Tell Better Stories on Camera

Real talk: I used to suck in front of the camera. Like to the point that every time anyone hit the record button my eyes would get uber wide, my voice would drop an octave, and my heart would beat like I just got done playing a game of ping pong. And today I'm known for video – for my "sick flow" someone called it recently.

I was sipping my cappuccino today during a morning meeting and I was explaining how recording videos made me a better entrepreneur; and the good thing is that it's totally something that anyone can get good at. Here are some things that helped me suck less in front of the camera.

Keep A Video Journal

“Quentin, how did you get so comfortable on camera?” Simple. I recorded a video every single day. I made it a habit. What most people don’t know about me is that I am actually more of a writer than anything else. And despite the fact that I enjoy video, and am known for video, I love writing. Keeping a video diary not only helped me become a better storyteller on camera but it also helped me improve my writing.

Here are some sample prompts to get you started with video:

• Tell me about your day. How are you feeling?
• What was something impactful that happened today?
• Who did you meet today? What effect did they have on you?
• Did you accomplish the goals that you set out for yourself today? Why or why not?
• What do you want to achieve this week? Month? Year? Why?
• What are you most excited about in the coming months?

You can host this video diary anywhere: YouTube, LinkedIn, Google Photos, Facebook, the Cloud, etc. The important thing is that you do this every day. Make it a habit. Go back and check on your progress every so often. You may be surprised at how quickly you grow as a person and as a storyteller.

Dude, what do you think?

Record with a friend. This can be SO uncomfortable if the camera isn't naturally your comfort zone, but that is totally fine. I forced everyone on our team to shoot videos. We help each other with the flow of the story in real time and provide other feedback as needed. Having someone to act as a second opinion will help you improve quicker.

Before I launched our current company I ran a personal branding agency. My last intern came to me and she said "I would totally be interested in shooting LinkedIn videos."

"Sweet! How many are you comfortable making?" I asked her.

"I can do 1 or 2 a week."

"Cool. You're going to do 5."

From there I critiqued each of her videos until she was comfortable. A few months later I watched her speak on the Women's LinkedIn Creators Panel at VidCon (the world's largest global video conference). If you don't have a friend to critique your content you can always use the internet. A bunch of people have used our group as a sounding board.

Condense into a 15 Second Story

Early on I always had to remind myself to keep it simple. When you’re storyboarding / planning try starting here. Grab your phone or camera and hit record. What is your story about? Tell the camera in 15 seconds or less (feel free to use IG stories for this). This will give you an idea of what is absolutely essential to make your story happen. From there you can build upon your story depending on how much time you have, who you’re talking to, what medium you’re using to deliver your story, etc. 

The key here: less is more.

You Are A Story

I talk about this a lot [because it’s important]. Storytelling has literally been a part of our history since the beginning of language and communication. It’s innate. We are all storytellers, but even further than that we are all living breathing stories. Let that sink in for a bit. Then stop trying so hard.

You don’t have to be a great storyteller to be a “great storyteller”. You just have to pay attention to the right things. Stories are all around us. Stories are within us. See them. Hear them. Watch them. Breathe them. Live them.

#justQ ??????