“The camera loves you.” “You’re so photogenic.” “You never take a bad picture.” Maybe you’ve been told you look good on camera but most people don’t like the way they look. My clients cringe when it’s time to watch their performance on video.
The good news is you don’t have to be naturally photogenic to have on screen charisma. What you need are the skills for presenting on video.
Video is a powerful communication tool and you don’t need a studio to create a good video. Video is a valued medium and there are a number of benefits:
It creates the Know, Like, Trust factor.
Videos are great for social media profiles, introductions, and networking.
A video clip of a speech is more powerful than a written description.
It allows you to invite people to your world through live streaming.
It’s cost effective.
But you’ll sabotage these benefits if you don’t know how to show up genuinely and powerfully. These tips will enhance your screen presence.
Relax and Be You. The secret to effective video presentations is to be yourself. Presenters who sound scripted will come across as tense and unnatural. Have a conversation with the camera.
Smile. Begin your presentation with a smile. A serious resting face will not attract the audience. Start smiling before you start speaking. It will relax you and engage the audience. Hold the smile for a few seconds before speaking and hold the smile at the conclusion before you end the video. This will make editing easier.
Prepare Your Message. Speaking extemporaneously will make you more nervous. Think about your main message points and create bullets. This will allow you to speak naturally and stay on message. Do a few rehearsals until it feels natural. Don’t worry about a few flubs unless they’re glaring. You don’t have to be perfect. The audience relates to authenticity, not perfection.
Start with a Hook. If you don’t grab attention right away the audience will tune out. You’re competing with a lot of noise in the marketplace. A good way to begin your video is with a question or startling statistic. Never begin by introducing yourself. And avoid long bios! The audience doesn’t care. Start with a question that peaks interest and then introduce yourself with your name and a descriptive sentence. The next step is to answer the question you just posed.
Keep it Short and Simple. Don’t give a lecture. Get to the point and speak in soundbites. Smaller words and short sentences will help the message land and will keep the audience listening. To simplify your message, use numbers, steps, or acronyms. The most powerful number is 3. People remember things in 3s so give them 3 tips or steps to learn.
Make Love to the Lens. Eye contact is one key to exuding charisma. Imagine yourself having a one-on-one conversation with a person. If you don’t focus your eye contact you’ll communicate nervousness. Direct eye contact inspires trust.
Pump up Your Energy. It’s known that video is an energy drain. Even if your energy level is appropriate in the room, it will come across lower on the screen. So start your video presentation with higher energy and be sure to use vocal variety. A monotone is deadly on video.
Change it Up. For longer videos, change the scene every 4 seconds. Don’t be a talking head or you’ll lose your audience. You can add different call outs, pictures,or music to create interest and engagement.
Captions. Many people are untrained listeners. By adding captions, people will be more attentive when they can read your message while hearing and seeing you speak. Captioning also allows people to watch your video without disturbing co-workers.
Tell a story. Storytelling is a powerful way to engage your audience and convey charisma. Stories take the audience on a journey. Just be sure your story is brief and compelling.
You don’t need to be a professional broadcaster to do video presentations.
Follow these tips and you’ll deliver a knockout video presentation.
To learn how to Speak Confidently and Effectively check out my LinkedIn learning course. It ranked on the Top 20 Most Popular courses for 2 years.
To learn techniques to overcome fear of speaking, read chapter 3 of Knockout Presentations.
To work with me contact DiResta Communications, Inc.