No Panic, Video is Easy

Speakers delight in presenting information to live audiences. Audience interaction encourages speakers to perform comfortably before various size groups. Small stage, large stage or living room setting is insignificant as long as the speaker can gauge the audience reaction and adjust accordingly.

Video attracts attention and personalizes your message. To the outsider, producing a video may seem even easier than speaking to a live audience. Not so to a professional speaker. We are people oriented.

Performing in front of a camera rather than a person presents an entirely new challenge. The connection with the audience must be perceived and imagined rather than experienced. One of the techniques I have found most valuable is placing myself mentally in the audience setting and speaking as if they were in front of me in a casual living room environment. Others place the picture of a loved one next to the camera and pretend they are speaking to them. Still others have the camera lens peer through the mouth or eye of the picture. If you are fortunate enough to have a live person managing the camera, great; I am happy for you. I do not have that luxury.

Remember the first time you stood in front of a live audience? If you resemble the typical person, the knees shook, the voice wavered and palms perspired. In Toastmasters, that first speech is called the “icebreaker.” Even though it is only three to five minutes, it may seem M U C H longer. Relax, video is easier. With a video you have retakes and edits. Now that is a huge plus for video over live performance.

Ok, now you are starting to relax. Yes, relaxing is highly advisable. Relax your shoulders, put a smile on your face, and relax your hands. Remember, you are speaking to a small group of people who really want to know what you have to say.

Personally, I prefer to stand and move within a small area when I record a video. Since the camera is stationary, I have a limited stage area to remain on camera. Others prefer to sit as if they were in an office, living room or seated at the kitchen table.

There are various backgrounds preferred. I have been told to select a plain white background to avoid distracting from the message. It is generally accepted that a solid color shirt or blouse is preferable to a wild print. White on white and you disappear into the background – never desirable for a speaker to be the “invisible man or woman.”

Cameras are so diverse that we could write several chapters on cameras. As your first venture into video, perhaps a simple Flip HD Ultra will be sufficient. It takes excellent quality video, is easy to use and inexpensive. You are not competing for the cinematography award at the academy awards; you are presenting a short message.

A tripod makes it much easier. Gorilla pod makes a short, flexible, very inexpensive tripod. Wrap it around a pole, stand it up on three legs, or fold it over a ledge, it bends. In addition it costs less than lunch for one at a nice restaurant.

Two to five minutes seems to be the generally accepted time frame. Turn the camera on, walk to your desired location, speak and walk back and turn the camera off. Easy. Right? Take a few takes if you feel more comfortable with choices.

With a Flip camera, you simply plug the camera into the usb port on your computer and download. Next download from the Flip software to your computer with one click of the mouse.

Open the location on your computer – mine is the month in which I recorded it. Click on the image, trim off the beginning and ending so all that shows is your message. You are trimming off the section where you were walking back and forth to the camera. Choose a title, usually the same title as the article you were recording. Save.

Click on the edited image, export to your video file and upload to YouTube. Use the keywords from your article and a brief description. You are done. Recording a video really was not traumatic after all.

If you would like a step by step sequence on the uploading, editing and publishing of the video, contact me. Leave your contact information and comments in the “contact Elaine” section of Elaine4Success.com.