Do You Watch Your Own Videos?
I'm five days into the Robert Plank Daily Video Challenge and using Camtasia I've recorded 6 how-to videos I'm going to use in an upcoming paid product, one video documenting a task and one video going over my progress for the day.
My formula is: try to record a video for a paid product, if I don't have time for that, keep the video rolling while I do something to improve my business... and don't stop the camera until I'm done. (This REALLY keeps me on task.) If that fails, open up Notepad and go over what I did that day. I plan for 5 minutes and that usually ends up taking 20 minutes.
Then, watch that video you just recorded from start to finish.
This is what professional actors and public speakers do to train themselves to actually look presentable.
You'd be surprised at how many people DON'T do this. Just look at how many chipmunk-infested Camtasia vids are floating around out there.
There Are People Out There Who Are Supposedly "Experts" at Video
Who Are Hard to Watch.
When you talk with your hands, it's distracting and you look like an idiot! There is absolutely NO REASON for you to use 2-3 different nervous hand gestures with every sentence.
When you talk for 2 minutes before you start to say anything new, you've lost my interest. Do you have a lame video with flashy graphics than says nothing but, "Welcome to my web site?" Get rid of it! If someone missed the first 2 minutes of your video, would it still make sense? Then start at that 2 minute point next time.
That's part of the reason why I said don't freely share the videos for this challenge. You see dumbasses on forums who record videos of themselves edited together with stock footage, and the video says NOTHING of value. They just post it all around in a pathetic attempt to bring in traffic.
When you do something in a video that could have been explained in text, you're stupid. That's why I use Camtasia so much, so I have something to show people other than my ugly mug.
Think about newscasters. They speak for a short time and then cut to a clip of what they were talking about. If you had the TV on mute the whole time, you could still figure out what was going on. At the very least, you would know to UNMUTE that segment.
Your videos are never going to be perfect so don't worry about that part.
Here is my mindset when I'm recording a video: "If I was doing this live at a seminar, would it still be acceptable?"
It's ok to record the video in just one take. It's ok to pause or screw up a sentence every now and then. But is your video so bad that it's cringeworthy?
The only way you're going to rise above that is by WATCHING those cringeworthy videos and then doing better next time.
I'm not saying I'm the best person in the world at recording videos, but I can tell you that watching my own videos has cured:
- A tendency to talk too fast. People told me they had to watch my videos multiple times to understand everything. Now my 10 minute videos are more like 30 to 45 minutes.
- Minor speech impediments. When I first started to record videos, I sounded out-of-breath. I mumbled, I slurred my words and sometimes stuttered. Now, I project my voice and always keep in mind to give people a chance to let what I just said sink in... all without thinking about it!
- Nervousness. Have you ever had one of those classes in school where the teacher always called on you and put you on the spot? At first it was really nerve-wracking, but by the end of that class you had a handle on it. The pauses I make in my videos are logical pauses, not nervous pauses. I also keep my hand off the mouse as much as possible so I'm not talking with my hands (in a Camtasia video sense).
Do you watch your own videos? If not, it shows.
Please, comment below and tell me if you watch your own videos.
If not... watch one of your own videos right now and tell me what you need to improve.
Filed in: Video Challenge
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As always, you find things to discuss that I’ve not actually thought of before… which is why brainstorming is so vital to a person’s success.
It’s great to get to pick your brain by just letting you speak your mind… always something in there that I didn’t know or hadn’t looked at quite that way.
Thank you for sharing… and I think you just created a neologism with the word “cringeworthy” – if not, it’s apropos!
Have fun at Disney!
Donna
Hi Robert,
I watch my own videos and the only thing I have to improve is “everything”!
I’ve been working on the way I talk, mainly speed, clarity and to remove excessive use of certain words.
I’m fluent enough in English to not think too much when talking (and doing stuff with software at the same time), but not fluent enough to be able to choose the best word all the time.
I do tend to speed up (and loose clarity of speech) when I get excited and passionate about what I’m showing.
The problem for many is that the my passion shows the most in me as a person, not so much in the tone of voice, volume of speech or other things you can hear. So it’s a bit of wasted energy and the viewer of the video is the person that’s on the losing end of the deal.
I’m working at this as well as keeping videos as short as possible. It’s so easy to rant and get side tracked .
Having a clear goal for the video makes the creation much easier.
Like in the short demo for CB Affiliate Revenue where I show how easy, the program is to setup before the first start.
Other videos I’ve made have failed completely as I just clicked and created files, used ftp, and changed html and, and … suddenly there I am with 15 minutes of video showing stuff people would need a full days worth of video courses to understand.
