Dread Video Calls & Feel Wooden on Camera? Fear Not.

Don’t worry – you are not alone when it comes to crumbling on camera or turning to wood as soon as you hit record!

This is one of the many emails I’ve had recently about on-screen anxiety….can you relate to Lucy?

“Hi Esther,

I consider myself a confident person, I’m the type of person that friends and colleagues would always urge to ask a question on behalf of a group or present an idea on behalf of a group. I enjoy speaking up.

However, I’ve started to lose my confidence with speaking up in a concise way particularly when it’s recorded.

I hate being on camera or doing anything that might come back to bite me later!

As a result I hold myself back, and end up coming across as really wooden and not really myself at all.

I HATE watching myself back on camera, it’s become a phobia.

Any tips on how to combat the nerves?”

Lucy, banker in London

Thank you for the email Lucy.  Thank you for sharing your feelings about being on camera.

The first big tip is….just do it!

Practice, practice, practice on your phone or tablet.  You can delete it.  No one will ever know! Shhh.  Have a go at recording the opening of your next meeting – no more than 30 seconds and watch yourself back.  Repeat x 3.

Get into the habit of looking at the camera – not the screen!  

Seriously you can delete the footage if you HATE it.  See the video tips below for the camera shot!

Plus you’ll love this blog…with my top 5 tips on….

“How to Avoid Being Wooden on Camera”

If you and your team need to brush up on your video conferencing or on-camera presence – it could literally be a game changer to your client pitches and remote meetings.  Most people (even the pros) aren’t naturally good at speaking to a dead lens without some proper skills and help.

My sessions are designed to help your personality and charisma sparkle on camera, quickly. (I’ve spent years at the BBC helping people get over their camera nerves). Now more and more global firms are using cameras for everything; meetings, pitches, town halls.  

Why be rubbish when you could brilliant.  Email me so we can set up a free chat esther@estherstanhope.com