Okay, things are about to get real here.

Today’s video grew from something that was really annoying me, and I was speaking to my friend and coach, Nicole Tingley, about this.

She pointed out to me that a secret to my clarity would be to hone into why I was bothered by this trend, and use that feeling to create a solution, instead of feeling discouraged.

The results of my chat were super powerful, so I wanted to share them with you. Lately, I’ve been a little bothered by how much attention going into this so-called “building your confidence in front of the camera”.

Unless you’re a reporter, or have been doing this for years, no one is completely comfortable in front of the camera, and I don’t want to see you struggle so hard anymore.

Guess what Smart Shooters, there are so many other methods of using a camera to spread your message. I’m going to show you how to stop wasting your time on something you don’t like to do.

Like everything in life, becoming truly confident in something that requires practice. And that is all you need. Practice. Plain and simple.

I feel like it’s being of disservice to people who truly want to share their content to just teach them how to be more confident in front of the camera. A camera is merely a tool to spread your message. If speaking isn’t your strength, don’t focus on speaking!

There are no hard and fast rules about how your video should look. You can create beautifully branded videos that don’t feature you speaking. Here are some tips that allow you to spread your brand message without focusing so much on how you look on video. 

Shoot a montage of images with a soundtrack that you love, with your audio speaking over top. People sometimes forget to think in the language of video, which is a stylized combination of imagery and sound. If you imagery looks and feels awkward, you can use other mediums to share your message. If you create products, your footage doesn’t need you present everything about it. SHOW it to your audience!

Plan your content before the shoot. If you are going to speak, using this method will ensure that the material is fresh from your heart, and in your head. It makes it much more difficult when you write two or three days ahead of time, then try to shoot yourself talking about it. The flow just isn’t as easy to capture because we’re already in a different space and mood.From working in film production for years, I know that even actors on set are given SIDES for THAT DAY. SIDES are clips from the scenes that they are shooting that day. They aren’t expected to memorize lines for the entire movie. And they do that for a living. How is an average person like you or me supposed to deliver content that is just overwhelming?

Sell your content instead of you. Maybe you offer a great service, but you’re having a hard time talking about it and shooting it on camera. Try creating a series of videos that sell your service or program instead. Maybe you’re a yoga teacher who has a great meditation series.Set up an area that you want to shoot that is beautiful and represents who you are. Maybe you’ll want to include some lit candles, some incense burning, your favorite Buddha or Ganesha, and record your “space”. Overlay this footage of you walking people through a meditation that really sells your strengths and engages with your audience. I guarantee that this will be more powerful than just talking in front of the camera.

Shoot OTHER people. Maybe you’re a client based business and you have a roster of bright people who would love to vouch for you. Ask them to send in (or you can shoot for them) a short testimonial of what it’s like to work with you. Collect a series of these, and overlay it with a powerful soundtrack. You can end it with a clip of your headshot or you actually working. Boom! Doesn’t that send your message in a much more powerful manner than you trying to fumble your way through how to present yourself?

I want you to start thinking like a real video star and begin using a camera as a tool that you control, rather than the other way around. We want our tools to empower our message and create attraction towards our business, and it doesn’t always have to start with being on camera. Practice only where you need to, and keep honing your skills on your true passions.