Stop Looking Fake on Video: How to Be Comfortable & Confident on Camera

Are you totally fine with sales and marketing until you hear that little click of the camera as it starts to record? The second you’re rolling do you feel like your soul leaves your body and you forget how to form coherent sentences? And your hands! What the heck do you do with your hands?

Calm down. Take a breath. You’re not being recorded right now. And we’re going to practice getting comfortable in front of the camera. 

In case this is your first time tuning in, let me introduce myself. Reporting from my laundry office in small-town Illinois, this is Virginia Kerr. And I’m here to help you stand out and make money by leveraging and up-leveling your social media videos. I’ve been in the TV and video industry for more than 20 years. Four TV newsrooms, hundreds of videos, blogs, and podcasts later, I’m here to share what I’ve learned with women ready to get the most out of their hard work. 

Does video intimidate you? Make you want to hide? I’m excited to help you push through your limiting beliefs and show you that you can shine on video! I’m closing the gap by teaching you easy systems and sharing templates that help your videos get in front of your ideal clients. 

Welcome to This is Virginia Kerr, The Podcast! Let’s get started!

Take Command

Hey, it’s your video, so own it. You’re the focus, you’re what everyone else came here to see. Don’t let that intimidate you, let it empower you to deliver your message because people want it! They believe in it, and you’re helping them by sharing. You should be proud of your message and excited to connect with people over it (or you should maybe rethink what you’re selling). 

I know it can feel like thoughts leave you brain the second you start filming, but I promise, practice makes perfect. Even if it takes a couple of takes, it’s worth it in the end to have a video that feels natural, informative, and leaves your audience understanding that you are knowledgeable and competent.

Techniques to Kick Stage-Fright to the Curb: The Bottomline

If you’re still worried about looking stiff, here are some real, tangible ways to improve your presence on camera. First off, move. Get a selfie stick and do the walk and talk- hint, you should start walking before you hit record otherwise it can be awkward. Movement makes you focus on something else other than the fact that you feel awkward, and the change up helps you forget to be stiff.

Maybe you feel too uncoordinated for a walk and record and that’s ok too! Some of my best videos are the ones I film at the end of the day while I do my before bed routine. Or you could do it while you’re cooking. Just do something that you like to do, or you associate with relaxation, and before you know it you’ll be talking like you’re addressing a friend in the room, not a stranger on the internet. 

Lastly, switch rooms if you need to. Shake things up, not only for yourself but for your audience as well. Do something eye-catching that will catch their attention, and break up any potential monotony. All of these tricks will help you love your video time as much as your audience probably already does (seriously, we’re our own harshes critics). 

If you liked what you learned here, head on over to Instagram and share it on your IG stories and tag me, @thisisvirginiakerr

For more information about the podcast, or to learn more about This is Video School, visit my website. I would love to connect with you more on social media! You can find me on Instagram or join my free Facebook community, This is Video and Content Strategy, to help you level up your branding, messaging and video so you can grow your audience and convert followers into customers.

I look forward to seeing you there!