Talking to the camera is essential for promoting your business. Social media is shifting towards authentic advertising, and people will call you out if you try to fake it. Authenticity is the biggest trend in advertising for the future, especially on platforms like TikTok. Even if you read from a script you wrote, it won’t cut it. People will completely ignore what you’re saying if it doesn’t come directly from your head in the most authentic way. You can, of course, have points and things written down to cover, but do not read word for word.
The Dangers of Using Teleprompters
Using teleprompters is a recipe for disaster unless you’re a natural actor. Anytime you read something, it comes across as inauthentic. You need to learn to be in the flow and talk without reading. In the end, you’re talking about things you know well. If you’re talking about something you don’t know, maybe you shouldn’t talk about it. The most trustworthy person is the one who talks in a super confident flow without reading. That, in the eyes of the audience, is a true expert on the topic.
How to Achieve Authenticity when talking to the camera
How do you actually achieve this? Practice. You will struggle at first if you’ve never done anything like this before. It’s like playing a musical instrument – it’s a skill you need to learn. When I started my YouTube channel, it took me hours to prepare and record a video that I wasn’t ashamed of publishing. It felt like I couldn’t say what I wanted to when the record button was on. Now, I can hit the record button and film a video in 15 minutes with minimal editing because I flow. The more you’re talking to the camera, the easier it gets. Trying to look like an expert has the opposite effect.
Exercise: Practice Speaking Naturally
Write a blog and record a video talking about what you just wrote. You can peek at the text but never read it word for word.
Watch Out for Filler Words
It’s better to pause in your video than to say “ehmm” or other filler words repeatedly. I still struggle with these words. My excuse is that English is not my first language, but I try to watch out for them when talking to the camera. It’s an ongoing process, but I can’t remember the last time I said “ehmm” in a video or in real life. You only realize how often you say it if you record and listen back.
I’ve edited countless webinars and Zoom meetings, and some people say “ehmm” after every four words. The good news is you can change! Watching out and thinking about not saying filler words will make you less focused on your message, but again, practice makes perfect.
Exercise: Eliminate Filler Words
Think about a topic you can talk about and hit the record button without any preparation. Record at least five minutes and play it back. Count how many times you said “ehmm” or any other word that doesn’t support the message. Then record it again but think about not using those words at all. Be super aware.
Don’t Rely Too Much on Editing
Too much editing kills the vibe and authenticity. This is good news because it means you don’t have to spend hours editing. Once you get in the flow and master it, you can produce high-quality content quickly. For example, I have an online podcasting course, and the editing chapter is quite short because the most successful podcasts have very little editing. They rely on the flow of the conversation and the host and guests’ awareness of unwanted words.
The more you edit your videos or podcasts, the less authentic they seem. People can tell if something is heavily edited. You can, of course, edit out a few words or sentences and occasional “ehmms,” but if you heavily edit every imperfection, people will know. For self-talking videos, jump cuts are obvious and it’s hard to come across as an expert if one sentence has five jump cuts.
It’s Not Just What You Say but How You Say It
You don’t need perfect English or TV presenter-style emphasis. Again, this will make you seem inauthentic. You might think it sounds professional, but does it really help sell your product or service? If you’re a lawyer representing Victoria Beckham, then maybe yes. But for the biggest world market, being yourself 100% is what works. Be clear and concise, but do not change the tone of your natural voice just to sound more authentic. It will have the opposite effect.
Don’t be super energetic if you’re not in real life. You might think nobody will watch your videos if you’re not super energetic, but that’s not true anymore. There are plenty of videos online, even on short-form platforms like TikTok, where people talk in a relaxed, even slow manner, and it works. Just be yourself.
To learn more about TikTok for building a business and brand, you can go to my TikTok online course.
Forget the White Background
The visuals of your videos matter as much as your content. It’s not the 90s anymore; we don’t need green screens or white walls to film ourselves. You might think it’s a clean background and looks good, but it doesn’t. It’s boring. It looks like an ad from 1996. Make it interesting. Depending on your business, experiment. Film some videos outside in nature, in the forest, not always in the boring office. If you film in the office, make sure the background is lively and colorful. Put some paintings and plants (but not too many) to make it fun. For YouTube, consistency is good. Once you create your perfect background, stick to it. On social media, keep changing it up.
Too Much Gesturing
Remember, you’re not a sign language interpreter. You don’t need to use your hands like someone is pulling the strings on them. Gesturing is good, but not too much. Be yourself, but record yourself and watch it back to see if it’s incredibly annoying or not. I know I said to be yourself, but I’m also saying don’t do this and that. The key is to be yourself but not to be incredibly annoying by doing things that detract from the actual message of the video. Be yourself, but if you say “ehm” 40 times in 2 minutes, nobody will watch your videos, and if they do, they won’t remember anything from them.
What Is Your Facial Expression when talking to the camera?
Some of us have a certain look when talking about something important. There might be things that make you cringe when you watch yourself back. Record yourself when talking to the camera and see if anything like that appears. But don’t be overly critical of your performance. The key is to improve, not to be perfect. You will never publish a video if you look for every imperfection in your looks and speech. Do the best you can.
Conclusion
For more on posture, confidence, and techniques, check out my online course “How to Talk to a Camera Like a Pro.”
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