PUBLIC SPEAKING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Time and time again, I hear from clients, business owners, friends and colleagues how fearful they are about posting videos of themselves talking on social media. It’s pretty much the equivalent of public speaking to a live crowd in their eyes. 

Video content is the most powerful type of content because humans learn to trust and connect with others through key physical characteristics like eye-contact, body language, voice tone, and language. It is the fastest and most effective way to establish a connection with your audience.

Here are a few simple tips to help you start to practice posting videos of yourself on social media. 

Minimize distractions (distracting filters)
It can be tempting to hide behind distracting filters, but these distractions stop the audience from listening to what you have to say and keep them focused on judging your appearance. Filters trick the viewer and make it harder for them to detect friend or foe, ditch the filters and show your real self!

Use a Plan & Script
Planning out what you want to say in advance is one of the most important things you can do to set yourself up for success. Here are a few things to include in your plan: 

• What points do you want to make
  
• Why is it important
  
• Who can benefit from it
  
• What they can do to put it into action
  

I usually have my script written in bullet points and posted directly beside my camera to quickly glance at my notes without taking my eye contact away from the video. 

Imagine you are speaking to one person.
It’s almost always more comfortable for us to speak to one person than many, so imagine one specific person you are talking to in your video. You can even pull up their picture, so it feels more like you have a conversation than presenting. Speak naturally and conversationally to this person, and you’ll see how much easier it is to laugh and relax, letting the need for perfection slip away. 

Practice recording without the intention of posting
Not every recording needs to be made with the intention of posting. If you are dealing with lots of nerves, try recording yourself without posting it 3-4 times a week. After a few weeks, you should start to feel more comfortable with the entire process and plan recordings to post. 

Remember, no one jumps onto social media and starts a rockstar at posting videos of themselves. It takes practice and a willingness to be mediocre for a little while. Stop comparing yourself to others who have been posting their videos for months or years; remember they had to start somewhere as well. 

Good Luck!

PS: Up to 80% of social media users keep their sound turned off. Take the extra time to caption your videos because there is not much more frustrating than seeing something you want to engage in, but you can’t turn on the volume because other people are around and end up missing out.