A Blog Designed to Help You Become a Better Speaker

I had the privilege of being on set for two different projects over the last week. I LOVE being on a commercial set. Also, I LOVE getting my make up done by their professional make up artists.

One thing I started doing YEARS ago was ask the artists about the products they use and why. I was excite to learn what all has changed this time around. I was surprised that the oldies are still the goodies with a few updates I'll share.

First, Make up for camera is very different for make up for stage. Neither are the same for everyday. Make up for camera is much more subtle because the camera is right in your face. Light eye shadow, neutral lips, usually only eye shadow for eyeliner and it's very subtle.

Hair is also a it trickier because any flying frizz, tiny staticky piece, one grey root, show so bad!!!

Finally, no "dewy". Oil (shine is the enemy of camera.) I am always her "dewy" with terribly shiny skin for camera. Give me an hour on set and my skin will look lik...

 You Hate Being on Camera.

I get it.

Your nose looks funny. Your head does a weird side tilt thing when you talk that you didn't know it did. Your voice sounds shockingly different. You didn't know your office or your hair actually looked like that.

However, you KNOW you should be making videos. 

Or worse, you just paid a fortune for a videographer to create your demo reel and you hate all the footage they shot.

As an actor who has done a lot of commercials and some film, I so understand the cringe factor of watching yourself. An acting coach once gave me the advice, that I turned into a worksheet below, to help you.

First, remember we live in a world of glorious photo and video filters. I am so spoiled with using filters that a regular photo or video of me makes me want to dry heave. Here's the truth. You don't look like the filtered version of you. SORRY! But you can't expect to be on regular video and think the filtered you is going to show up. It's not. The regular video is w...

You thought you did pretty good when you were speaking and THEN you watched yourself back….

And now you’re googling because you hated everything you saw in your video. I'm glad you stumbled onto this blog post, because I totally understand how you feel.

First, good job for making a decision to get better instead of folding up the ‘ol laptop and quitting. Second, there is a LOT that can be worked on but for this blog post we are only focusing on 4 things.

(When you get to # 4, you’ll see why.)

 So - quiet on the set – let’s get started.

1. It's normal to hate yourself on camera.

Even famous actors hate themselves on camera. (Think Joaquin Phoenix storming out of an interview because they showed a clip of him. He refuses to watch himself.) 

Unless you’re narcissistic, you don’t normally stare at yourself all day long every day to know what you actually look and sound like. You’re just walking around being you. When you see yourself on camera it’s a shock because you had no ...

If you’ve been keeping an eye out for ways to make you appear better on your videos or virtual presentations, you’ll find this blog eye opening.

 (Two cheesy puns in the first sentence. No eye rolling allowed…)

 If you’ve been eyeing fancy equipment, elaborate editing or plastic surgery - start smaller. Much smaller. Focus on the eyes first.

 Why? Because the eyes don’t lie. On camera everything is amplified significantly. Which means the tiniest eye movement says a lot. Your audience on the other side of the lens can tell if you are uncomfortable, unprepared, or ready to divorce your significant other who just walked into the room.

Here's a Bird's Eye View of 7 Ways to Communicate Better Through Your Eyes On Camera

 1. Keep the Camera at Eye Level

 The camera lens should be equal or slightly higher than your eyes. Why? A few simple reasons, but the gist is it makes you look better.

 When you’re zooming on your laptop placed on your desk, we get to see up your nose, wrinkles o...