Demonstrate Your Credibility

Demonstrate Your Credibility

Avoid Over-Practicing

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29 Avoid overpracticing TW rev 02

Keep in mind that you are doing this (making videos) for the viewer. If you spend too much time trying to get it perfect, they might never get to see it and you will not be helping anyone that way. I once spent six months creating a series of videos that I finally uploaded and no one ever watched them. I spent too much time preparing and too little time presenting. Don’t be like I was, get your stuff “out there” warts and all.

This is about reaching people’s hearts and their minds

People respond to your humanity, more than they do your polished performance. It is wise to have a through knowledge of your subject matter and a clear path to lead your viewers along. Beyond that, you can lose the emotional connection that a looser or more relaxed presentation can establish.

Professional without being boring

Be careful not to go too far over to the side of sloppy, which can really annoy people because they do not want their time wasted any more than you do. What it boils down to is this: the people that you are going to attract will be drawn to you and your style. That may be buttoned down or it may be ripped tee shirts and jump cuts.  Trying to be too tight might not work for many people because they simply can’t relate.  Also, it is exhausting to get there over and over again….

Leave some room to riff

It is possible to drain the life out of your performance by working it beyond your competence in the craft. Once you know it by heart, then live it live instead of over analyzing ever nuance and introducing a lot more questions into how you are going to deliver your message. You will run the risk of being paralyzed by thinking more than doing. The benefits of practice diminish once you have it memorized and know what you are going emphasize in each sentence.

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 To Be Yourself On Camera Better (part 1 of 3)

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How To Be Yourself On Camera Better 1 of 3The little red light goes on and all of a sudden the round piece of glass, that was so harmless a moment ago, has become your worst enemy. It stares at you menacingly and drains every bit of confidence you had going into the shoot. The words you had memorized evaporate and you are standing there like a bumbling fool, stumbling over your own tongue.

It doesn’t have to be that way

Here are the first three of nine tips that can take you from being petrified of being filmed to acting like a relaxed and seasoned pro who looks forward to getting their messages recorded. Try using these simple hints and each time you talk to the lens, you’ll get more and more comfortable doing it.

29 Avoid overpracticing TW rev 02Avoid over-practicing

Prepare well so that your personality shines through the words. It is possible to over-work your performance; accept that you are imperfect.

07 Do it again TW rev 02Do it again and again

It’s rare that someone actually gets a video shot in one take. You may need to do it a few times before you “nail it”.  Keep going until you get a version you can live with, then move on.

19 Keep Going If you mess up TW rev 02If you mess up, you don’t have to talk about it

People will forget your mistakes faster if you avoid dwelling on them. By talking about your flubs, you’ll reinforce them in your mind and in the minds of your viewers.

Enough people will like you to make it worth your time

There is a thin line between being who you are and being a phony version of yourself on camera. We are always who we are, it is just that we hide that behind a layer of fear that prevents us from honestly connecting with other people.

Perfection should not be your goal

Sometimes all that is needed is one more take, other times the solution is in allowing yourself to live with the occasional misspoken word or uncomfortable pause. Whatever you do, let the unique and marvelous person you are shine through. You don’t have to be perfect.   You are simply improving yourself, publicly.

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.

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.