a more valuable asset. Self-promotion can be a strategy, and video provides the perfect platform on which to do it.
But there are risks. Often, the messages being delivered on camera are high stakes: vital news for the entire global enterprise or, even more daunting, for an external audience of customers, competitors, and the always-intimidating media. Performing poorly can undercut the credibility of the presenter and ultimately can hurt the corporate (or personal) brand he or she represents.
By contrast, on-camera expertise can be a true differentiator, especially as the use of video continues its exponential growth. Some camera-savvy corporate folks embrace the opportunity to connect with their audiences in a much deeper way than the written word allows. They come across as authentic and sincere, but that's not the norm.
Most people who do not perform on camera for a living would prefer a root canal. Presenting via video combines two things most people hate: public speaking and being on camera. Even those who are very comfortable speaking to a live audience of hundreds can be flummoxed by having to speak to a single, solitary lens.
How Reading This Book Can Improve Your On-Camera Performance
The goal of any training is to change either you or the way you do something, but to me, the time spent in the classroom is just the first step. It's purely information transfer. The real “learning” is in the doing. This book is structured to give you not only foundational knowledge, but also ample opportunity to try out the techniques you have learned through specific exercises. Sure, you can skip over them, but your training will only be superficial. You need to practice what you've learned on camera and then evaluate your performance.
It's actually not too difficult to separate the good from the bad when assessing your own performance. Peruse YouTube, and chances are you can easily identify those who have some serious skills in presenting to a camera from those who should have opted for another way (or person) to convey their message. Sometimes, the problems are readily apparent: lightning-fast delivery, distracting gestures, content that is hard to follow. But sometimes, there just seems to be something off. The same can be said of those who are solid performers. You might be thinking, “The camera really loves her,” but do you know why? This book will highlight some of the nuances that contribute to performance success and raise your awareness of performance pitfalls that go beyond the obvious.
What You Will Need
In order to assess your performance, you need a way to record yourself, but as you know, cameras surround us. You can use your smart- phone, a webcam, or a regular video camera as long as you have a way to review the videos you take with it.
Topics to Be Discussed
The book begins with a discussion of what makes presenting on-camera uniquely challenging and why you are your own worst enemy. We will then take a deep dive into what I call the MVPs of Performance Success. In this book, MVP stands for the Mental, Vocal, and Physical elements of performance success. You will hear some case studies from former clients and be given exercises to put those newfound skills into action.
Wondering what to wear on camera? This book will help you comb through your closet for camera-friendly attire that will make you look the part. (An early tip: When in doubt, be boring.)
We will talk about content – both unscripted and scripted – and about the importance of organizing for the ear and writing the way you speak. A great script is the secret sauce for excellent on-camera presentations.
Much of what you will learn can be applied to any formal or informal on-camera performance, whether it's shot in a fancy studio or in your basement. However, I will delve into some tips for specific scenarios like virtual meetings and interviews, formal direct-to-camera presentations, and panel discussions formatted in a broadcast-news style.
Consider this book your on-camera coach: full of tools, techniques, and insight into what works and what doesn't work on camera, no matter where that camera lurks. Many of these tools and techniques can be used in any presentation or performance – whether you can look your audience in the eye or have to imagine them on the other side of a lens.
Feel free to flip to the chapters that best fit your needs, but take note of the topics covered in the other chapters. You never know when you might need to add to your on-camera arsenal.
Chapter Takeaways
• Video cameras are no longer just in a studio; they're on your laptop, your webcam, and your phone.
• The Age of YouTube has created an expectation that you can always watch rather than read.
• Everyone wants to hear from the decision makers, the doers, the C-suite executives.. and more and more often, that means speaking on camera.
• Video is a vital communication link for a workforce that is often not corralled within the bricks and mortar of the corporate monolith.
• Video chat applications have completely revamped the hiring process across all verticals.
• Performing poorly can undercut the credibility of the presenter and ultimately can hurt the corporate (or personal) brand he or she represents.
CHAPTER 2
Why the Camera Changes Everything
Dateline: Summer 1991
Location: Altoona, Pennsylvania (specifically, Jaffa Shrine)
Event: Final night of competition at the Miss Pennsylvania Scholarship Pageant
I was the season shocker. How could I, Miss Butler County, a pageant neophyte who only entered on a lark, be in prime position to represent the Keystone State in the Miss America pageant?
Talent Competition: I nailed it thanks to a decade of voice training.
Judge's Panel Interview: I aced that, too.
The vast majority of my fellow contestants had been priming themselves for this moment for years, sharpening their skills on the lower-level pageant circuit. Me? I was a total newbie and on no one's radar as a potential threat. But after chalking up two preliminary competition wins earlier in the week, the dark horse had become the front-runner and likely winner.. save for a slight miscalculation by my team.
You see, along with the tiara from the county win, I had acquired a cadre of pageant professionals who were in charge of coaching me for the state pageant. They taught me how to strut, wobble-free, across the stage in a bathing suit and four-inch heels made of Lucite. They explained the importance of displaying off-the-charts enthusiasm when I introduced myself at the top of the show. We even ran through my song from Phantom of the Opera ad nauseam just in case.
What we didn't work on was my on-stage interview question. Why would we? After all, I was a top student and had even skipped my senior year in high school just to get a head start on college. I was on track to receive my undergraduate degree magna cum laude with highest honors. Public speaking was my forte. I even won a scholarship for “Excellence in the Use of the English Language.” Why would I need to practice how to answer one question?
So there I was on the final night of the pageant, ready to tackle the last part of the competition: the on-stage interview question. The crowning achievement seemed like a fait accompli.
I made my way downstage toward the emcee, who held a stack of index cards laden with real stumpers – or so he thought.
