How to speak in front of a camera and express yourself well? 8 tips
Speaking in front of a camera can be as stressful as it is complex. In front of the objective, there are people who feel so much pressure that they seem to forget basic social skills to the point that they notice how nothing they do is spontaneous; it seems that they have to take "manual" control over each and every one of the movements of their body, without being able to reach everything.
In this article we will see Several tips on how to talk in front of a camera , dealing with both the aspects related to the nerves and those that have to do with communicating better.
- Related article: "Speak in public and overcome stage fear, in 8 steps"
How to speak in front of a camera?
Our ability to adapt to the demands of the environment does not only depend on what we have mastered in the past, nor on what we know in a theoretical, intellectual way. An example of this is that, for example, someone who in most cases is very confident and extraverted can be completely blocked on a stage or in front of a camera.
In other words, our ability to reach our goals effectively depends both on us and on the context in which we find ourselves. Something as simple as putting a person to observe us can completely transform our way of acting. Y the same thing happens in the world of audiovisual media with recordings using a camera , regardless of whether the content generated is for television, film or Internet.
So, if you have never faced an experience based on talking in front of a camera, it is very possible that you have some problems. Fortunately, these are easy to polish with a little practice and some patience. Below you will see a series of guidelines on how to get it. Apply them throughout different sessions to get results.
1. Perform vocalization exercises
In front of a camera it is very important to vocalize since the people who are going to see you are not going to be able to ask you to repeat things and, on the other hand, it's possible that the nerves contribute to you not doing it much , either by the problems of control of the muscles or by the dryness of the mouth.
To do this, place yourself in front of a mirror and train the vocalization, slightly exaggerating the movements of the mouth to get used to that greater mobility. After the first training sessions. Record yourself doing it, to get used to the new context.
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2. Warms the muscles
To speak in front of a camera, you have to disinhibited a little . To do this, do a warm-up based on relaxing all the muscles of the trunk up while doing small jumps and emit random sounds without vocalizing or saying concrete words.
3. Make sure you have good comfort conditions
When you speak in front of the camera, if possible, make sure that minimum conditions of comfort are met: that it does not get cold or hot, that you are not blinded by any sunlight or artificial light, and that you have a bottle of water at hand, in case your mouth dries. This will have a positive impact on the way you communicate and make yourself understood , since you will not feel in a situation of vulnerability for completely avoidable reasons.
4. Remember the succession of ideas that you are going to communicate
It is not always necessary to literally memorize a script. In these cases, pay attention to memorize only the basic ideas that will structure your speech. In this way, you will be less likely to get trapped because of doubts about which word to use, given that everything will be more spontaneous and fluid .
5. Become a basic script
Prepare a small note on a sheet of paper with the main points you want to discuss, so that a simple glance of a few seconds you can refresh your memory and move on. This script should look more like a schema than a series of developed paragraphs.
6. Do not obsess about the goal
Be very careful in looking at the objective is counterproductive, because it distracts you from other more basic tasks when speaking in front of a camera. Simply, try that your gaze does not deviate from the area in whose center is the part to which you should look .
7. Imagine your audience
The degree of uncertainty that can be experienced when talking to an inanimate object often makes us more likely to doubt about what to do and how to proceed with our speech. To avoid this, imagine the people who are seeing you or who will see you. By common sense, you will do it in a realistic way, true to what surely happens or will happen when the video is broadcast.In this way you will have a constant feedback that will make it easier to know what tone to use, what rhythm to print on your words, etc.
8. Take prosody classes
This is a special recommendation for those people who are going to speak in front of a camera constantly. Either to make videos of Youtube or for any other project of several days , weeks or months, it is good to familiarize yourself with this type of activity and adopt a style of speech that is your own and in which you can move easily.
