Being in front of a camera guide Part 2 of 3. 

Now you’re on your way to being more comfortable with yourself in front of the camera.

To take being in front of the camera to the next level it is sharing it with others. You think that recording yourself was scary and awkward before, now try sharing it with people you know or don’t know and put this into the equation and that can be terrifying. You may now be feeling the sensation of your body tensing slightly and you are hesitant to even think about posting up a video of yourself. Thoughts of ‘what will people think of me?’ Or ‘Who would want to listen to me?’ Or ‘I can’t do this.’ will run through your mind. Just know this is normal and most people go through this before posting videos of themselves at the beginning.

Here are 4 things to guide you on your way to levelling up with you being in front of the camera:

1 PURPOSE

It always starts with YOU. In order for an arrow to hit the target, you need to know where it’s heading. The strength to pull the bowstring back is the purpose that will motivate you and allow you to push through challenges and fears that will come your way.

What helps me to overcome these fears and thoughts is when I know the WHO and the WHY I’m doing this for. Have you ever felt that time flies when you are focused on doing a project with and for others compared to when you have to do it solely for yourself?

This stems from the core reason of the WHY.

The previous blog was focused on your reason for being in front of the camera. Now we’re going to take the next step and for you to know what your purpose is beyond yourself.

It will be easier to know your WHY (besides yourself) when you have a clear outcome and intention.

Questions for you to think about:

What’s your intention for being you in front of the camera?

What’s the purpose and outcome for you to communicate what it is you are wanting to talk about?

Once we have clarity in our purpose, this removes one obstacle to being you in front of the camera.

“When you find your WHY, you don’t hit snooze no more! You find a way to make it happen!” – Eric Thomas

2 VALUE IS GOLD

Know your value, not just of what you stand for but also what you want to give to others.

Whatever your purpose is for sharing your ideas, stories, and views with the world, the one thing that will make your content engaging and will keep bringing people back to your channel/ page is VALUE.

They are the fundamental beliefs that guide or motivate our actions and attitudes. It helps us determine what is important to us. People will gravitate towards content that aligns with their concept of VALUE.

What you decide to put out there will inspire and can draw in people that are on a similar level to yourself. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together.

Drawing on from the previous blog (Being in front of a camera. Beginners Guide Part 1 of 3) let’s expand your practice, with who you are currently, think of who it is you wish to become more like, the sort of person you want to be.

When you have decided to put your videos out there you are innately building a community or adding/informing others about an idea and forming a group as a by-product.

Now let’s look at your audience. Who is it you would like to attract to your tribe? What would their interests be? What ideas and topics would inspire them or expand and/or reinforce their knowledge/views?

You wouldn’t be reaching this point if you didn’t find any value in doing so. If you don’t know where to start, look at your own experiences and how you overcame certain challenges or how you got through them. Value is not just what you give. It is who you are that people can connect to or aspire to be.

Ultimately giving VALUE is one of the keys to success. We all grow together by giving each other VALUE.

“Remain true to your values. If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”
― Frank Sonnenberg, Listen to Your Conscience: That’s Why You Have One

3 FRAMEWORK

Now you have an idea of what you want to talk about and who you would like your content to reach out to. One of the steps that many creatives struggle with is structure, yet we have this inner desire to connect and share these ideas with the world.

Questions like, how long do I speak for and how can I make it sound more interesting. Because we all have something to share, yet we don’t want to be talking about one thing for too long, people can lose interest quickly.

What many people start out with is a script, even the best presenters and speakers had a script they practiced so often that it has become ‘natural’ to them. You too are on this journey that they all were once. Scripts are useful and important to keep you on track. Of course, at first, you will be self-conscious and forget your lines when the camera is rolling. That’s alright. Remember you can always do multiple takes!

We want to make sure that you can build your confidence up. After working through your purpose and value for you wanting to be you in front of the camera, here is a Dell Hymes ‘SPEAKING’ model to help you get started with creating a framework for your script.

Scene and Setting

Creating a title to your video is a great way to start giving you the theme and focus to get you started. Consider this as well – Where will this take place? Is it outdoors or in a home? What’s the background like and does it support or distract from what your topic is about?

Participate

Be clear of who are the people who would like to engage with your content, this will allow you to know what speaking style you’ll communicate with – formal/casual/informative, etc. also refer back to tip 2 above.

Ends

You have informed and/or persuaded your audience to your message . . . and then what? You need to have a clear call to action. What is your audience going to do in response? Change their perspective on something, subscribe to your channel, buy your product, cheer someone up and make them laugh, etc. It is essential that you clearly plan out what your intention is before you begin writing so that you are more likely to get the audience reaction you want from the video you put out there.

