Speaking on camera - are you an executive deer in the headlights?

Senior Leaders out there - do you break out in a cold sweat at the thought of speaking on camera? Have you ever lost all ability to speak or communicate when hearing the words ‘action’?

Do not fear my friends, it’s a very common fight or flight reaction to quite a common, but alien situation and thankfully, it’s a straight-forward fear to overcome.

For over 20 years I’ve worked with C-suite and senior leaders in the corporate world. All incredibly impressive people - highly knowledgeable in their field, experienced in public speaking and presenting and, by the nature of their role, adept at dealing with high pressure decision making. So why is it that many of these high achievers struggle to remain as composed when speaking directly to camera? Is this you?

Do you become self-consumed with a growing panic as you realise that something is not quite going as planned? You're tongue-tied; flustered; your sentences become incoherent as your pulse rate begins to race as you finally come to terms that you aren't in control of the situation.

Keep calm, you're not alone!

For many, speaking on camera can be an intimidating task, and to use the adage, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. The irony is that, even with a crew around them adding to the pressure to get it right, it can feel quite a solidary experience – just you, your words and a lens. Where usually a live audience or Zoom call provided constant feedback and focus, suddenly there’s no one – you feel alone with just your own thoughts and critical inner-voice! And the more self-aware you become….the greater the potential for panic.

Many feel the pressure of letting people down, wasting time or even embarrassed at their inability to do, what on paper, is a simple thing, however, the presence of a crew shouldn’t be added pressure to perform, but instead, it should and can be added support.

Five tips to deliver on camera

If you’ve recently moved into a more senior role with an expectation to give video updates, or if you’ve had a bad experience and never want to speak on screen again, then here are five simple things to think about before and during your next shoot:

1.     Use conscious breathing. When your director calls ‘action’ – don’t panic. That’s just your cue that they are ready for you when you’re ready. Look straight into the lens (some people even focus on their own reflection!), take a big breath through the nose, out through the mouth, relax the shoulders, relax the jaw, smile…and then begin. Like a sportsperson has their routine before serving, taking a free kick or teeing off – have yours too every time you start a new take.

2.     Use the power of silence. The usual reaction when we feel pressure is to speed everything up. When you feel the panic, actively reverse this by slowing down. Allow yourself to pause between points. As well as calm you, a more controlled pace will actually work in your favour to create a stronger, more dynamic communication.

3.     Keep scripting to a minimum. If you HAVE to a script, that’s totally fine, but then use a autocue system. Do not spend the time scripting as some form of saftety system and then try to reproduce it word for word – you’ll only become focussed on what you’re NOT saying rather than what you ARE. Put it to one side or better to make short notes from it, breaking each talking point into three simple bulletpoints to cover the context, the solution, and the results.

4.    Change the situation. The panic snowball effect can easily continue if you let it and you’ll simply become more despondent and use up any time you did have available. If your producer/director doesn't already do this, then don’t be afraid to stop, and ask them to rethink how to achieve the communication using slightly different filming technique. For example, ask them to lead you with questions or prompts to feel as though you are talking to someone, or to uses the edit to overlay with images, slides to allow shorter/problematic sentances to be cut together in edit.

5.     Trust you and your crew! They’re on your side and their focus and skill is to make you look and sound great! If you feel uncomfortable, then let them know; work together as a team to put you at ease and to approach the recording with positivity. You have the knowledge of the subject and your crew know the best way to present it on screen - they've got your back!

Enjoy the empowerment of the spotlight!

Next time you’re feeling the panic of appearing on camera, don’t just plough on and hope for the best just to get out of there - retake control, lean heavily on the team around you to work together to get the best on-screen version of you. Like anything though, the more you do it with the right people around you, the easier it'll become -  trust me, you might even start enjoying it!

If you're feeling the pressure of appearing on camera, then get in touch today and we can talk through technqiues you can put into practise to fit your specic presenation aspriations!