How to become confident on camera

You want to create an online course, but there’s just one problem: You don’t feel comfortable on camera. You know that you have powerful knowledge that others want to learn, and you’ve got a fire in your belly to share it.

But every time you get in front of the camera (or even think about it), you freeze. If you’re an aspiring Kajabi Hero but you’re still scared to start filming, know that you are not alone in your resistance. Being on camera, even if you’re an experienced coach or speaker, triggers all sorts of intense reactions from mild stage fright to full-on panic attacks!

You may have even experienced this the last time you turned on the camera to try to record something. Your heart starts to beat faster. You get butterflies in your stomach. You have trouble remembering what you want to say.

But that’s not an excuse to just avoid making videos entirely. Like anything else in life, you can train yourself to become more confident and charismatic on camera, and it’s worth doing because the world of online learning is booming.

In fact, the e-learning market is expected to reach $457.8 billion by 2026!

Videos are the currency of online education because viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it via video, compared to just 10% when reading.

If you want to build a business teaching online, there’s no way around it — you’re going to have to get in front of the camera. The importance of having great videos isn’t just limited to course creators either - podcast hosts and other knowledge entrepreneurs can benefit too.

To attract your dream customers, you’ll want to connect with them using social media, and videos are an effective way to do that as well. Videos are the most popular type of social media content and are more likely to be viewed than text or image posts. Videos also get shared more on social media with video posts generating 12 times more shares than text and video posts COMBINED!

The reality is clear: If you want to capture and keep your customers’ attention, you’re going to have to start putting yourself in front of a camera.

How to get more confident on camera

You know the old saying - practice makes perfect. If you want to get more confident on camera, more experience will definitely help. But, here are four other strategies you can try to make your practice even more effective.

Plan your scripts

Writing out your thoughts ahead of time can help you ensure the content is exactly what you want to communicate in the way you want to communicate it. 

Some course creators and video marketers will write an exact script. Using a script doesn’t mean you’re a bad public speaker - in fact, it can really help your overall communication! Remember that even world leaders have speech writers and are not improvising their messages. 

Others will use bullet points and ad-lib the specifics. They might opt for this route so the video feels more natural rather than scripted. This can work really well for quick marketing videos because you can do multiple takes to get it right.

Use a teleprompter

Using a teleprompter can relieve you of the stress of remembering what you’re going to say. This means you can focus more of your energy on your enunciation and physical presence while on camera. There are many physical teleprompter setups and device apps that you can use. 

Some teleprompter setups need a second person to operate while some you can do solo. Whichever you choose, they can be a fantastic investment to help streamline your production. 

We use a teleprompter here at Kajabi for our YouTube and Kajabi University videos. Our video hosts find it easy to pick up and that it makes the filming go a lot faster and smoother! 

Talk to a real person

Talking to an audience or an actual person instead of just a screen or camera can help make the delivery feel more natural. Live stage theatre actors and public speakers can absolutely feel the difference in energy when there are people in seats compared to an empty room.

If you’re filming a course or marketing video, ask someone to be in your filming studio so you can recreate that experience of a direct conversation. Seeing a real person react and engage with your message can give you motivation and nonverbal communication to understand if your words are resonating.

If you can’t get a person to be your audience member, print out pictures of people to simulate it. It sounds silly, but you’ll feel less like you’re talking to yourself.

Take a course with a public speaking coach

Lastly, working with a professional to improve your speaking skills is always a good choice.  You could hire a private coach, take a speaking class, or look for online courses.

If you’re looking for an online course, we'd love to point you to a mini-course by Kajabi Hero Elissa Weinzimmer, founder of Voice Body Connection.

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She teaches vocal confidence which can translate to better quality videos that engage your audience. Check out the The Find Your Voice, Speak Your Truth mini-course. She says, "In three short lessons, gain a toolkit to unlock your most confident, authentic, and joyfully expressive voice."

‍Then get yourself ready to film your next online course, marketing video, or host your next webinar.

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