As a news anchor, I would wear an earpiece called an IFB, which allows the producer or the director to talk to you while you’re anchoring the news. So I always felt like I had three voices inside my head – the one coming out of my mouth as I was delivering the news, the one coming into my ear, and the one trying to make sense and interpret the directions I received here.
When you speak via video, you often have two voices inside your head – the one coming out of your mouth and the one that’s always judging you or what I call the insidious inner critic. That’s the highly critical voice inside your head that can derail your performance in big and small ways.
These voices can get distracting when you’re trying to be perfect. Instead of focusing on speaking your message, you start having another conversation between you and your inner critic, who is saying, “Man, that sounded so stupid!”
What do you think happens to your performance when you start dwelling on some perceived mistake?
Your performance tanks which causes you to get flustered and really start to mess up. At best, you start to go on autopilot. Instead of focusing on delivering your message with passion and impact, half of your attention is devoted to what happened minutes ago. And your audience will know it because you will look less connected to what you are saying.
So how do you keep your inner critic from hijacking your performance? Watch this video to learn how to silence your inner critic and deliver an on-camera message that is authentic.
Learn More: On-Camera Coach
If you found this information valuable, check out my book, On-Camera Coach: Tools and Techniques for Business Professionals in a Video-Driven World, now available 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.
