I see so many business owners shy away from speaking out because they lack confidence on video.
But there is good news.
You can learn how to have confidence, we’ll teach you how!
I’ve teamed up with communication expert Fiona Whytehead of Locus Coaching to help you master this tricky skill of speaking confidently to a camera, either online or on video.
In this blog we’re combining our expertise in communication techniques and video marketing to give you real, actionable tips on how to come across with confidence on video and conference calls.
Let’s dive in so you can learn how to be confident on camera while creating your own eye-catching videos that will engage your audience and make an impact!
4 Ways to Feel Confident on Camera:
Where to Look
People are often confused about where they should look when they are recording content videos.
Most of us record content using our mobile phones and by default, we film in selfie mode, right?
I realize that it’s really tempting to look at yourself when you’re recording your videos in selfie mode, however, by looking at yourself you lose contact with your audience.
So if you really want to create a genuine connection, help your audience feel more engaged and establish that trust between you, then you need to look directly into the camera.
Have you ever noticed how much more engaging a person appears if they look you in the eyes? That’s exactly how it feels for your audience when they watch your videos where you’re looking straight into the camera lens.
Pro tip – if you find not looking at yourself just too tempting, then perhaps you should try turning your phone around so you’re not distracted. Or just imagine you’re actually speaking to one of your clients and their eyes are in line with the camera lens. (here maybe reference to 3 tips I sent you earlier? Not sure if we’d need a landing page for it or how do we get people to download it though?)
Either way, make it a point to look at the camera and not at yourself. (You’re not going anywhere!)
How to Look – Fixation versus Natural Look
Often times when people get on camera they get so nervous that they end up staring at the camera with a transfixed kind of look. If they manage to look into it, of course.
Fiona points out that it’s extremely important to be aware of keeping a natural gaze versus a stagnant stare. When you’re in a room, quite often you fixate on one person. If you’re on a screen, you only have the camera lens to concentrate on, which in some ways is a lot easier to do… except you’ve got to remember to avoid fixating on the lens.
Fiona reflects on her experiences of seeing too many videos where people are simply transfixed on the camera and actually, that becomes unbearable to watch after a while because it’s so unnatural and off-putting. Looking at the camera is not about staring at it the entire time – it’s about mimicking a real-life conversation.
Think about when you’re talking to people in person. You don’t just stare into someone’s eyes for 30 minutes straight, you lift your eyes occasionally, or you might glance down as well.
It’s all about finding the balance between making eye contact and a little bit of relaxation that will help you communicate the right energy and message to your audience.
Open Body Language
Body language on camera is as important as it is in person.
Fiona also recommends paying attention to your body language as this is a key component to appearing confident when speaking. It’s all about making sure that your body language is open and natural because your video content can be really dull if you are stiff and rigid like a robot.
She suggests allowing natural expressions to come from your face and change them to keep your audience interested. You should also focus on keeping your body language open when you’re sitting down and talking to the camera.
The key to maintaining open body language and excluding confidence on camera is to be grounded. This means your back needs to be supported and straight, yet still relaxed, and both feet need to be on the ground. (This will give you balance so that you’re not only giving open body language, but you’re also more subconsciously balanced and you’ll feel more relaxed in your delivery.)
These tips may seem obvious or very subtle but we have to remember that everything on camera is magnified and it will pick up on these subtleties.
The final tip for this is to get yourself relaxed!
Before you hit record or go live, do some relaxation just to make sure that your limbs are relaxed. Fiona says to try this simple exercise to help loosen up your shoulders: bring your shoulders up as high as you possibly can and then relax them down again. Then they’re more likely to be relaxed and therefore you’ll look more natural and comfortable on camera.
Your body language is going to play a key role in how engaged your audience is going to be in your video content. It’s going to drive them to either keep watching or swipe to the next video.
Size of the Shot
Know the size of the screen that most people are going to be watching you on.
For example, it’s a presentation like a webinar, people will likely be watching you on a larger screen. If this is the case, be hyper-aware of your expressions and movements because they’re all going to be magnified. In this case, less is very much more!
But if you’re doing a Facebook live, for example, and you assume that most people are watching you on a smaller screen, then you’ve actually got to do stuff! You’ve got to allow expression to come through your face to keep the visual interest. You’ve got to use more body language. (Yes, even when you’re sitting down.)
The other thing to keep in mind is your distance from the camera. You don’t want to be too far away and you don’t want to be too close either.
You want to give people the right “image” for the type of conversation you’re trying to create on camera and you can use your position on camera to do this.
If you want to imitate an intimate one-to-one conversation, you might be slightly closer to the camera. Versus if you want it to come across as a presentation, you might want to be further away.
This all communicates to your audience what type of conversation you are trying to have and it is going to influence how your viewers react to your video. They might be instantly engaged or they might be discouraged and exit your video in search of a new one. Keeping these factors in mind will help you create great video content that captivates your audience.
Lastly, always remember to be genuine, speak from the heart, and show up as your normal lovely self!
So, there are 4 simple and easy ways that you as a business owner can exude confidence on camera to create fabulous video content that will engage your audience.
Are you feeling more confident now?
Click here to book your free half an hour consultation to help you increase your confidence when speaking on camera or on video conference calls.