Anyone out there?
Communicating with the Camera

By Vera Burianek

As a CEO or a representative of a company, you are often required to give speeches in public, and I am sure that you have mastered this technique already; if not, take public speaking or Toastmasters to get you going. Speaking to a live audience, however, does not prepare you for talking to the public via camera.

I have positioned the best of speakers in front of a camera and what happened next was astonishing. They froze, asked me where to look, moved their arms about wildly, shifted their gaze constantly, slouched, and nervously adjusted their posture.

If you are faced with a challenge of looking your most attractive in front of a camera, remember: it is just another technique you need to master. Just as you have to pose and smile to look your best in photographs, you have to master a special avenue of expertise to effectively communicate with the public through the lens of a camera. Remember you are addressing the public through the camera lens, so look right into it, pretend the lens is one specially chosen person, give it attention, smile and communicate with it. There are many ways to achieve perfection. Present to a mirror, position a small camcorder on a tripod and talk to it, record yourself, or, best of all, hire a professional to help you. Essentially, addressing the public through film involves the same technique as television.

I love working with experienced people; it saves us a lot of coaching during the video recording. Remember, the session with a video company is expensive; it involves costly equipment and skilled, well-paid technicians. You therefore have no time to pick up new skills on the set. What’s more, you will probably be stressed by the presence of all the people.

But alas, there might not be enough time (at the actual taping or filming) to prepare you for this complex task. Listen to the subtle remarks of your production team. If they suggest that you should use a professional, your skills are not up to par. Most production houses will not exclude you from acting in your own production if you insist on it, but you might become a laughing stock of your competition. I’m not pointing fingers; you know who they are; you’ve seen those bad commercials. And don’t think that hiring a professional is expensive. You don’t have to employ a well-known personality. Many start-up actors, anchors, reporters, or students have had many hours of training. They will appreciate the opportunity and discount their services accordingly. Your video professional should assist you in finding just the right person to help you.

Very few people are able to talk from memory. Some skilled speakers use little cue cards to help them speak continuously. If you are a skilled presenter, you might not need any notes, or cheat sheets, which are usually held behind the camera. Remember, memorize your speech well and come prepared. You will have to think of thousands of other little details during the recording.

In order to maintain a constant speed of presentation, and avoid awkward pauses, professionals use a teleprompter. The better production houses own this useful tool. A professional who has no clue about the topic can often appear as knowledgeable as an expert when reading from the teleprompter. If you are going to use it, you have to practice. You might be a skilled reader, but very few people know how to read and appear as though they were speaking from memory. And have you noticed how a public speaker that reads his speech loses his audience? Reading from a teleprompter is a proficiency you need to acquire. If necessary while using the teleprompter, practice reading to children, become a lector in your church, or again, hire a coach with a teleprompter.

After you master the difficult tasks, a few minor details remain. For video recording sessions you need make up, hairstyling and the finest grooming to look your best. You also need to maintain good posture. Never lean back in a chair; sit up and hold your back straight. You also need to know what to wear. Avoid wearing black, white, and red. Do not wear fine stripes or patterns, as they create interference.

We have assumed you were in charge, but now imagine being interviewed. You might enter the enemy territory, as some unfriendly hosts can drag you into muddy waters. If you are not a politician, you don’t need this kind of publicity; it can be detrimental to your business. But if you want to take a risk, be prepared. There is a separate set of rules you need to know.

Your production house might not want to, or be able to, skillfully edit the unsuitable parts of your speech, so be prepared. Rely on yourself to give your best performance. If you follow the steps above, you will be well prepared for a wonderful presentation.

About the Author
Vera has assisted hundreds of companies to project their best image on video. She owns VBPS TV and VERA Multimedia. To contact her, e-mail Vera@vbpstv.com.