Whether your boss just informed you that he or she needs you to do an interview or a talking head piece representing the company or you just want to be better at making your own social media content, we got you covered! These are tips and tricks you can apply to any situation that involves you being recorded that will produce instant results.
1. Practice Practice Practice
We know it sounds cliché but nothing can replace practice. Record yourself as much as possible. Even if you record yourself to only delete the video later, it will help. A good practice is to pick any random subject or better yet have someone else pick a random subject for you and record yourself talking about it interrupted for 2 minutes. No matter if you are making up what you know about the subject or not the important part is getting used to hearing yourself speak without stopping.
2. Dress for Success
Confidence is key while behind the camera so dress in a way that makes you feel good about yourself. Do your hair, makeup, cut those fingernails, and wax or pluck those pesky hairs. Cameras like to get up close and personal revealing those trouble areas. Depending on the video you may need to dress a certain way to look the part. Make sure you plan accordingly.
3. Harness a relaxing pre-shoot ritual
Whether it’s meditation or breathing exercises. Thinking of your favorite food or beach somewhere – finding your chi and being present is crucial before jumping in front of the camera.
4. Posture and Body Language
An audience can tell a lot about how you’re feeling based on your body language. Sitting or standing up tall with good posture and your head held high will not only display confidence to your viewers but will immediately make you feel better as an individual. Refrain from crossing your arms or turning your body to the side as if trying to escape the camera. Being an animated speaker is great but be sure not to be too animated causing a distraction for your audience. When in doubt ask your peers how you look and if they may have any advice.
5. Smile
A smile goes a long way, especially while behind the camera. It’s imperative your audience can feel your excitement about the information you have to share. Be sure your smile is indeed genuine. No one appreciates a fake smile and it’s sure to make your audience feel uneasy. Of course, there are times when a smile may not be your friend. For example, while delivering bad news of some kind. In that case be sure to adopt more of a neutral facial expression.
6. Slow Down
The majority of the time speaking too fast is due to nervousness but sometimes the talent is simply a fast speaker. Either way you never want your audience scrambling to keep up with your message. Slowing down may feel unnatural but if you practice doing so it will make a world of difference when you play your video back.
7. Limit Distractions
It’s almost always beneficial to clear the space. What we mean by this is, if there are any people in the surrounding area that don’t absolutely need to be there, have them clear the space limiting distractions for the person in front of the camera. If you are the one in front of the camera, it’s always a good idea to silent or turns off your phone. The last thing you need is to receive a call in the middle of your spiel or ping from your social media account.
8. Where to Look
You can’t go wrong staring directly down the barrel of the camera but if this feels daunting or makes you uneasy a safe bet is looking about 2 inches. above the camera.
9. Mark your Spot
Marking your spot can help alleviate the unknown of where to stand and it can also help those feet from fidgeting.
10. Drink Water
Whether you have dry mouth from being nervous or simply get a tickle in your throat, it’s always smart to have water on hand.
For more information about how videos can improve your marketing let’s schedule a meeting and let’s talk about how can we help your company grow.
