The Five Biggest Video Fears
With 63000 searches on Google a SECOND, it’s not how good you are at what you do, it’s whether or not people can find you. Video is THE best way to increase your reach, your authority, and let people get to know, like and most importantly TRUST you.
We are hardwired to react to other human faces, we have emotional reactions before our logical brain catches up – and face to camera video is a powerful tool to share your important unique business message, today.
Let me ask you something – what’s stopping YOU? Is it one or more or ALL of the the five?
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The Perfectionist Beast
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Tech overwhelm
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Imposter Syndrome – I’m Not Good Enough
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Oh god, do I really look and sound like that?
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I don’t have time/it’s too hard/too expensive
In this blog I’ll be tackling each one – see what tactics I’ve offered you – you’ll find something that will work, and once you implement it, you’ll feel loads better. And you’ll attract clients and feel awesome.
Perfectionism
Over the last 3.5 years, hundreds of awesome business humans have been through my workshops and challenges to grow their confidence to be more visible. To STEPUP and let go of the self doubt and inaction that keeps them hidden from the 63000 google searches PER SECOND…
One of THE BIGGEST reasons you’ve given me is that you are a perfectionist. ‘I just want it to be perfect’, You say. I do so many takes because I want it to be, to feel, to look perfect.
I have a question for you: have you ever met a perfectionist that is actually perfect? No. Has there ever been a time you thought or felt you looked or sounded perfect – probably also NO.
Because it does the OPPOSITE. It stops you sharing, makes you hold back, stay hidden, small and probably not earning what you deserve to earn in your business. Is that your idea of perfect?
Perfectionism is a fear based excuse and nothing more. Nothing less. It’s a fear that you’re not good enough. It’s your ego making sure you don’t run out into the oncoming traffic.
Here’s what to do next
Reframe the Fear. The chances of being criticised for your video efforts is LOW.
The people up the top want you to succeed. Embrace your cheerleaders, you know who they are, and accept that you will receive feedback from clients (not criticism even though you may feel like it is – reframe it)
Down the bottom are people who don’t want us to succeed, whether they are frenemies who know us, or hater morons with a keyboard and a bad attitude.
Overall you can control or educate your frenemies (thanks for pointing out my spelling error publicly on my page Aunty Sharon), and do what you can to ignore or manage the haters (can I also remind you that you probably don’t really have any, but it is a true perceived fear, so I get it)
Try some confidence affirmations and some nerve busting tips – you can find them here, and in the challenge we will be doing them live and testing which ones work for you based on a REAL video post.
Fear of Technology
Worried you’ll do something ‘wrong’ or the tech will fail you? I’ve seen seasoned campaigners go sideways on Facebook, or have to delete and start again plenty of time, and without skipping a beat, they fix it and carry on – and you can do the same.
You can get started with your iPhone, a good source of light on your lovely face and a low cost tripod like this one and away you go.
Get started NOW, get fancy later.
And for DIY videos for social media you don’t really need to get that fancy anyway. Not really.
The main offender for this fear is Facebook LIVE: Once you have used it a few times, Facebook live gets easier and easier. You just have to start
You will most definitely get better – I have never seen anyone get worse.
Imposter Syndrome – comparisonitis
Be AWARE of those around you, but don’t COMPARE.
This was great advice recently at a communication training program I attended run by Scott DeMoulin of Destiny Training.
You’ve heard the term run your own race? What that means in real terms is that you have to trust your idea, your expertise and your passion so much that you are NOT on the escalator with everyone else, you have your own private escalator moving you to where you want to go.
Comparison is the thief of joy ~ T Roosevelt
One very practical way out of this is to identify exactly what sets you apart from everyone else. You might know it as a USP – this is a great exercise to do with your clients or close business friends – what do THEY think you do and what makes you unique?
Secondly, and more importantly, choose your words carefully when you describe what you do. Buzz words are easy but they don’t often explain how awesome you are or set you apart – this is a vanilla free zone. Use words that really get to the heart of YOU and what you bring.
Here’s a fun exercise I shared in my group recently, video bingo. Give it a go to weed out those words you’re using that everyone uses, that are starting to lose their meaning, and choose more concrete one…
For example – instead of Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone (honestly, I think if you had a dollar for every time you read or heard that one, you’d be sipping mojitos on the beach in mauritius)
Say something like – take a leap of faith, step into the unknown, try something that makes you feel a little uncomfortable and see what happens. These have more meaning and if you say them they will also mean I get to know you better too.
YOU ARE AND EXPERT – you won’t look silly or stuff up. And SKILLS are CHEAP, PASSION IS PRICELESS
Do I ‘really’ look and sound like that??
I have never met a person who LOVED themselves SICK when they saw or heard themselves on video. Not one.
My 15 year old said he can’t believe how different he sounds when he watches himself back on video – and that’s the point. You hear yourself differently to how we hear you. Don’t overthink it, just know that most people won’t notice or cringe like you do.
The only thing you can really do is become so used to it that you don’t think about it anymore, desensitised if you like. Taking action on the thing reduces the fear of the thing.
There are three main elements to think of here (apart from doing a Denise DT and getting a blow wave before you record a batch of videos (not a bad idea if it makes you feel awesome by the way)
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Pick a place and set it up so you LOVE it. I have tried a few difference places of the years, it’s great to choose a spot and stick to it for a while. Helps you make less decisions each time. Sit or stand, indoors or outside for example.
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Natural light is free and looks great too (not direct sunlight though) Don’t be a whistle blower on a current affair – let us see your lovely face. It makes you look better too with less shadows on your face
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Wear something you love, less patterns are better, and just be happy. That top everyone comments on? Wear that. Makeup if you like – I find it helps me feel ‘put together’ as my late mum would have said. Ready to show up.
The five main things to think about are:
>can we SEE you?
>can we HEAR you?
>What’s behind you?
>look at the camera lens (HINT: it’s here)
>have the camera at eye level so you look and feel your best, most energetic self
Here’s a little video to help you remember these five things:
I don’t have time
Here’s the thing – you don’t HAVE to do video, you can CHOOSE to do whatever you like, but if you feel like it’s an important part of your visibility, marketing, confidence, business future, then you will make time.
Energy flows when our attention goes, don’t you agree?
So here’s a few time saving tips for you that we’ll be practicing together in the challenge:
>have your set up ready to go – tripod, your phone charged and ready, (and your lippy on…) this makes it faster.
>keep your videos short – well under two minutes, even under 1 min if you can. Challenge yourself to find five things to share in under five minutes with of video and you’ll have them ready to share in under an hour (the record for one of my clients is 11 videos in 40 mins because of the preparation we did and how well she knows her topic – that could be YOU)
>a few key points you’re going to talk about, and a clear purpose for each video from a little brainstorm of ideas that will take you under 2 mins to do.
Lights Camera Clients!
You totally have this by the short and curls – tell yourself how awesome you are, thank yourself for all you offer and do for your family, your community your clients. Feel as amazing as you are, and this will flow through.
Over To You
Want practical tips LIVE? Join me in the Facebook Group The Visibility Project for a chance to practice and learn more.