Demonstrate Your Credibility

Demonstrate Your Credibility

Reading Can Make You Look Like You Do Not Know What You Are Talking About

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Either memorize what you are going to say and say it with genuine emotion or “wing it.” When talking without a fully composed speech prepared, I recommend that you have a simple, basic outline memorized to stay on topic and get all points covered. If you wander down a side path, it is easier to get back on track when you clearly know where you intended to go.

Viewers can see it in your eyes when you are reading from a teleprompter or haven’t worked out how to best deliver your scripted message. There isn’t that spark of spontaneity and that sense of possible danger of messing up. Reading when on camera can prevent you from connecting directly with your audience.

Phoniness is obvious, it can do harm to your reputation as an expert

When you talk to people off camera, you typically are not reading from a script. That would seem insincere, forced and basically like you do not know what you are talking about. The same thing is true for videos. Unless you have rehearsed your presentation well and are able to go through it smoothly and with great conviction, it may not be very effective.

There is a “work around” to use sparingly, if you can

If you have to make your presentation in short sections, be sure to get the introduction done all the way through. The opening bit will be one that you are most likely going to be seen on camera delivering. After that, through the miracle of video editing, you can insert other graphic elements, like titles, photographs or B-Roll cutaways over the cuts in the main “master shot” of you talking on camera.

Conclusion

You can always choose your own style of presenting on video. I’m telling you this because I find it to be very challenging to maintain an authoritative position when reading directly from a script on camera. When I look down to read, my focus changes from my presentation to the written words in front of me and that breaks the concentration that I feel is necessary to convey my messages convincingly.

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.

First Introduce Yourself

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First introduce yourself

It is wise to assume your viewers are seeing you for the first time; briefly introduce yourself early on in every video and then move confidently through the information you are making available. It only takes a moment and it can make a big difference. Especially when the person viewing your video has never heard of you before. If you impress them, you’ll probably want them to remember who you are and if they are not interested in your ideas, they’ll know whom to avoid!

Your name plus your catchphrase

Your name and benefit catchphrase is a short set of words that can quickly make your self-confidence increase and set the tone for an engaging delivery of whatever you are speaking about. Starting off by introducing yourself on camera also helps to get the flow of words going.   There is a really good chance that you will say your own tagline right and, once you start talking, you are well on your way to getting the whole message out.

Giving your name and a clue as to what you are all about at the beginning of each video is a welcoming invitation to viewers to get to know you better. Like business cards and nametags, saying who you are in a short, memorable phrase is effective. This habit helps establish a face-to-name connection and makes it easier for people to remember the conversations you have with them.

Just like you, it is a work in progress

Your introduction may change over time, as you get more experienced making videos. Start now with the best you have and keep improving on it until you lock in an excellent way of quickly saying who you are.

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.

 

Make Eye Contact With the Lens

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Make eye contact with the lens

It’s like you are looking viewers in the eye. It shows confidence and also conveys the feeling that you are interested in them and their reaction to your message. Doing this can seem strange and feel empty because you cannot see another person’s eyes as you look into a lens. I find this to be especially obvious during a video chat.

Easier said than done

The truth is that it is impossible to look someone in the eye during online video conversations using today’s ordinary technology. This is because the camera is a separate element than the monitor. You have to choose between looking at the image of their eyes or giving them the opportunity to look at yours.  The only way I can think of doing both at the same time would be by using a monitor that has a camera lens built right into it at eye level.

I admit that I have trouble imagining how that would be possible because eye locations change depending on how you and the person you are chatting with each have your device angled, how far you are from it and where you are positioned relative to the camera lens. I guess you’d need a lens that tracked the movement of the person looking into it and that would introduce a whole other set of problems.

One semi-solution

When you can (like on a desktop computer), move the monitor window as close to the camera as possible.  It may help to size it a lot smaller than usual to close the gap between the lens and the monitor.

Conclusion

Aside from delay and media compression issues, not being able to look someone in the eye when talking through the Internet is the most awkward thing about it. Two-way, real time video conversations are marvelous although they fall short on the warmth factor. However, when you record a video to be watched at some time in the future, you can at least give the impression that you are making eye contact by looking into the lens and (whenever it is appropriate) smile.

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.