendous power and influence over the speaking skills and habits of your employees, whether you realize it or not.

I often have CEOs and other top executives bemoan to me that their employees are boring, unmemorable speakers. “TJ, our employees are awful speakers. I want to run and hide when I see an employee about to give me a PowerPoint presentation.”