Video is everywhere. From corporate YouTube and Vimeo channels to Twitter and myriad other social media platforms, webinars, videoconferences, and Ted Talks, chances are you, your employees, and your customers are spending much more time viewing videos today versus even five years ago.
The Age of YouTube has created an expectation that you can always watch rather than read. Need to know how to install a garbage disposal? Well, you could follow the directions enclosed in the Home Depot box—but why do that, when you can watch Bob the Plumber show you step by step in his DIY video?
Millennials have upped the ante even more with a penchant for Snapchat selfies and conversations conducted at length through the ever-growing list of video chat apps. For that generation, communicating through a camera is almost second nature.
And woe to any corporate web site that doesn’t have a video component; it looks outdated and downright boring.
What is your company doing to keep pace with the proliferation of corporate video?
- Marketing messages to customers and prospects
- Sales and how-to materials
- Employee orientation and training
- Staff meetings and motivational messages from the c-suite
- Hiring and interviewing
Now, how is your company training the people who by the changing nature of their jobs now must find themselves in front of the camera?
Chances are, if your company is like most out there, your employees are simply being thrust in front of the camera with little, if any, training. Luckily, being great on camera—from what to say, what to wear, and how body language affects your message—can be learned, practiced, and mastered. And mastering the art of delivering your message on-camera clearly, effectively, and with confidence just might make all the difference between professional success and failure.
If you found this information valuable, check out my book, On-Camera Coach: Tools and Techniques for Business Professionals in a Video-Driven World, from Wiley Publishing. On-Camera Coach aims to take the mystery out of communicating through the camera and provides specific tips and techniques that can make your message sing—and you, the messenger, feel confident in a job well done.
