As part of the video scripting series, you’ve heard me stress the importance of writing a script according to your own style. Here are three more tips that apply to all writing for the spoken word.
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- Write in short sentences. Run-on sentences cause problems for you and the viewer. It’s tough for the viewer because they may lose track of the point of the sentence if it’s too long. It’s tough for you because you have to wait a long time for a visual cue. Periods provide places to pause and take a breath. If you keep looking for the end of a sentence, you can get lost in the teleprompter. Shorter is better.
- Don’t fear the grammar police. Often what looks good on paper doesn’t sound good when spoken out loud. We break the rules of grammar in normal conversation. And no one yells at you when you end a sentence in a preposition. It’s not worth getting upset over. (oh, sorry) Preposition alert.
- Incorporate ways to add auditory interest. In other words, give yourself something to play with. Change things up. Ask rhetorical questions. Or plan power pauses.
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.
