In this post, I’m going to be talking about, “How to show up and be confident in front of the camera”. Video, as you know, it’s huge in the online marketing space and social media and it’s only getting more popular, but it can be scary to put yourself out there on video especially if you haven’t done it much before. 

So today I want to talk about that and give you some tips to overcome those fears conquer those fears and finally get into the swing of things, making videos for your marketing. 

Identify your fears

So the first thing that you’ll want to do is identify exactly what fears you have about showing up on camera because a lot of people are worried about showing up on camera, but they can’t quite put their finger on exactly what they are scared of. 

However, I can say for most people and for myself the biggest fear that comes up is the fear of judgment. What are other people going to think about it? What are other people going to say about it when they watch the video?

And sometimes we’re really mean to ourselves and we’re judging things about ourselves as we are watching the video back. 

Or as we’re going through in our mind when we’re filming the video we’re worried about the sound of our voice or something about our appearance. 

Or we put it off for a long time because we’re thinking, well I just want to get to a certain weight before I film the video or I want to wait until I’m having a better hair day or something like that.

When it comes to fears and mindset blocks the first thing you’ve got to realize is that they are just made up stories in your mind. They are not necessarily real and they don’t have to be real unless you allow them to be. 

When it comes to judgment, people are going to judge you because that’s what people do. We all do it, you’re judging me right now in a good way or a bad way. We’re all just judging all of the time because that’s human nature.

But you don’t want to let the judgment of others stop you from putting yourself out there because you could also be reaching people that really need to hear what you have to say. In this particular moment, and if you’re hiding because you’re worried about the judgment of someone else that isn’t important, then you’re really holding back your message from them.

And they could really use your help if you are feeling like you lack confidence in something to do with your appearance or your voice. 

Have a look at a variety of different videos in different niches, not just your own, but look at what other people are doing. And look how there is a massive variety in the different looks, appearances and sound of voice of people that are putting themselves out there. 

That really doesn’t matter when it comes to how much you enjoy or how much their content is helpful to you, it is the message that you’re getting across. And how the content can transform that person’s life that is the most important thing.

If people really care about what you have to say, and you’re helping them, and they’re learning from it, they’re not going to care, they’re not. 

It wouldn’t even enter their mind what you look like or what you sound like. If it does, then they’re not the right audience for you. 

But there are people out there that, like I said before, they really need the message that you have to share and the way that you look or sound is not important to them.

They need the valuable education or content that you’re putting out to them now. 

If you’re worried about messing up, remember that when you watch the videos of other people, you are seeing the polished end results after it has been edited.

They may have taken multiple takes, there are so many bits of video that you don’t see that they don’t put out there from where they’ve messed up or said something weird or they’ve had something in their teeth. They’ve edited it out.

So just remember that it’s not just you. It takes many people a lot of takes and a lot of practice to come out with the final result that you see in the end.

Practice to boost your confident in front of the camera

The next thing to keep in mind is that it takes practice just like any skill that you are trying to perfect.

It’s not going to be perfect when you first get started out. In fact, your first few videos or your first month’s worth of videos are probably going to suck compared to the videos that you might be putting out a year from now. 

That’s just normal and natural, and that’s just how it goes with anything that you’re learning. Not a lot of people are just naturally gifted where they just show up one day and know how to do something.

That is a skill that other people have to perfect over time. For everyone, it takes practice. It doesn’t always come naturally my first videos are so shit compared to what I’m putting out now. 

And what I’m putting out now is probably shit compared to what I’ll put out a year from now. That’s just the nature of the beast, that’s just how it goes.

When I started making videos for my very first business, I really hated the sound of my own voice and the way that I got over that is to keep practicing.

I also edited my own videos and when you have been editing your own voice and your own appearance for hours on end you get over it pretty quick.

You just have to desensitize to it and get used to seeing yourself and hearing yourself on video.

Remember too that when everyone else is watching if they already know you, they’re already used to that, you’re just not used to it because you’re seeing the world from in here the interview. 

But they are in their own interview and they’re seeing the outward appearance that you’re not seeing all the time because you don’t walk around looking in the mirror or watching yourself on video. So what everyone else sees, they’re already used to it.

If they’re new to seeing you on video that’s all they’re going to know of you and they’re not going to be thinking about all the same things that you’re worried about in your own head.

When you’re practicing another thing what you can do is send short video clips to your friends, just to practice, just like a little vlog of your day.

It doesn’t have to be videos about what you’re going to teach online. It can just be videos for the sake of being on video you could just do like your instagram stories or snapchats. Something that you can just send them short little clips throughout your day just to get used to seeing and hearing yourself on video and getting used to gradually showing others and letting other people seeing it like anything.

One of the keys is to let go of wanting perfection. It’s not going to be perfect and sometimes you just have to start and go with the idea that done is better than perfect.

That’s got me really far in my business, done is better than perfect. The things that we’re trying to make so perfect a lot of people really don’t care about it or aren’t even going to notice at all.

Talk like you’re talking to a friend

My next tip is to talk like you’re talking to a friend. 

So when I create my videos I just make bullet points of the main points that i want to talk about. More specifically, I’ll do my three main points, also three or four and then under each of those points I’ll do three or four more bullet points to go deeper into that topic. 

Then as I’m filming the video, I will just look at one point at a time, remember that point and then explain it to the camera as if I am explaining it to a friend or a client. 

I don’t worry about saying it word for word or remembering every tiny detail and I don’t often use scripts.

There have been times that I have used a script for like a course video, and I have used the teleprompter and read it out. I find that, it just doesn’t feel as me, or as natural.

So I much prefer to have the more natural look to my videos where I just go off a bullet point and then explain it to the camera as if you my friend are just standing there. And you’ve asked me a question and I’m answering it to you. 

This is easier when you are professional in your field and you know your topic well and in your day-to-day. When you’re working with clients maybe or when people ask you what you do for a living and they ask you about details about that, you would just explain it as yourself naturally like you’re in a conversation, because you are, now.

When you’re sitting or standing in front of a camera, it’s not natural, there’s not a person there, so you have to pretend and kind of channel that normal conversational style into it and just imagine you were there talking to a friend.

If it helps, maybe put a photo of a friend next to the camera lens or something, or over the top of it so that the lens is looking out at you because you do want to look at the lens when you’re filming not off to the side. Like if I look off to the side now, I can see myself in the LCD screen.

You don’t want to film like that because it sort of looks like you’re not looking at the person you want to be looking at the lens as if that is the person’s eyes and you’re just having a natural conversation.

Sometimes when we go into business mode, I think this pressure comes on that we feel like we’ve got to be polished and professional and corporate. I don’t know about you but corporate is not my style whatsoever and it can come across really forced if you try to do that.

So just write down your main points talk as if you’re talking to a friend and be conversational as if that friend or client is really right there.

Do you have any more questions about showing up more confidently on camera? Anything that I’ve missed? Or is there anything else that you would like help with when it comes to growing and marketing your business online, selling digital products online and expanding in that way?

Maybe you’ve got a service-based business and you want to grow using online marketing or selling online products, please let me know your questions below so that I can create more content for you. 

And if you have read through this far, I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here and getting all the way through the video (and this written version). 

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