Magnetic on Camera: The Confidence Blueprint for Video Success

The secrets people are begging me to spill

A couple weeks ago, I had the biggest speaking engagement of my career to date. It was at my brokerage’s annual international summit in New York City and I spoke on a panel discussing all things personal branding and being a thought leader in your industry. It was such an incredible experience, not only to share my own insights and wisdom on a topic I’m passionate about, but to have been a part of a bigger conversation alongside some of the best in the business.

But between the actual topic of the panel itself, the experience of speaking on stage, and receiving so much feedback and energy from the audience, it all got me thinking about the most common struggle that people with brands (which is and should be, everyone, by the way) have — confidence with speaking. Particularly on camera. But I want to zoom out for a second.

Even when off camera, the world is your stage every day, right? You may not realize it, but you are speaking in the spotlight every day, whatever that means for you. It could mean an actual stage, creating video content on Instagram, the conversation you just had with someone at an event, a pitch you’re prepping for, the interview you’re sweating about, all of these mediums are equivalent to your stage because they’re all opportunities that lead to you sharing your voice and being seen. The world is your stage every day. All the camera does is make your arena bigger, because it allows you to be seen and heard by more people. That’s what makes everyone freak out.

And just like that, we suddenly want to crawl into a hole and disassociate from the world until further notice. Confidence? Don’t know her.

But what if you could flip the script? What if you could rewrite the narrative? What if you treated the performance on camera just like you treated every single interaction, opportunity, and situation in your day-to-day life, and vice versa?

People are always asking me what my secret is to being magnetic on camera, staying consistent, and coming up with creative ideas to connect with other people. The truth is, all of these things stem from speaking with confidence. It’s really that simple. But don’t worry, I know I’m way too type-A to not share my exact blueprint with you and break down what speaking with confidence even means and how to do it. So, let’s get into it.

1. Get camera ready (mentally and physically)

I was a dancer for 15 years. I’m not the first to admit that yes, when you’re in costume and have your makeup and hair fully intact, of course it impacts your performance. I do believe in the look good, feel good, am good mentality. Your external state of being can quickly become correlated with your internal state. With that said, start there. Get in uniform, and get honest with yourself about what you need to do on the outside to make you feel like you on the inside. For some, it doesn’t need to be suited up or with a full face of makeup. It could mean rocking your favorite pair of glasses or wearing your favorite pair of loafers. It doesn’t matter, as long as you feel like you’re in your own skin.

Then, check in with your mental state. How do you feel? Nervous? Nauseous? Excited? Anxious? All of the emotions at once? Normal, obviously. But when you’re staring directly at the camera lens, visualize that you’re staring into your best friend’s eyes. Feel the wave of familiarity wash over you, the warmth of their presence, and the excitement that fills up your soul when you’re about to share some amazing news with them. Because guess what, you are. What you’re about to share matters, it is amazing, and it’s time to show up and know it.

2. Set this one intention

I don’t care what it is that you’re speaking about or creating for video content, it is ultimately an item of value that is supposed to start conversations and impact others. So before you go any further, make sure you remind yourself of your intention; what conversation are you trying to start, and what impact are you trying to make?

When you’re in front of the camera and looking into your best friend’s eyes with that intention in mind, do you know what that does? It helps you make more new friends. New friends turn into new clients, new opportunities, new career paths, new referrals, new collaborations, new world. That’s the power of confidence on camera.

3. Before you answer #2, consider this

If you’re not sure of the kind of conversation you want to have or the type of impact you want to make, ask yourself this: what shared goal, pain point, or outcome does your audience want that you can connect with?

Despite the illusion of being on camera, the point of it is actually to allow you to connect deeper with others together, not to have all eyes on you. It is not all about you. It is about how you can leverage your voice to connect with other people. When you start the conversation, and make an impact, ultimately, that’s how you best connect with people. And may I add, when you start to gain momentum with this, the feeling of connection becomes addictive.

4. Above all, remember this: people are just people

Let’s face it, we live in a hypersensitive world. Everyone is dragging each other down, and whenever they’re not we’re subconsciously preparing for when the next teardown is going to take place. The digital age we live in can be both toxic and uplifting, depending on the way we look at it. But to shift your perception here, start with this belief: people are just people.

Ok, so you don’t know everything. You don’t have all the answers. You and your work are flawed and imperfect and yes, you are absolutely going to screw up over and over again. But there’s one thing you do know, and it’s that all anyone wants in their lifetime is to feel like they matter. And you can do that through the power of connection through video.

You have the power and the ability to make people feel seen, heard, valued, and provide more value to them by whatever it is you have to offer. You can turn conversations into collaborations, one video at a time.

So the next time you think to yourself that all eyes are on you, everyone is looking at your wrinkles, or crooked teeth, or lazy eye, or hair that you still haven’t combed today, remember this: they’re not looking at any of that. They’re looking for something in you that they can connect and relate to. If you can do that, you can run the world.

Where to begin? Start by showing up today, my friend. And let me know how you do, ask me questions via the comments or send me an email. I can’t wait to see you on the other side!

Cheers,

Angelina