5 Practical Tips for Getting Confident on Camera

Confession: I have spent most of my life on stage, the last 10 years acting on camera, and the last 16 months recording over 250 videos for YouTube and online courses. And yet when I recently decided to begin a weekly Facebook Live series, I was still filled with absolute terror.

Whether you’re going live or filming videos that can be edited before publishing, there’s something very vulnerable about getting on camera. All of our insecurities tend to come to the surface and we become hyper-critical of everything from our voice to our facial expressions. But if you can get over your self-consciousness, video can be really enjoyable, and more importantly, hugely impactful on your career or business.

The following 5 strategies are tried and tested by me, and I’m happy to report that they all work — even when I’m hopping on a dreaded Facebook Live. (To be honest, I no longer dread them – yayyy! Although they’re still a lot scarier than pre-recorded video.)

1. Practice, practice, practice.

Roll your eyes if you want, I know I’m starting with the obvious. But I want to take this advice further.

First up, find a way to practice on your own if you can. Having someone listening to what you’re doing can make you feel really self-conscious and awkward (speaking from experience here!) which will get in the way your focus.

Also, make good use of that time by practising with purpose. Even if you’re not planning on publishing anything yet, write yourself some practice scripts (bullet-point outlines only — no memorising allowed as per point 2!) and get used to glancing at your notes, looking at the camera and talking about that point to camera without stopping and starting. Repeat for the next point and so on.

Staring down the barrel can be one of the most challenging things to get used to, especially if yours isn’t a traditional lens. For built-in cameras on computers and phones or separate webcams, I recommend putting some fluorescent tape each side of the lens so it’s easier to focus on. No matter what you use, it can be fun to draw a little happy face on a post-it and tape it to your camera to remind you to smile and keep your energy up. Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it.

2. Prepare… but don’t over-prepare.

Say whaaa? Yep. I want you to know your topic inside out and have formed a strong opinion on it. You also need to know exactly what the point of your video is and what kind of action it should lead to (what do you want your audience to do after they’ve watched?)

All this stuff needs to be in your head, however, and not in the form of pages and pages of notes because those things are going to mess you up while you’re recording. The most you should have written down are the prompts for your intro, main points you’re making, conclusion and call to action. Writing (or typing them) in a large font on one piece of paper per video makes it easier for glancing down without losing momentum. If you have a laptop or iPad, you could use that instead.

3. Look your best to feel your best.

No, I don’t mean you need to hire a personal stylist and makeup artist, but you do need to present yourself in a way that makes YOU feel confident...

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