Move Like a Seasoned TV Pro

Okay.

We’re making progress.

Let’s put some of these things together.

I’m going to lean forward about 15 degrees into the camera.

My eyes are not darting a little bit of a smile on my face face tell me what’s wrong with this.

Hi I’m T.J. Walker as president of media training worldwide.

I’ve coached senior executives all over the world on how to communicate effectively for their on youtube channels Facebook channels and the news media.

What was wrong with that.

You probably noticed I looked and sounded like a robot it sounded canned.

Nothing was moving but my lips.

And that makes me seem like I’m not a human being.

It’s a big problem and a lot of times people spend so much time going through their messages and memorizing their messages that they forget to move because they’re nervous when you’re nervous.

The natural thing is to freeze up so it’s not enough to tell people just act natural.

It’s natural to freeze up.

So if you’re acting natural and you’re frozen and all you’re doing is moving your lips you’re going to look like you are a hostage on tape and you have a gun to your head it looks awful.

So let’s break it down.

I’m going to add something this time.

You tell me what’s different.

Hi I’m T.J.

Walker at media training worldwide.

I help executives and leaders communicate effectively to the news media especially for tough issues controversial issues.

What was different that time.

Well you may have noticed I moved my head.

All I did the second I started moving my head.

I sounded less robotic as my voice wasn’t frozen.

Let’s add another element.

So the big challenge for most people is figuring out how to everything you could say on the subject what are really the most important issues.

The top three.

And then how do you bridge back again and again and again.

What was different that time.

That time it wasn’t just my face in my head my eyebrows moving my whole body moved from the waist up and I wasn’t jerking around in some odd way.

It was a natural movement.

Let’s add another element.

So the big challenge for most people is figuring out everything they could say on a subject.

What are their top three messages and then how do they bridge back to it again and again and again throughout the whole interview.

What was different that time hands.

One of the biggest myths out there is that somehow you’re not supposed to move your hands wrong wrong wrong.

Huge mistake.

Now I work with people from every continent I’ve traveled and trained in 30 continents I’ve worked with people or 30 countries I’ve worked with people from dozens and dozens if not more than 100 countries in person plus one hundred and ninety one countries online and I can tell you in every country the people who communicate effectively who are seen as comfortable as confident they move their hands when they speak.

The second you phrase your hands you freeze your arms you freeze your body typically it gets in your vocal cords the next thing you know you have this sort of homeroom teacher sound in your voice sounds off doesn’t sound believable doesn’t sound real.

So my recommendation.

Move your hands when you speak.

It’s virtually impossible to look nervous and uncomfortable if your hands are moving.

Sure.

Is it possible to be moving in such a wildly distracting way.

No one can focus on what you’re saying.

It’s possible.

All I can tell you is I’ve been training people in person since 1980 for far more than 10000 people I’ve trained in person.

I’ve never yet had anyone moving their hands in a wildly distracting way.

Yet every week sometimes every day in a week I’ve had people freeze their hands or grab a lectern or hold a pen and it made them look stiff uncomfortable nervous.

Well you occasionally see somebody in pop culture moving their hands for comedic effect.

Sure famously there’s Will Ferrell in one of his comedy movies where he said he’s on a talk show and he’s a racecar driver it’s like I don’t know what to do with my hands here.

But that’s comedy.

That’s not the problem you’re likely to face the more common problem freezing your hands looking scared.

So my recommendation.

Move your hands.

Which by the way if your hands are moving it’s basically impossible not to move your body.

It’s basically impossible to keep your head frozen.

So it triggers things in a positive and negative way but the biggest move your hands.

Move your body move your face and you’ll come across more comfortable confident and relaxed.