My top 5 video tips:
Are you terrified of getting in front of the camera?
Does it make you cringe you hear and see yourself? Well, it is a lot like any other fear. The more you confront it, the easier it becomes to move past the fear and into a place of practice. Practice something you suck at and eventually, you don’t suck as much. I mean that’s the goal. So very short advice is to just push the record button. Take notes. Watch other speakers and YouTubers. Get curious. I’ll probably turn this into a video on its own, but till now, you get written words.
My Top 5 tips for getting comfortable on camera:
Don’t take yourself too seriously. I mean that. Laugh, and have a good time. Be yourself and let your personality shine. It’s supposed to be fun! If it isn’t fun. You’ll dread doing it. It will become a chore. I do this every time. I seem to forget how much fun I have finally pushing publish on that video. Editing is a TASK. But, I am really trying to remember it is the creative process. Keeping in mind the end product makes it fun for me.
Make an outline. If you fumble for words once the camera is on, make yourself cue cards, or have an outline handy. This can be on your computer, laptop, phone, or even just written out. I wouldn’t recommend writing out your whole script word for word, because that tends to sound contrived and robotic when you are just reading off a script. Try to address the bullet points of your video like you’re talking to your best friend.
Use a checklist. (you can download one free here). Go through and check off this handy list of things you might need or hadn’t thought of for filming. It helps to just have it all listed out so you can go through the steps not getting hung up on tasks.
Give yourself enough time. Don’t underestimate the amount of time you’ll need when starting out. Take some deep breaths, go over your talking points, and make sure to take breaks. Sometimes a video can take me multiple hours, sometimes it’s a wrap in like 20 mins. It really depends on your script, and your capacity to deliver your information clearly and concisely.
Check your lighting, sound, and area. Lighting and sound play a huge part in whether your video is going to get watched. Think about it, if you can’t see clearly what you’re watching are you going to stick around? Same with audio. If you can’t hear it or if there is a really annoying noise going on it’s hard to watch and listen. I have this slight annoyance with people making weird mouth noises when they have a microphone without a pop filter. People can be very sensitive to odd noises or bad lighting.
If tip number one is giving you a really hard time and it’s just a chore for you. Check out the struggles I go through in almost every video I have in my archives (not published yet). I figured out how to make a separate track while I edit my main footage yesterday for my PFCI video I was working on.
A typical day in my world trying to get a video done.
If you need a little more coaching on how to get comfortable on camera. My good buddy Shawn has his Calm & Cozy on camera course available in the Fleurvana membership. Which is having a special with the Fleurvana magazine having its yearly anniversary this month!
