All great reporters, regardless of their experience in years, appear to share a common commitment: that their stories are worth telling. You can feel it in the way they gesture and move. You can hear it in their voices and their choice of words. You can see it in the depth of their preparation and their laser sharp focus on the air.

So, beyond the basics of cosmetics, story-appropriate dress, breathing and voice, gestures and body language, movement, writing with soundbites and package construction, we challenge reporters to do one simple thing: commit fully to the things they say and do.

Commitment comes most readily from story ownership. We stress entrepreneurship as the best way to assure energized performances. For others, commitment comes naturally from their knowledge of a particular topic. So we urge reporters to develop personal areas of expertise, regardless of whether your newsroom operates on a beat system.