Your advice is simple, to the point and very good,
As usual!
Kenth
Oh yeah, that’s a big one for me too, Kenth. I noticed that I used to start way too many sentences with the word “so” … I’ve cut down on that big time.
If you don’t watch your own videos, you might be doing something that’s bugging the CRAP out of your viewers. for example, last year for work I had to sit through 12 hours of training videos for a particular software product.
The guy presenting the video ALWAYS asked a question before explaining every single thing. This meant he asked a new question every couple of minutes… followed by the word “WELL.”
Instead of saying, “You can use (blank) feature by doing this.” He would say, “How do you use (blank feature)? Well, you do this.”
It doesn’t seem too bad but imagine having to sit through that every 2 minutes for 12 hours.
If you are THAT annoying in real life, you can pick up on the other person’s words or body language. But in a video, the communication is one-way.
Videos work best if they feel like a conversation… where the viewer just happens to not be talking at the moment. When you do things that annoy or confuse your viewer, it no longer feels like a conversation and they are instantly lost.
Years ago, before affordable camcorders, I took a course that required having my presentation taped and played back. I could not believe how terrible I came across, especially um’s and ah’s. It helped me tremendously. Now with low-priced camcorders we can do it ourselves with nobody watching and making us nervous. Get good at that and then introduce an audience, etc. (The practicing that Robert urges works for the Camtasia scene as well. Have you actually suffered through listening to yourself? You will get better!)
Discovered! A Cure for Insomnia!
Once again Robert, you nailed it.
Yes, I need to pay more attention to diction but overall I need outline where I’m going instead of rambling on.
Either that or market these videos as true cure for insomnia.
The worse thing is I shoulda known better.
Oh well, thanks again Robert.
God bless,
Andy
I require an outline as well… and the surprising thing is, it doesn’t matter how strict it is.
When I record Camtasia videos and I’m demonstrating something, I have the WHOLE e-book chapter written, as well as whatever thing I’m demonstrated (program or script). This way, instead of freezing up, I just go back to the e-book and start reading stuff aloud.
When I record PowerPoint slides (installing Camtasia adds a plugin to PowerPoint so you can record PowerPoint into Camtasia), I make the slides into a highly abbreviated form of the book… 6 to 12 WORDS per slide. Sometimes less.
Then I have the actual book printed out in front of me and I just read. (I make little marks on the page for when it’s time to go to the next slide.)
But yes, you’re right, having an outline is a big deal and it’s not that big of a deal to do… don’t get carried away, just spend 5 minutes writing up something simple.
Wow – Tonight I recorded the same 6 slides 4 times before I got a really good presentation.
Lots of umms to root out!!
Thanks Again
Dale Maxwell
Nice going Dale!
I had a conversation over the phone with another internet marketer just today. He was working on recording some how-to Camtasia screencap videos and he said the following:
My response to him was: “Just leave the video running during both attempts!” It doesn’t hurt anyone, AND you’ll take it more seriously if the cameras are rolling, and you can even hand it off to your business partner or mentor and ask what could be better.
Once again, just because you record a video DOESN’T mean you have to share it.
Well, Robert, we sympatize with that “ugly mug” as you call it… It’s not everybody that is as gifted as myself. 😉
Kidding of course, but it is a very valid point about having an actual message. I only release videos when I feel inspired and although we do so in different fields there are valid points worth taking notice of.
As always, your blog is thought-provoking and always worth reading, and knowing that this was the ninth comment you will soon be driven towards writting again.
I love this circular logic. 🙂
PS: For the curious: http://www.youtube.com/user/henrikblunck although some of it is in Danish. 😉
I agree 100% Henrik, that’s why if you aren’t inspired to release something you can at least record a video of you either working or talk about what you accomplished today… just for the purposes of having someone watch over your shoulder. Then you keep the video to yourself.
Again that goes back to staying away from “welcome to my site” video messages.
Haha, I checked out the YouTube vid of yours where your son is driving the bumper car… that’s hilarious.
Hi Robert
Thanks for your feedback.
Very true. The funny part is that we are all Danish, but I’m the only one in the family that speaks, writes and understands French so when she gave him instructions we tried to tell him, but he couldn’t hear us.
Great fun though, and he remembers the Asterix Parc very fondly. If you ever come to France, you know… 🙂
Have a nice weekend everyone. 🙂
Robert,
I don’t think I ever saw this post before! I was reading an article at EzineArticles that led me here…
I’ve been chicken about this. I got a Radio Announcer to do my audio for me because i hate the way I sound. (even though people say i have a nice voice- it sounds uggy to me!)