Think on your feet or think at your seat?

"Being able to think on one's feet is highly overrated. It is far better to develop the discipline of preparing in advance and rehearsing. Of course, this is hard work, but if you consistently think about your message and all of the issues surrounding your topic, you will rarely be surprised.

So if you want to appear to be good at thinking on your feet, spend some time thinking at your seat in front of your computer, writing down notes, outlines, bullet points, and sample questions and answers. Then you can make it all look easy." ~ TJ Walker, in his book "Media Training A-Z."

TJ, who I've quoted here before, asked me to tell you that if you go to his Media Training Worldwide site, he'll send you a free presentation training video.

I haven't looked at his presentation training materials yet, but I can definitely recommend "Media Training A-Z." If you ever talk to the media or expect to one day, this book is well-organized, easy to understand, and full of practical tips for dealing with print, TV and radio reporters.