Believe me when I say, you are not alone in hating being in front of camera! Whenever I talk about using video at conferences, I ask for a show of hands as to how many love being in front of camera. There’s usually about 2 hands up in a room of 100 people!
Yet putting out videos of yourself talking to camera is a great way of building engagement with your audience, or showing your expertise and of creating a more personal connection with those who follow and are connected to you.
So, how can you overcome your video fear?
-
Remember, Only You Are Bothered!
The reason most of us hate being on camera is because we are self-scrutinisers! We focus on the way we look and/or on the way we sound (because who likes hearing their own voice?!). The thing is, we are the only people scrutinising ourselves like that. No one else cares. They care far more about our message than about what we look or sound like!
2. Brainstorm
Come up with some ideas for what you can talk about on video. It will give you more confidence that you have a reason to be in front of camera, and some great advice to share.
3. Practice and Relax
Chat to yourself about what you are going to record in your video. Maybe jot down a few key points. I’d definitely recommend going script-free, as it sounds very obvious when you’re reading from a script. So, have a practice of what you want to talk about before you hit that record button. And relax! The more real you are, the more authentic you will come across.
4. Record and Don’t Post
Record some videos without posting them. Watch them back. Have a think about how you could improve. Could the lighting be a bit better? Are you talking too fast? Never worry about the little stuff. I often fiddle with my hair in videos. I can’t help it and if I tried to stop I’d probably have to record about a thousand videos to get the one when I don’t!
5. Hit That Publish Button!
Get that first video out there. Once you start getting comments and likes, you’ll feel less embarrassed and realise that you’ve helped people by sharing your knowledge! Plus, how rewarding is it to go out of your comfort zone? And, let’s face it, out of your comfort zone is where success happens!
So, my challenge to you is to post a video if you’ve never done it before! Please tag me too and let me know that you’ve done it, and I’ll be there with a huge round of applause for you!
