Why "Just Practice" is the worst advice for getting on video
May 07, 2021Why "Just Practice" is the worst advice for getting on video
Second to being in person, video is the most potent version of connection and communication that we have with one another. Especially when we're building those new relationships, growing our audience and we're really getting our personal brand out there in front of new people that haven't met us before.
They don't know us personally. We didn't get the chance to meet them at an event or work with them one-on-one, at least not yet. So we're creating that initial introduction in the most impactful way possible, which is through this energetic connection that happens through the lens.
Think of when you've watched a movie or a TV show, that's impacted you in a real way.
That made you laugh. That made you cry. That made you feel like you know them or you see yourself in them, in their character, in their performance, or the times when you've watched them and been like, "Oh, that was bad" and you have a reaction to it. That's really what we're looking for. It becomes inherently polarizing. We don't want our on-camera delivery to just be bland and generic and boring and blend in with everybody else.
And we really don't want it to be fake and phony. Like you're just coming off as some random character of a person that's not connected to who it is that you really are to your genuine self, to your story, to your essence. Because really, if you're stepping into the space of being a personal brand, your essence is what carries that through.
It's your personality. It's the parts of you that are fun are quirky, are interesting, are a little bit different. That's the kind of stuff that we want to shine in front of the lens. That's what we want to highlight and bring out and bring to life when we're telling your story on screen.
De-bunking Video Myths
So I hear two things a lot when it comes to video coaching/using video for your business and they're wrong, I just really disagree with them, and I'm going to tell you why.
The first is that some people are just born naturals in front of the lens. They can just hop on video and nail it. The second is that practice is what makes perfect. Just keep practicing, practicing, practicing.
Now I'm going to show you why I disagree with these approaches. The first one makes it feel really exclusive, that this is some function that only certain people have. And that's just really very limiting and untrue. Getting better in front of the camera is a skill. We know it's a skill because if you do practice something, you improve over time. So it is something that actually can be learned and can be taught. It's not something that only the people who are born with that vivacious charisma can actually be the star in front of the lens.
But what about the person who is always behind the scenes? You might think you're that person, that says "I'm always behind the camera, I'm never in front." But you absolutely can be. So if you're just not used to that, then all it means is it's simply a skill that you need to learn and intentionally practice to hone in your magic, your ability to really shine and bring your story and your journey to life, to do it justice. To honor what you've been through and show up in a way that's going to serve the people who are waiting to hear your story, who are waiting to be inspired and tap into their own strength from hearing your story and what you've been through with your unique perspective.
Hopefully, you understand that it doesn't have to be something that you're just born with or not.
No, it's absolutely a skill that we can help teach you have you practice.
But the second thing is that practice alone isn't going to do much. It's not going to really help you because simply, what are you practicing?
This may not be the best analogy, but we're doing a lot of home renovation work right now so this comes to mind, but I think about, okay, well, if I have my one set of knowledge of how it is that I do something, let's say, for instance, I'm building a table.
And maybe the only supplies that I have in my toolbox right now are some wood glue. So I'm trying to build this table out of wood and wood glue, and it's just not very stable. It's really wobbly. It's really shaky. And it just keeps breaking. It's falling apart and I'm getting really frustrated. It's making me feel like I'm just not equipped to do this. I'm just not talented enough. I just can't do this. Okay, so then I just need to practice harder. I need to get better at gluing. I need to practice gluing a whole bunch of things together. Need to practice, practice, practice, just getting better at gluing. But I didn't actually do anything to change what I was actually equipped with.
I didn't do anything to add to the tools of my toolbox. I didn't actually add in any intentional skills and abilities for me to actually improve upon my table-making ability.
I know it's a little silly of an analogy, but hopefully, it's really obvious and you can just sort of see that what we need to do is to add these specific tools into the toolbox of your abilities and equip you with those skill sets, that so that you can then reinforce those intentional habits to practice, once you reinforce those, then practice, practice, practice, and you will improve because all of that practice leads up to preparation. It helps us feel prepared.
When I worked in corrections, we had to have a lot of skills under our belt to be prepared, to handle any situation that was coming for us. When I work on set as an actress, I have to be really well-prepared in my lines and my emotion and my delivery, my connection, so that when that moment hits and they call quiet on set and everyone goes silent and all of the attention turns to me, that I'm ready.
It's a very exciting moment, but it's also pretty frickin scary and none of us want to look like a fool in front of everybody else, nobody wants to look like an idiot on camera. We don't want to embarrass ourselves, so we want to do the prep work to help create that confidence, that comfortability that make us look natural and at ease and pulls out our charisma.
That result comes from practicing our intentional skills that we've now equipped ourselves with in a way that's building upon our preparation so that we feel confident so that we feel comfortable and relaxed because we know that we've prepared. We've done the work so that now when we're in the moment, we can handle it.
If you've ever heard me tell my story and how I got to where I am now, you'll know that I had some pretty intense experiences during my time in corrections, that I had to be able to handle and be in the moment to work on the solutions of those stressful situations.
It's really is the same sort of energetic feeling because it is a high-intensity sensation where your body starts to feel like this isn't safe. This is scary. What am I doing? How do I regain control of the energy of this room? Those are just those skills that we're learning and we're learning how to implement them.
But when we're doing videos for our business, it's a really fun and safe environment in a way that you get to come to life and you get to bring your experiences that you've been through - which have not been for nothing. You now get to bring them to life on screen, to inspire other people and motivate them and infuse them with the courage to start showing up with their voice.
Do you see how powerful that is, how potent that is and how that really is your responsibility as a personal brand to show up in a way that's going to serve your audience?
When they watch you on camera, they can feel your energetic presence. They can understand your essence and connect to you immediately in a very profound way where you now know that you have the skills and the ability to command that room, that energetic space, that magic of the lens.
You've now done the work. You are prepared, you have that confidence and that comfortability and that ease so that you can then command the energy of the room and have the delivery that you want so that you actually feel good about it and can keep doing it any time you want.
I'm Kellsie Moore and I'm the CEO of Be Marvelous You, and this is exactly what I'm here to help you do. I serve my clients in two primary capacities; 1) Self-guided video performance and marketing programs at very accessible price points and 2) Premium, custom-tailored private media training. I would love to get to know you to see how it is we can best work together and how I can support you in your business growth! Please see my caste studies page here to see what others have had to say and to find the perfect world-class solution for you.
xo, Lady Kellsie