1. Record your experiences
Start keeping track of what’s been working and what hasn’t. Writing down your progress is a great tool for self-exploration. The more you know about yourself, the more aware you’ll be on which areas you need to work on (and which areas have become your strengths). Tracking this information also helps you discover any patterns you may not have been aware of (ie. you were slacking off with your videos the past month, or you seem to be spending more time on filming your videos than you planned for).

2. Form a mastermind group
There’s something special about creating a small group of people who share similar goals. If you want to get started with video, find others in your situation and create a small group for support, feedback and accountability. This is a great place for you to collaborate, share ideas, get feedback on your videos, and practice creativity.

3. Take a class or a workshop
If you want overcome your fears of being in front of the camera, I highly recommend taking an improv class (or an acting class). If you need help improving your technical skills, find a workshop or a course that teaches you the basics of video editing or video production.

4. Work with a mentor
While this route will demand you to invest in time, money and energy, it’s the fastest and most efficient way to achieve your goals. One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned as an entrepreneur was to work with a mentor. Whether you hire a business coach, a health coach, or a video coach, you’re working with someone who understands you as they have been where you are – but most importantly, they can show you the shortest route to take to help you achieve your goals.

5. Take it one step at a time
Tackling online video can be scary. But instead of thinking that you need to get rid of your fears first, get courageous instead. Be patient and take your time – each step counts! If you want to learn how to edit a video, take 15 minutes a day to learn how to use iMovie instead of trying to learn it all in one afternoon. If you want to shine in your videos, take 15 minutes to practice in front of the camera. Keep your goals in mind, but try not to put all that pressure on yourself. And if you get overwhelmed, just remember why it’s important for you to create these videos.

While you may think it’s best to record your video in one go, having that pressure to get it “perfect” right at the start can be stressful. It can even get frustrating and time-consuming, especially if you find yourself constantly repeating each take.

Instead of trying to get through the entire video at once, dividing your content into different sections can make all the difference.

Watch this video tip on how you can be more efficient in recording your videos.

Most people think that getting rid of your nerves will help you look better on camera. The truth is: it won’t!

Being nervous is actually a good sign. It means you have a lot of energy inside you.

Instead of trying to get rid of your nerves, you want to channel them to working FOR you.

Check out my video tip below where I share 4 quick strategies to help you handle being nervous in front of the camera.

Your turn: Leave a comment below and let me know how you’ve handled your own nerves. Do you have your own strategies or techniques that works for you?

When creating a video blog, one of your main goals is to get your viewers to watch your video from beginning to end. An effective way to do that is by making sure your content is valuable and concise. You can do this by keeping in mind that you’re video is also telling a story.

Every story has a 3-part structure: a beginning, middle and end.

Watch the video below on how you can apply these to your video blogs.

Your turn: Try this 3-part structure on your video blog and let me know how it goes by posting a comment below.

So a common thing I’ve been noticing is that everyone’s under the impression that you need really expensive equipment in order to create videos.

This is completely false!

This idea that we she shouldn’t be making videos unless we have the top-of-the-line equipment that would cost thousands and thousands of dollars is what’s really holding back a lot of entrepreneurs who have plenty of material they can share using video.

As a self-taught videographer and video editor, I’m here to tell you that you can start creating videos without spending a fortune.

So here’s what I usually tell my clients: when you’re just starting out with video, start SIMPLE.

What does simple look like: use what you’ve got.

If you already have a web cam, a flip cam, a point and shoot camera that can record video, or an iPhone, start filming your videos with these cameras.

You’re probably asking “Won’t those cameras make my videos look amateurish and homemade?”

Without a bit of planning and effort, there’s a big chance they will. But lucky for you, I’m going to share with you how you can avoid making those types of videos by remembering 3 things.

1. Use as much light as you can in the space you’re in
2. Film in a space where there’s little to no background noise
3. Use a tripod to keep your video footage stable (to prevent the “shaky cam” effect)

When you film with plenty of natural light, the picture quality of your videos will become clearer and less grainy.

And when you film in a room or a space where you’ve made sure you closed all the doors and windows, we’ll be able to hear you loud and clear instead of being distracted by the wind or the traffic noise outside.

And to prevent that “shaky cam” effect, having a tripod is a must to keep your videos looking stable and professional.

So if you’ve ever hesitated to start creating your own videos because you lack the expensive equipment, you no longer have that excuse.

Start simple. Eventually, once you keep it up, you’ll find yourself knowing what you’d like in a camera when it’s time to upgrade.

