Demonstrate Your Credibility

Demonstrate Your Credibility

When You Tell A Story With Your Words You Gain People’s Interest

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25 Paint a picture TW rev 02Stories are memorable and people can often relate better to them than they can to raw data. When you deliver a message in the form of a well-constructed narrative it can draw the reader deeper into the ideas that you are sharing. If there are characters that have similar experiences to the ones that your viewer has had they will see themselves as that person (to a certain degree) and become involved in the storyline.

A simple story example:

At first I had a hard time with being in front of the camera because I was so focused on trying to be perfect. Every time I spoke from a memorized script I would get nervous and each hesitation in my delivery would compound my feelings of anxiety. I practiced and practiced until I could talk without thinking about the exact words I was saying and just let the emotion of what I want people to know flow through me. Now I can appear in videos without much preparation, as long I am talking about a subject that I know well and am excited about sharing.

Why this works well

Since good stories have a beginning, middle and end you are more likely to have greater audience retention because they will be following along to see how the story turns out. In a great story the listener becomes invested in the characters and is eager to learn how it works out for them. They will root for the heroes and boo the villains; they will be surprised when there is a twist and feel the comfort of a solid resolution.

A few pointers

Even when telling a completely factual account of events that have happened to you, it helps to begin with the end in mind. Know why and how you are telling the story so that you can decide which details are relevant to the conclusion.  You can leave out the facts that are not necessary to conveying the idea that you are working to get across. If you are combining two stories or creating a fictitious example for illustration purposes, be sure to use actual facts that will anchor the story in reality.

Final thoughts

Keep it simple and moving along; know where you are going and get there quickly. People are busy and they are going to give you about as much time as you are going to return value to them. If a viewer is confused or loses interest, they are going leave and you may not ever get another chance to bring them back in. It is okay to take chances, just realize that the people who are watching may not be interested in your experiments.

Who I am:

I’m Philip Quintas and I make it easier for customers to trust you before and after they buy from you by creating simple videos that help you help more people.

If you want one-to-one help with making better videos, I can answer your questions and even write, shoot, edit, upload and promote videos for you or any combination of these services.  Sign up using the Email Address* and First Name* form on this website to get direct access to me, my experience and offerings.

How I Know That You Are An Expert

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10 You Are an Expert TW rev 02You will never know everything about anything and you will always have a unique perspective on something. Just because someone else might know more about a topic than you do, know that there are other people who know less than you about it. Also, since you have a set of life experiences that no one else does, you can relate to certain people better than others, even if those others “know more than you.”

Only you can reach specific people with certain ideas

By filtering what you know through your experience you will convey that information with a special style and manner that will attract a viewer that might otherwise never hear about it. This happens because people are very complicated and they have a sense of what things are worth that is based on their own value system. Also, the way you spin the knowledge you have and the stories you tell to relate it are going to color the way people will receive it.

The bottom line is…

I urge you to share what you know, especially if you are passionate about it, so that other people can benefit from learning from you.

Even if you are sure that many people know more than you about what you are saying, say it anyway. Say it in your own words, and that will make a difference in your life and the lives of those who will listen and allow themselves to be transformed by what you have to offer.

Who I am:

I’m Philip Quintas and I make it easier for customers to trust you before and after they buy from you by creating simple videos that help you help more people.

If you want one-to-one help with making better videos, I can answer your questions and even write, shoot, edit, upload and promote videos for you or any combination of these services.  Sign up using the Email Address* and First Name* form on this website to get direct access to me, my experience and offerings.

 

Why You Should Get Audio First and Cutaways Later

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15 Sound First rev 02First record what you want people to hear and then choose what you want them to see (based on what they’ll be listening to.)

What if…

I suggest this method of operation with one caveat; if you see something happening that is really compelling, get the shot, you can decide when and if you are going to use it later.

This is what I really mean:

When you have the dialog recorded first (and even better – edited for timing purposes), you can use that audio to decide what you need to shoot for coverage over it. This can be a lot better than trying to come up with dialog to cover what you have already shot and keep it all on topic.

How does this help?

This suggestion is to help keep your videos concise. Use the audio (this can be a talking head, although it does not have to be) as a roadmap for what you need to shoot as visual imagery that will help your viewers understand and remember what you are talking about. You can also write a script, if you are so inclined, it is just that talking off the cuff and then editing can have more of a natural feel to it, although it may be more difficult for some people to stay on target when speaking off the top of their heads.

So…after I have the audio locked in, then what?

Once you have the words together, you will find it is easier to decide what visual elements may best contribute to the viewers’ ingesting of your ideas. This is where you can get really creative and use a lot of different types of video to keep the viewer engaged with your content. Some presentations work best with a simple talking head, others are going to have much more impact with wild graphics, animations, titles and dramatic contrasts in the visual elements displayed. Whatever style you finish your videos with, it is usually a good practice to start with the audio and then tackle the video.

One more thing…

This also goes for setting up, get the audio working well and then figure out how you are going to light the scene or frame your shot. This may seem to be counterintuitive because you will need to have the camera up and running to confirm that the audio is being recorded well. Know that it is going to seriously destroy your momentum if you have to stop what you are doing to work out any sound recording issues after you have the shot set up and are ready to roll. Plus, you could lose your light, if you are relying on the sun to make your exposure just right, and then you’d have to change your visual set up anyway.

Who I am:

I’m Philip Quintas and I make it easier for customers to trust you before and after they buy from you by creating simple videos that help you help more people.

If you want one-to-one help with making better videos, I can answer your questions and even write, shoot, edit, upload and promote videos for you or any combination of these services.  Sign up using the Email Address* and First Name* form on this website to get direct access to me, my experience and offerings.