How to Get the Right On-Camera Mindset

On many occasions I’d like to add some full motion video of myself at the beginning and end of my Screencasts, but I find it very hard.

If I write, then read, a script  I feel unnatural and stiff. If I try to memorize what I want to say I’ll stumble and only remember part of it. And if I just wing it, I tend to think too much and feel self conscious.

Maybe that’s why I tend to stick with Camtasia videos and not talking head. But I WANT to be able to smile and add some facetime and personality to my videos.

So, I was doing a little research on one of my favorite blogs- “Brainy Video”. and I found this video by Steve Washer:

“How to Get More Confidence on Video”

His basic premise is to stop “Thinking so much”.

As Steve explains it…

“Thinking can easily get in the way of being spontaneous.  You tend to tone it down because you don’t want to look like a clown. Know the right things to do then quiet the mind so those things have a chance to work. It’s best to keep a Zen mind in the act. You simply got to get out of yourself to be successful.”

“But how do you DO that”, he implores? We’re far too busy to slow down enough to even think about “mindset”.

Or are we?

Try adding Steve’s simple, little recipe to your on-camera work and see if it doesn’t make your audience feel a whole lot more comfortable and give you a lot more power as you get into the “swing” of it.

 

Lon and I just love how Steve expresses himself on video so we’ve asked him to come teach. So you’re cordially invited to  join Steve Washer, Lon Naylor and myself (Michelle Schoen on

Thursday, February 25 at 11AM EST as Steve presents his new webinar “Getting Friendly with Video“.

Steve has been an actor, a director, a filmmaker, a teacher and a writer. Steve explains “Acting taught me the oddities of human behavior, directing taught me how to organize ideas into stories, writing to be structured and simple, and teaching to communicate what’s important and inspiring.”