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How to develop talking pts

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Talking points get a bad rap because people assume talking points = scripted. But in reality, well-developed talking points = preparation. And the reason you want to prepare is so you’re able to control the interview by communicating your message regardless of the questions asked.

Below are a few tips to help you develop the best talking points for your message:

#1 — Condense. The more you know about a topic, the more difficult an interview will be because there is so much you COULD say. The trick is to determine what two or three points best sell your message to the intended audience – what do they care about? – and then physically write them down.

#2 — Don’t memorize. Once you determine the two or three points you want to make, it’s important to NOT memorize them. You’ll sound rehearsed if you try. Instead, create bullet points to summarize your talking points. You’ll stay on message and you’ll sound conversational as you allow words and phrases you’d naturally use to fill the gaps.

#3 — Internalize. Now that you’ve written out your talking points and understand how each can be summarized into bullet points, it’s time to practice out loud. You’ll find that your ability to remember and deliver your talking points is much easier when you’ve taken the time to not only write down what you want to say but to also say it out loud.

(Photo Credit: Career Employer)

3 things to consider (and avoid) before you go on live TV

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Last week was a study in what happens when props fail, both in public presentations and media interviews.

Props can be a great addition to help make your point, but please proceed with caution. You risk more by using the prop than not, so here are three things to consider (and avoid) before you go on live TV:

1. Use spell check! This floor poster made us LOL.

Last week, Sen. Maria Cantwell (now referred to as “Sen. Cantspell”) was trying to make a point against the Republican health care bill, yet forgot to spell check her prop. #YouHadOneJob

2. Props should never make an appearance in media interviews, and Kellyanne Conway proved why. Though she was using her flash cards to clear up confusion about the Russia saga, it didn’t seem to have the intended effect.

(We’re confused. We don’t understand.)

But also, the signs were a distraction from her main message. Instead of listening to what she said, we tuned her out to watch as she awkwardly broke the frame to pull the signs into the shot. When you have to pull props into a live shot, you’re doing it wrong.

3. Don’t be the punchline. Beware of any potential for a screen shot to be made into a meme. We saw this happen to President Trump when he lifted up a copy of a just-signed executive order. The prop took on a life of its own, not only creating memes, but also a meme generator.