What I used to create today’s video:

• Camera: the webcam of my Macbook Pro
• Video editor: iMovie
• Lighting: natural light
• Royalty-free music from PremiumBeat
• Video host: Wistia

Your turn: Experiment with whatever camera you have by creating a very short video using the 3 guidelines I shared with you (if you’re using a webcam, no tripod is needed, but make sure you have a steady surface to place your laptop on) and let me know how it goes by leaving a comment below.

If there’s one thing I stress to my clients, it would be to create an outline or script for their video content.

Why?

Because it saves you time in the production and post-production stages and it increases your chances of having your audience watch your video from beginning to end.

The common advice of “winging it” when it comes to online video marketing isn’t something I suggest to my clients.

That’s because when you take this route, you risk going off on tangent in your videos, which can result in your audience losing interest in your video and placing their eyes and attention on someone else’s video or website.

Every second counts when it comes to online video.

People’s attention spans are already limited and they are picky about what they watch.
You can’t afford to lose their interest in the first 15 seconds of your video.

Video is one area where brevity is essential.

With some planning, you can at least make sure that the content you provide in your video provides something of value to your audience in the shortest amount of time.

You want your video to capture the attention of your viewers. You want them to watch your video from beginning to end.

So here are 3 techniques you can use to improve your video content.

1. Plan first, then write.

Get out of the habit of talking in front of the camera without having an idea of what you want your video to be about and it’s purpose is. Before you start writing your outline or script, ask yourself the following questions:

* What’s the goal of this video? 
* What do you want your viewers to take away from this video?
* How do you want your viewers to feel after watching this video?
* How do you want to feel in this video?
* What are the most important points you need to share in this video?
* What’s your Call To Action at the end of the video? (leave a comment? Share it? Tweet it? Sign up for your program?)

Once you answer these questions, you’ll have a clearer vision of what type of content you need to include in your video and how you can deliver it.

2. Give “nuggets” or “bite-sized” tips your viewers can use.

Focus on the quality of the content you’ll be sharing with your audience. What would they find helpful? What would you find useful if you were in their shoes?

Always make sure you include something your viewers can take and apply to their own situation, even if it’s a simple tip.

And because you’re aiming to keep your videos brief, avoid lengthy explanations. I know that it can be tempting as you want to share all of your knowledge and expertise to your people – you can still do this, but don’t try to cram it all in one video!

If you find that you have a lot of information to cover, this would be a great opportunity for you to create a video series. You can divide your topic into a 3-, 4- or even 5-part series.

The benefit of splitting your content into a series is that it gives a reason for your viewers to come back for more. You create the anticipation and they will look forward to your next piece of advice.

A good medium is to include between 1-3 points in your videos. If you have more to share, simply create another video to continue with the topic.

3. Include a Call To Action at the end of each video

This one’s important. Make sure to always have a Call To Action at the end of your video.

Some examples you can use would be:
* Sign up for my newsletter
* Share this video on Twitter/YouTube/Facebook
* Leave a comment below this post
* Sign up below to be notified about my upcoming program
* Share your thoughts below this post
* Download my free resource

The last thing you want to do is spend all that time creating an engaging video and have none of your viewers take action afterwards.

Think of your Call To Action as your ROI. It’s a way to measure the results of all your efforts and it creates engagement in your community.

Always aim for quality and avoid mediocre videos.

By incorporating these 3 quick techniques to your online video marketing, you’ll be on your way to creating better content for your videos that your audience will appreciate (and would be more than willing to share with their friends).

And by planning your video content in advance, you’re stepping up your game.

:: YOUR TURN :: How have you been writing the content for your videos? Do you have any tips you’d like to share with others? Share your experiences, thoughts, tips and other comments below.

–
photo credit: alex: via photopin cc

I have mixed feelings with the concept of “confidence”. Especially with “self-confidence”.

It seems that it’s the go-to solution for almost everything.

You just need to gain more confidence to…
Get over your shyness.
Make a video.
Get those clients.
Ask for that raise.
Speak in front of hundreds of people.
Tell that person how you really feel.

To me, having confidence means you have full trust and belief in yourself – it goes beyond assurance.

So let’s take a step back for a moment… during those instances where you needed to be “confident”, did you have complete trust and faith in yourself? Or did it feel like it was somewhat of a… false sense of confidence?

Were you trying to tell yourself that you were confident you can do something while you were somewhat unsure? Were you pumping yourself up while you felt some hesitance?

I’ll be the first to admit that this has happened to me before (and I’m sure to others as well). I just didn’t realize that this was happening in those moments - I’d start stating I can do it, became a bit more woo-woo, started using affirmations that gave the impression I was confident and assured with myself… while underneath all of that, something else wasn’t happening: alignment.

While there’s nothing wrong with using affirmations and positive reinforcement, it worries me when those types of actions and thoughts begin to hide how we’re really feeling.

Your thoughts and your feelings aren’t really aligned and this is where that false-sense of confidence can come in.

So I took “confidence” out of my vocabulary.

During the early years of my actor training, my acting coach always kept reminding us that he didn’t want to see a bunch of confident actors performing in these scenes. He wanted to see the courageous ones – the ones who dared to be vulnerable by showing who they really are.

To be present and in the moment, especially when you’re on-camera, involves some vulnerability on our part. And that’s not a bad thing – it’s quite the opposite.

We’re naturally drawn to raw, human behavior and emotions and this is what connects us all to each other. Being vulnerable is just not as easy as it sounds and that’s why it requires a tremendous amount of courage.

When I began to practice courage instead of confidence, I discovered that…

Vulnerability brings connection.
In fact, it deepens it.

It helps us become more aware and in-tune with ourselves and those around us.
That’s presence.

Courage →  Trust →  Confidence.

If being on-camera terrifies you or makes you uncomfortable, you don’t need to put the pressure on yourself to appear confident to your audience.

Instead, practice being brave and dare yourself to present your true self to your audience (trust me, they’ll love you for it). The more you do this, the more you’ll begin to trust yourself to show up on camera with ease.

Be patient with yourself. The confidence you’re looking for will take time and it will gradually appear once you begin to trust that you’re good enough to be on video.

Focus on strengthening your courage instead.

Presence will come naturally after that.

–
Curious on how you can start strengthening your courage muscles?
On February 11th, I’m kicking off my second round of Courage For The Camera.
I created this 30-day group video challenge for the entrepreneurs who are terrified
of the camera but have always wanted to get started with online video.

If you’re looking to kick-start your new year with videos, I invite you to join me
and a great group of entrepreneurs in making the experience fun & hassle-free.

photo credit: DimitraTzanos via photopin cc

What happens when you just recorded a great take…then realized your camera didn’t record it at all? Oops. Or that it only recorded the last half or the first half or 45 seconds of it? Uh-oh.

What do you do? Here are some options I recommend:

:: Accept the set back. It happened. That’s ok. Breathe. Take a moment to evaluate the situation.

:: Find out what went wrong and fix it (or find someone to help you fix it)

:: Have a laugh about it! It could’ve been worse, right?

:: Tell yourself that this just means you get an extra chance of making the next take even better! That’s the beauty of recording video – you can start with a clean slate as many times as you want.

Always remember: every take should be different from the others! (That’s an actor’s lesson right there. More on this in a future blog post)

:: Remember why you’re doing this video. Whether it’s to help your tribe, share a story or inspire others, remember why.

Because sometimes, dealing with technical difficulties can suck the excitement and passion out of us, which can result in having our own stress and our worries show up on camera instead. And that’s not what we want, right?

:: Tell yourself that the only way you’ll make this video is if you’re having fun. Now go make that happen! Put on some music to dance to, or sign your heart out before you record to get your voice warmed up.

:: If you’re feeling frustrated, stressed, angry, or any other emotion – let it all out. Don’t keep it bottled in. Surrender. Release these emotions. You’ll feel much better when you do.

:: Take this setback as a blessing in disguise. We always learn from our mistakes and failures. If you know what went wrong, there’s a good chance it won’t happen again because you won’t let it.

:: YOUR TURN :: How have you handled your own technical difficulties? Do you have any tips you’d like to share with other entrepreneurs? Share your experiences, thoughts, tips and other comments below.

This video blog post is the first of a series, titled What’s Holding You Back?, where I talk about some of the common things that hold us back from getting started with online videos. This first video is about rejection.

Rejection has got to be one of the biggest obstacles that we face that prevents us from creating online videos. We begin to imagine the worst case scenarios in our head of how others could reject us and our videos – that people will make fun of us, that nobody will want to watch our videos, etc.

As someone who has experience rejection plenty of times (as actor, I’ve had to deal with it all the time!), I’ve learned a few things along the way:

• It’s not personal. This was difficult to learn and accept, but I shifted my mindset about rejection. It now became about a matter of personal preference, whether I was the right fit for a certain film/tv project – the same goes for your videos. You need to accept the fact that not everyone will like what you post. People will gravitate towards who they feel compelled to gravitate to. Sometimes that may be you and others it may not be.
• Focus your time and energy towards your ideal clients. Instead of worrying about what other people think, channel your energy and efforts to those individuals who want to hear from you. They’re the ones who probably won’t be rejecting you, especially if they see you as the person who can help solve their problems and who also gives them value.
• Stop imagining the worst. In reality, those scenarios that play in your head of how people are rejecting you remain as “what if” scenarios. If we keep thinking about them, the more we fuel our fear to prevent us from ever making any progress.

Rejection may hurt, but it’s not as scary as we make it out to be.

Don’t let it stop you from sharing your story and spreading your message to the world because there are people out there who need you.

Your turn: Have you ever let your fear of rejection stop you from creating online videos? If you have gotten past it, how did you get yourself to push through that fear? Share your experiences, thoughts, tips and other comments below.

Til next time,

Last week, I was in Florida for a mindset retreat with one of my business mentors. One of the exercises we had to do got me really emotional – it struck a nerve and it hit me.

As I sat in my seat on the third row, overwhelmed with the sudden flood of emotions I suddenly felt, my mentor spotted me and told me to share my breakthrough – in front of everyone.

My first reactions: panic and fear.
My first thoughts: “I am in tears and I look like a mess! If I go up there, I will embarrass myself.”

I then pushed fear out of the way and stood up to the mic anyway.

I was trembling and tears were still falling from my eyes.

I took a deep breathe. Then waited for a moment or two before I spoke.

And once I did…

I felt completely present and in the moment.

I still don’t remember exactly what I said when I was on that mic.
But I do remember the feelings and the state I was in at that moment.

I felt so connected with everyone in the room. My mind was clear (I couldn’t even remember the thoughts running in my head).

I knew there was a camera pointing at me and hundreds of people in the room – but this thought went away immediately. Thoughts about how I looked or how bad I was presenting myself disappeared.

I was BEING me.
I said what needed to be said.
I shared my big WHY.

Why “presence”

What does it mean to be “present” and “in the moment” when it comes to being on-camera?

This is what I was struggling with in the first two years of my training as an actor. It’s pretty hard stuff – well, it was for me.

To be present and in the moment means that:
… you’ve completely surrendered yourself to be YOU in your most raw and authentic form
… you’ve cleared your mind & body, not over-thinking or getting caught up with the details
… you’re not thinking about anything else except for what’s happening in that exact moment
… you’re simply just BEING
… your mind, body, and soul are so aligned that you are completely connected and focused one one thing

When performing a scene from a movie or a tv show, actors can get caught up with what they look like or what they sound like and that takes them OUT of reality of the scene they’re performing.How can you truly be this character if your thoughts are of you and not the character?

When you become present and in the moment, you and that “character” suddenly become one and when that happens, the audience connects with you immediately.

Why it’s so hard to be “present”

When the camera is pointing at you, you can’t help but think about your flaws, your fears, and your worries. Your body and mind go in defense mode and your ego is going to make sure that you stay small and hide from the spotlight. After all, it’s quite scary to put yourself out there, right?

But like all other obstacles we face, courage is needed.

Being in front of the camera involves vulnerability and you can’t have that without courage.

For me, it was extremely difficult to be in the moment. I struggled a lot with this, especially when I was trying to do it on my own. I found myself always thinking and those thoughts running in my head made me look unnatural in front of the camera. I also got caught up on my appearance and how I looked on-camera, which didn’t make things any better (in fact, it can make things worse – your ego can make you doubt yourself and stop you from being seen).

But I kept trying.

I made the commitment to work on this every week by attending my acting class.
I practiced almost everyday, working out my “courage muscles”, strengthening them bit by bit.
I surrounded myself with other people who were trying to do the same and supported and encouraged each other towards our common goal.

I encountered a lot of resistance – some were in the forms of negative self-talk, self-sabotage, and giving up.

My intellectual mind was telling me that I couldn’t do it, that I should just try something else, that I look like a complete fool.

There were criticizing voices running in my head, begging me to stop embarrassing myself already.

But I kept pushing through.

Especially when I realized that this wasn’t about ME at all.
That it was really about the story and the message I was trying to put out there.
It was about my big WHY.

It can and does happen

After I left the mic at the retreat, people started coming up to me, telling me how touched they were from hearing what I had said in the retreat. New conversations and connections were formed.

When I had to record a video testimonial for the event, a few people came up to me and told me that I “looked so natural in front of the camera”.

I smiled and thanked them, and told them that I couldn’t have done it without persistence and effort to pushing through all of the resistance I encountered.

Being present on-camera means you get to connect directly and authentically to your audience.

You won’t get it right away, but with persistence you will.

And when you do, it won’t be as difficult to be present any more.

It will get easier to just BE.