It's part of the job
As a top professional in your field, it's likely that you will be asked to speak on camera at some point in your career. Whether it's for a video conference, a live-streamed event, or a recorded interview, being on camera can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially if you are more comfortable behind the scenes. However, with the right preparation and attitude, you can become confident and at ease in front of the camera.
As someone who has just overcome camera shyness, I would like to share my top three tips to help you excel in your next on-camera appearance.
1.Just do it:
The first and perhaps the most important step to speaking on camera is to just do it. The more you expose yourself to being on camera, the more comfortable you will become. Start by recording yourself with your phone and playing back the footage to analyze your speech patterns, tone, and body language.
You may be surprised by how different you look and sound when you are on camera compared to how you appear in the mirror or hear yourself speak.
The structure of the skull causes us to perceive our own voice differently in real-time compared to when we hear a recording of it. The disconnect between our conscious brain recognizing our voice but not fully recognizing ourselves is a normal phenomenon, but it can make us feel uneasy. Additionally, when you look at yourself in a mirror, you view a reversed image that you may be used to seeing multiple times a day. However, the photo or video representation of yourself may not be as familiar unless you make a regular habit of seeing these images.
However, with practice, you will become more familiar with how you look and sound on camera, and you will have the opportunity to experiment with different approaches until you find what works best for you.
2.Practice publicly:
In addition to recording yourself, you should also practice speaking publicly. If you only share pictures, boomerang and muted videos with background music on your Instagram Stories, start speaking to your friends and followers. This will give you the opportunity to get feedback on your on-camera presence and to build resilience to negativity. Remember that feedback is a gift, so take it in stride and continue to practice until you are confident and comfortable on camera.
3.The camera is your friend:
Talk to the camera as if you are holding eye contact with a friend, and look directly into the lens. This will help you to feel more connected to your audience and to speak with more confidence. Remember that the camera will never give away your secrets, so don't worry about what you say or how you say it. If you make a mistake, simply start over, and remember that you have the final say in what gets edited and published.
Conclusions
Speaking on camera can be a daunting experience, but with the right preparation and attitude, you can become a confident and effective communicator.If you represent a brand or company, creating videos where you speak on camera is a necessary part of your career.
To help our clients shine one camera, besides pro level camera, lens, light, and mics we offer subscription service packages for video content production. This will not only help you stay consistent in creating video content and becoming a better on camera speaker but will also amount to 25 % saving on the service price for the long term commitment. On top of the subscription price discount, you will save time from not having to recruit and onboard on the brand guidelines for every video project and we will manage a library of video material that can be repurposed in future projects, this adding to even more future savings.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you might also find interests in our latest posts: