When your video has a great presenter in front of the camera, it helps to humanise your company by attaching a face to it. This means that you should make sure that whoever is in front of the camera is equipped with all the skills to present your videos in the best way. But what if you are not familiar with being in front of the camera? This article will guide camera-shy presenters with 15 important video tips to help them become more confident in front of the camera.
With these tips, camera-shy presenters can overcome any fear or anxiety they will have and will be able to make their videos more engaging and relatable to viewers.
5 Video Preparation Tips For Camera-shy Presenters
1. Become acclimated to looking directly at the camera.
You will spend a lot of time not just with your camera but looking directly at it a lot, so you will need to get used to it.
It is important that you look into the camera with focus, care, and confidence. Try not to let your eyes wander around the room while presenting because that will be easily noticeable in front of a camera.
When your eyes are constantly moving, viewers may immediately sense that you are nervous. Getting used to looking at the camera can already be a huge step forward so that you can stop being camera-shy.
2. Have a bottle of water ready when you are preparing.
You should always have a bottle of water ready while preparing so that you can avoid having a dry mouth while you are talking.
Talking and presenting becomes more difficult when you have a dry mouth and may also make you feel uncomfortable while recording.
Remember to take water breaks while preparing and between takes so that you can regularly sip water after a few minutes.
3. Take natural deep breaths.
You will need to breathe the right way so that it can look natural on camera. Before recording or going live, take deep breaths to focus and relax yourself.
Once you are presenting, take normal easy breaths to pace yourself while you are speaking in front of the camera. If you find yourself breathing too quickly, it may be time for you to take a short break.
4. Do what you will need to relax your mind and body.
Being camera-shy has a lot to do with being nervous and anxious. It is important that you overcome all of these feelings before going in front of the camera.
Try to do everything that you can to relax both your mind and body before presenting. You can stretch, do a short and light exercise routine, listen to music or podcasts, or even talk to yourself.
Doing all of this will make sure that you are calm, cool, collected, and ready to present in front of the camera.
5. Make sure you have enough time to prepare yourself.
A lot of people get camera-shy because they feel unprepared for what they have to do and say in front of the camera.
If it’s possible, try to plan out your shoot with enough buffer time just in case you will have to encounter unexpected issues that are out of your control.
When you have enough time to prepare accordingly, you will be able to feel more confident and relaxed to speak in front of the camera without any worries.
5 Tips For Camera-shy Presenters to Look More Confident in Front of the Camera
1. Wear presentable clothes that you are comfortable with.
Since you will be in front of the camera representing your company and will be watched by hundreds or even thousands of people, it is important that you dress appropriately for the subject matter and situation.
Knowing this, you should also try to wear presentable clothing that you are most comfortable with. Feeling good about how you look is an important part of overcoming being camera-shy.
2. Always check that you have good posture.
Cameras tend to exaggerate and emphasise everything because it is where all the focus will be. Make sure you have good posture because audiences will immediately notice if you don’t.
If your posture is poor, your audience may easily sense you are camera-shy and may also think that you are not interested in what you are saying.
3. Take note of your body language and how it looks on camera.
How your body looks on camera will convey your energy and your intelligence, so you will need to make sure it looks great.
Avoid turning your body away from the camera and do not have your arms folded for a long time. It is important you face the camera and let your arms hang naturally at your side as your default position.
Don’t hesitate to ask your coworkers and other production staff how you look because they can direct your body to make you look your best.
4. Learn how to use your genuine smile in front of the camera.
Having a genuine smile is a sign to your audience that you are excited and happy to communicate with them and to share your knowledge with them.
It may take a while to learn how to have a genuine smile in front of the camera but it will be worth it because a great smile makes you more presentable and confident while you speak.
5. Do not hesitate to be expressive and use hand gestures.
Another way you can overcome being camera-shy is by treating the camera just like every person that you talk to.
When you converse, you change your facial expressions and even move your hands to emphasise certain points. You can also do this while presenting to the camera to make yourself feel more comfortable and natural.
Doing these expressions and gestures makes you look more authentic which viewers will easily relate to.
5 Tips For Camera-shy Presenters to Sound and Speak Confidently in Front of the Camera
1. Speak using your natural voice.
Sound more comfortable and realistic by speaking to the camera with your natural voice. You should sound as natural as possible because this is what people are expecting when they see a video presenter.
You want your videos to reflect who you are and who your company is. Talking with your natural voice makes your viewers feel more at ease and will make them more open to what you are saying.
2. Be mindful of the delivery of your words.
Even if you are confident about what you are talking about, you have to make sure that your audience is able to understand it clearly.
The delivery of your words needs to have the right pace. If you rush when you speak, people may think you are anxious and camera-shy.
Keeping your words and your delivery simple and clear will make sure that your content and message will be easily understood by all of your viewers.
3. Familiarise yourself with the video’s content.
One of the most important things that will help you overcome being camera-shy is by familiarising yourself with the topic that you will be presenting on.
Knowing your content and all of the main talking points makes you feel more prepared and ready to present in front of the camera.
4. Use a script or outline to guide you on what you have to say.
Preparing a script of all of the necessary information and directions gives you a chance to be sure that you remember all that needs to be said in the video.
Even when you have more experience presenting videos, it can still be difficult sometimes to say things on the fly since there are points you may not remember.
Even using an outline containing bullet points can be enough if you don’t want to just heavily rely on following a script word-for-word.
5. Set aside enough time for you to practice.
It is crucial for you to overcome being camera-shy by setting aside enough time for you to practice. You should run through your outline or script a few times until you are comfortable with what to say and how to say it.
When you practice, try to also note the best places to have pauses and inflections so you don’t sound robotic and so that you can emphasise the right points. You can even try to record your practices on your own.
Learning and applying all 15 of these tips will make sure that you avoid being camera-shy when having to present in front of the camera.
If you need any help in producing these videos that you will present for your business, then our team at fewStones can help you out.
With fewStones, you will be able to work with professional video production experts who will guide you through the whole live action video production process and even until you present in front of the camera.
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