With a clear purpose of why you’re doing this and aligning this with your intended audience and their response, this will help you to create more targeted and engaging videos that are both interesting for your audience and rewarding for you.

Act sequence

We all love stories and just like a movie when you’re creating your script there is a base plotline. Think about what’s the opening you’d like to start with? What’s the middle and then the end? What you want to talk about will impact how you would like to open the stage. (Tip: First impressions matter).

Here’s an example:

1 – Introduction (yourself + topic) “ Hi I’m _____, and today we’re talking about ____”

2 – opening statement (can be a statement or rhetorical question)

3 – expand your topic with a story/ metaphor

4 – continue to end

OR

1 – Opening statement (can be a statement or rhetorical question)

2 – introduce yourself and what you do “Hi I’m _____ and I’m ________.”

3 – Why this topic is important and why your audience should care (expand from your opening statement with some facts and metaphors)

4 – (Continue this till you get to the end)

Want to be better at storytelling? This is a great blog for you You are a hero and it’s time to find your journey

Key Elements to ‘you’ being more Engaging

These are the fundamental tools you have at your disposal in order for you to communicate and engage with your audience. Basically it’s the art of storytelling:

Body – how your body posture is will affect your emotional state and energy. Be aware of your body language.

Voice – tone, inflections, pace, pauses, projection, etc.

Focus – keeping your outcome and purpose in mind when sharing your message/ story. Having a core idea is helpful to not stray off-topic.

Instruments

The type of equipment you have and want to use, cameras, mics, considering subtitles, etc… For more ideas in creating your videos check out this amazing blog Top 6 Hacks on How to Make a Zero Budget Film! This can apply to make your video more visually engaging.

Norms

This is about knowing the culture and language of your audience, the words/slang they would use, or references to a culture that your audience can relate to and connect to. In a sense, they are social rules that make or break our connection with our audiences.

Fun fact: People like people who are like themselves or who they aspire to be.

Genre

As filmmakers with every story, we create on film there is always at least one genre that sets the mood from beginning to end of the film. So what’s the overall feel of your message, is it light-hearted? Casual or serious? Etc. What is it you would like to theme your video around?

Even when we present ourselves in front of the camera, it is still us. Just a side of us we choose to show to the world. So think about what’s the message and which genre best reflects what you’re sharing with the world.

If you’re stuck with how to implement this, you can always start with who you are. Who better to be the expert of you . . . than YOU!

Here’s a fun fact, people remember 7% of the words you say, 38% tone of voice, and 55% of your body language.

BONUS TIP: Don’t forget to breathe!

“A conceptual framework is a ‘frame that works’ to put those concepts into practice.” Paul Huges

4 PRACTICE MAKES IT BETTER

Everything starts with taking action. Then comes the consistency to keep on going and making little tweaks to improve it along the way. I personally don’t believe in perfectionism anymore. I believe in progress. I believe that any and all progress is always better. Why? Perfection is a destination. What happens when you have achieved it? What now? Whereas, progress on the other hand is a journey and it is a continual process that will drive you to keep pushing your boundaries and limits. It’s an ever-evolving process.

One of the key things is to review your videos, stepping outside of yourself, and watching your video as if you’re someone else (I know it’s hard not to cringe and be overly critical of yourself. However, through reflection you can turbocharge your improvement and progress!). This will allow you to objectively pick out areas that you can do better next time, rather than see what was wrong.

You got this and I believe in you.

BONUS TIP: In the end, nobody cares

Many of us are so concerned with ‘what will other people think?’ As I mentioned in tip 3 above, most people will only ever remember about 7% of what you said. They will instead remember more clearly how you presented and how confident your body language was, at a huge 55%. People will remember how you made them feel, not the stumbling of words or the ‘mistakes’ that happen even in your edits (if you chose to do that). My best advice is, ‘just do you’, because everyone else is taken.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. – Dr. Seuss

DO YOU DARE TO TAKE THIS CHALLENGE?

Here is another challenge to do within 24hrs: do a quick video (aim for 3 – 5 mins) of yourself and talk about any topic that lights you up or comes to your mind. If you’re stuck, start with sharing about yourself and the experiences that lead to you doing what you do. Record it on your phone and watch it back and…(TIP: Do this before your mind talks you out of this.) Take the next big step into the BOSS LEVEL CHALLENGE – is for you to post it on your social media page! And share your video with us in the comments below! Surrender to the process. You know you got this.

Remember to CELEBRATE for having faced your fears and know that you just accomplished another big step in BEING YOU in front of the camera.

Final question for today: What value do I give to others?

Remember Progress is SUCCESS.

Be You. Be True.