Do the Reps: Dr. Kester Crosse on WBAL-TV 11

“Talent opens eyes, but people skills opens doors.” That was Dr. Kester Crosse’s opening line live on WBAL-TV 11 News on Saturday morning, October 31, 2026, sitting across from anchor Jen Franciotti with the cover of his book on the screen behind them. Watch the five-minute segment on WBAL’s site.

The question was one every family is living with: technology is everywhere, and young people are anxious about the simple act of talking to someone. His answer was plain. “Confidence comes from practice.”

Why a studio that builds technology agrees

We build apps, AI receptionists and assistants for a living, so you might expect us to say the tools can carry the load. They can’t carry this one. Kester put it the way he always does: “It’s like going to the gym and not lifting any weights. You can go every day. You don’t get stronger.” Use the technology as a tool, he said, but you have to learn and do it. That is the same line we hold when we design software: the best tool takes the busywork away so a person has more time for the human part, not less.

“You can’t open a door looking down at your phone.” — Dr. Kester Crosse

The skills a computer can’t fake

“The difference between the computers and humans are our ability to connect,” he said. “People hire, promote folks that they connect with, people they trust. And trust comes from time and consistency.” Employers agree: the National Association of Colleges and Employers finds communication rated essential 96% of the time, yet new graduates rated proficient only 54% of the time.

He gave viewers two tools from his book, Open Doors. The TEEE Score: rate yourself one to ten on Talent, Energy, Effort and Execution. And the FROM method for walking into a room: ask where someone is From, their Recreation, their Occupation and their Motivation. “Talk less, listen more. People remember how you make them feel.”

Three things for parents

His advice for parents was the part I keep thinking about. Teach your kids to introduce themselves: first and last name, eye contact, phone in the pocket. Let them make their own appointments from high school on. And take away the unnecessary hardships, but let them struggle. “If you do everything for your kid, when you try to pull back when they go to college, guess what? That anxiety catches fire.”

The good news, in his words: practise with your kid and “your kid will outshine the competition, because the competition is in their phone.”

Watch it, then pass it on

Kester wrote up the interview on his own site: Talent Opens Eyes. People Skills Open Doors. It sits next to his 13News Now interview on AI and students on his Watch page, and schools and teams can book him through opendoorssuccess.com. On air, the anchor told him he should do motivational speaking. He does. If a parent, coach or teacher you know needs this, send it to them.

Frequently asked questions

What did Dr. Kester Crosse say on WBAL-TV 11?

On October 31, 2026, he said talent opens eyes but people skills open doors, that confidence comes from practice, and that technology should be used as a tool rather than doing the work for you.

What can parents do to build their kids’ social skills?

He gave three steps: teach kids to introduce themselves with their first and last name, eye contact and a handshake; let them make their own appointments from high school on; and remove unnecessary hardships but let them struggle, because that is how they get stronger.

What is the TEEE Score?

A self-assessment from Dr. Crosse's book Open Doors: score yourself one to ten on Talent, Energy, Effort and Execution. It shows that talent alone is not what makes someone successful.