The Power of Direct-To-Camera Engagement!

Are you avoiding speaking directly into camera?

A lot of Instagram reels that I see come by in my feed 📱are Instagram reels where I'm watching someone doing their thing.

They are demonstrating an exercise, preparing food, sharing some visuals about a beautiful setting and selfies, of course. And then there is B-roll. B-roll is simply recording yourself, doing something ordinary, like making your morning beverage 🍵 or working behind your computer and then adding text overlay. This is a quick and easy way to make a reel and turn it into a teachable moment. And there's nothing wrong with any of this, unless you are posting these type of reels the majority of the time. And if you are avoiding speaking directly into camera. It may not even be a conscious decision, but subconsciously you may do what is easier for you.

Speaking directly into camera can feel so intimidating! 😫 Even though you speak confidently with your friends, co-workers and clients- when you hit the record button and start to speak, you may get self-conscious stutter, lose your train of thought. It may be so discouraging that you have convinced yourself that it's not something you will ever be good at..

And I'm here to invite you to reconsider! And this is why I think it's important for you and your desired online success to practice and post content where you speak directly into camera.

Speaking directly into camera and making a personal connection with your Instagram audience helps establish authenticity.

It builds trust and makes your content more relatable and human. Just think about you scrolling on Instagram. Do you feel more connected to someone you're witnessing from a distance? Or someone who directly connects to your eyes and speaks to you on your personal handheld device. It is more likely that you will stop scrolling when a person makes eye contact with you, right? Eye 👀 contact has a significant psychological impact. When making eye contact people often perceive trustworthiness, confidence and sincerity. It creates a sense of connection and it enhances the emotional bond between people. Do you see where I'm going with this?

If you want to grow your audience, expand your reach and boost your online presence speaking directly into camera is a must.

Trust me, it was hard for me to. I was modeling for a long time and I had plenty of confidence and experience posing in front of a camera. But that confidence disappeared when I had to speak into camera. I would blush, stutter and lose my train of thought. I was self-conscious about my Dutch accent, and I worked with a speech coach and took acting classes which helped a little bit, but it was mainly on stage, we weren't recorded while performing. So there was no way of reviewing how I came across.

What really helped me feel more comfortable? Practicing speaking into camera and creating a ton of Instagram reels. A short format video is much easier to learn than recording a long format video for Youtube.

Let's talk about: The 3️⃣ most common obstacles and how to overcome them.

1. Nervousness. Many people feel anxious or self-conscious when speaking into camera. But this nervousness can affect your confidence and natural delivery. So, how can you feel less nervous? Well, let's start with creating a script. Write out what you want to say. And practice delivery of the message before even recording it. This is where you will learn quickly, if your message is concise and if you need to find different words to make the message come across better. And when you start recording, don't worry about nailing the script. You don't have to remember every word but use it as a roadmap. I like to record one sentence at a time and edit the video clips together into a fun reel. Try it out!

2.Visual appearance. You may worry about how you look on camera and this can obviously distract from you focusing on the message you want to convey. What helped me a lot was this mindset hack. Don't make it about yourself. This message is to help someone else, to add value to this person's life. Think about that person and visualize this person in your mind's eye. It makes it easier to connect to the camera and to forget about your appearance. You don't need to look perfect, you don't need to sound perfect. You just need to deliver your messages.

You want to help and inspire more people, right? You know what they're struggling with and you know how to help them. You are valuable and appreciated. So get out of your own way and be as kind to yourself as the person that needs to hear what you have to say.

3. Distractions & Interruptions. Find a quiet place to film. Background noises and people walking into the room you're filming in will disrupt the flow of the video. I feel self-conscious about filming when my husband is in the same room and will walk into another room or film when he's gone. I want to feel free to make mistakes, stumble over my words and do as many takes as I need.

I like to film by myself, I will put my camera on a tripod or a phone stand and my extra long arms act like a selfie stick at times. 😉

TIP: If you feel stuck in your head, then shake out your body, do some jumping jacks, stretch, make some funny faces and come back to it. And do not stop recording every time you make a mistake. Just redo it and repeat it as many times as needed. And do yourself a favor, don't beat yourself up over every little mistake, have patience and just smile and go again.

And remember that it takes time to develop your on-camera skills and you will become more confident and an effective communicator when you practice more. You know what? You may end up enjoying it! You may feel a much closer connection to your audience, get new clients, sell more products or services that you offer.

Now, you know the power of direct-to-camera engagement and how to navigate some of these obstacles. I really hope that you feel inspired to create Instagram reels where you speak directly into camera. And please tag me in your next speaking reel.

Good news! 🥳 I am launching the On-Camera 🎥 Confidence Course in January 2024. In this 4 week course, you will learn step-by-step to speak comfortably to your audience. You won’t feel shy, embarrassed or stumble over words any longer. The On-Camera Confidence Course will boost your online presence. Make a bigger impact and elevate your career!

DM me the word COURSE to receive email updates about this course @_ModelsDoEat.