EDITORIAL FEATURE
How to Overcome
Being Nervous on Video
By Pam Terry
W
henever I give a workshop on
public speaking, I always enjoy
asking, “How many people here
like to see themselves on video?”
Nearly 100 percent of the time, absolutely no one raises their hand! In spite of not
enjoying watching yourself on video, one
of the best ways to practice a presentation is to watch a video of you doing one.
Even if it is for only a couple of minutes,
you need to watch what you’re doing and
hear what you sound like. Why? So that
you can decide what you want to keep
doing and what you want to stop doing. It’s a great way to really “see” what
to improve. Plus, you may find that you
actually like what you see. The curious
thing is that the more you see yourself
on video, the more you’re likely to think,
“Hey, I’m not so bad after all. In fact, I’m
pretty good!”
Alas, we get nervous presenting in public and on video it’s even worse! Why are
you even more nervous when being videotaped? Because the presentation is never
over; it can be replayed again and again
and again. But, ask yourself, “Who are you
comparing yourself to?” It’s a total waste
of time to compare yourself to anyone else
because it can cause lots of unhappiness.
Only compare yourself to yourself. The
key to overcoming nervousness on video
is to build your confidence because fear/
anxiety/nervousness cannot exist when
you are truly confident.
Here’s how:
1. PREPARE 75% of anxiety/nervousness
can be eliminated by just preparing. Make
a list or outline of the 3, 5, or 7 things that
you are going to share that include your
introduction and close.
2. KNOW YOUR MATERIAL You are the
expert. The more you share your knowledge, the more confident you become. In
other words, become extremely familiar
with your content so that you can confidently share it. You can have an outline to
keep you focused but you want to spend
your time either looking at the camera
or looking straight ahead as if you were
speaking to an audience. If you do have
an outline, have it up next to the camera
so that you can keep your head up or use a
teleprompter. (There are free teleprompters online.)
3. TAKE THE FOCUS OFF OF YOU Presenting is not about the presenter. It’s
about the audience. Thoughts about not
being good enough (whatever your version is) cause anxiety and nervousness;
the reasons don’t matter because it could
be any reason. It’s what you’re thinking
that matters. Change your thoughts because whatever you focus on becomes
your life. If you focus on how bad you are,
that’s what you will get to feel like.
Instead, remember N-C-F:
•
•
•
Notice your anxiety or nervousness.
Consciously shift your thoughts/focus
off of you.
Focus on the valuable content that
you are going to provide and get busy
preparing and practicing.
Every time you feel nervous, remember
to repeat the steps of N-C-F. You are developing a new way of being and it can
take some practice. By repeating N-C-F
whenever you are nervous, you will develop a new habit and over time, the ability
to shift your focus off of you will become
automatic. Try it!
4. BREATHE & PAUSE What do you do
if you freeze up during your presentation?
Do you start having those anxiety thoughts
again? Pause and take a breath to give
yourself a chance to regain your composure and pull your thoughts back together.
The power of the pause is very effective.
Your audience doesn’t know what’s really
going on. Pausing is a good attention getter. It actually is a tool for engaging your
audience and can be used for emphasis.
5. LOOK & FEEL YOUR BEST Looking
and feeling your best means just that. It
doesn’t mean that you should compare
yourself to anyone else except you. Wear
a color that pops on camera or at least
looks good on you. Do all that you can
do to look good and feel good and then let
loose. Don’t waste your time trying to be
perfect. No one is perfect and anyone who
appears perfect is difficult to relate to. So
be comforted knowing that no one can be
you better than you.
6. GET STARTED & GET GOING Join
a video challenge or start one with your
own community. By doing video on a regular basis, you will gain experience, knowledge, and confidence. You’ll learn things
that work and don’t work. Experience
can be a great confidence builder. Take
any opportunity you can to be on video by
participating in Google Hangouts, Zoom.
us video conferencing, posting videos on
your blog, and videotaping every speaking
engagement you do. Invest in a good web
camera or standalone video camera and
tripod. SBT
In addition to public speaking, Pam Terry is a