Video Is Queen 👑

Six ways to stop feeling awkward talking to the camera

We all know video is Queen 👑

Being the face of a business or promoting yourself as an artist or service provider means talking to a camera.

When I first started making “talking-head” videos, they were awful! I sounded like a 12-year-old and looked more like I was in a ransom video from a kidnapping than a serious business lady video (serious business lady is my official title 😎).

But I forced myself to keep at it, and now I’m pretty comfy with it!

If you want to be too, try these six techniques.

Walk and talk

When you talk to the camera while you walk, you engage the part of your brain that would otherwise tell you how ridiculous you sound and that you should give up and eat a pint of ice cream instead.

Removing that inner critic dialogue helps with the mindset aspect, and because you’re not standing still and staring into a camera, you don’t look as physically awkward.

Bonus: the changing background and movement help keep the video engaging.

Selfie-no

Filming in selfie mode makes it easier to ensure you’re in the shot, but it also means you can see your face the whole time—which can be very off-putting!

By filming using the back camera on your phone, you won’t be distracted by yourself.

Tip: Make sure you do a test run for positioning and mark where you’re standing with tape so you don’t accidentally step out of the shot.

Freestyle

Writing out exactly what you’re going to say may seem like a fantastic way to take the stress out of recording, but it usually makes you sound stiff and unnatural.

Create bullet points for your ideas and keep them on a screen or piece of paper just out of sight so you can refer to them.

Try rehearsing what you’ll say using the bullet points before starting.

BFFs

Imagine you’re talking to your best friend.

Hell, print out a photo of them and stick it to your camera if you need to.

Keeping it light and casual always comes across better on camera, and by focusing on a single person—someone you feel really comfortable talking to—you will come across more naturally.

No judgment if your best friend is a cat!

Snip snip

You can—and should—edit the crap out of everything you record, to get rid of dead air and sentences that don’t move the narrative along.

Don’t feel like you must be a one-take-wonder when you hit record.

If you feel weird when you say something, stop and say it again. If you fumble a word, go back to the start of the phrase and re-take.

Remembering you don’t have to be perfect reduces the pressure.

Gigglefest

Force yourself to laugh just before you start recording.

Yes, out loud, at nothing.

Even a fake laugh will loosen up your face and make you look happier.

And the absurdity of laughing to yourself at nothing sometimes creates a real laugh, which puts you in a good mood for the spotlight!

Which of these ideas are you excited to try? Do you have any others to suggest?