In a matter of seconds, it becomes apparent to the audience as to whether or not you have confidence. The audience judges this based on your posture, speech (IE: confident voice), what you’re wearing and the connection you make with them. Every one of us will lack some confidence at some point, but when you are filming it’s important to have a confident voice to ensure you get your point across to the audience. Below are 10 points to help you be more confident the next time you get in front of the camera.
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Empower Yourself with Expertise
Confidence first come from your knowledge of the subject matter you are speaking to. So when you know your subject matter inside and out you will immediately feel better to talk about it. Along the lines of being prepared, when you gain more knowledge, you’ll be more confident. So don’t give up doing additional research and studying. When you empower yourself with a higher level of expertise you are guaranteed to be more confident.
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Be Prepared
Preparation, preparation, preparation. Practice makes perfect. Make sure to first always RATE your presentation. When you go through the RATE process you’ll gain confidence by knowing you’ve put in the time to make a great performance.
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Understand What Makes You Nervous
Anxiety can cause a huge dip in self-confidence. In order to get over your nervousness, ask yourself what are you afraid of? What causes that fear? What can you do to over come it? Take some time to write out your answers to each of these questions and how you can implement the ways you wrote down to overcome your fears. And then – implement them!
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Use Breathing Exercises and Relaxation Techniques
If you’re nervous, your breath may get shallow and you may find yourself gasping for air more often. The first thing to combat this type of nervous breathing is to take a few deep breaths until you feel yourself breathing normally. Getting to a normal breathing cadence during your presentation could be difficult, so take the time to practice breathing to ensure you are getting plenty of oxygen.
Next implement some relaxation techniques before you start to film. These could be simple things like autogenic relaxation, which means you repeat words or suggestions in your mind to relax.
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Think Positive Thoughts
Stay away from negativity whether that’s within your own thoughts or brought in by those around you. First think positively about yourself and yourself how awesome you are. Think to yourself: “I am really great and can do anything I put my mind to.” You are who you are inside your head. So a constant positive voice or positive affirmations to yourself can boost your self-confidence.
Next put some positive enthusiasm into your work and the interactions you have with others. I find that focusing on solutions rather than problems can also infuse a positive outlook into the situation.
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Use Visualization Techniques
The most successful athletes on the planet practice visualization so it’s pretty easy to see that we can all profit from implementing visualization into our lives. Start by visualizing yourself giving the best speech or presentation of your life. One that includes no stutters, great poster, and a confident voice that moves the audience to action. Rehearse this moment over and over until you can see yourself doing it perfectly.
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Dress to Impress… Yourself
When you look your best, you feel your best. This doesn’t mean buying a $1000 suit, but rather dressing in whatever makes you look and feel like a million bucks. Confidence oozes out of those will look and feel their best. So go get a haircut if that’s what you need to look your best. The key element here is that when you feel good, you are more confident.
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Have Good Posture
It’s amazing that the simple act of rolling your shoulders back and standing up straight tells others that you are a confident person. The other perk of having good posture is that it will make it easier for you to breath properly. When you breathe properly it will make it easier to get your words out naturally. For best posture stand upright, feet apart, shoulders squared and face the audience. Try to avoid having a too rigid posture or leaning on the wall or other objects as it will convey discomfort or nervousness to your audience.
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Speak Slowly, Smile and Use Eye Contact
You do this by speaking slowly, smiling and looking at your audience directly. A person who speaks slowly with authority exudes confidence. It’s a simple thing but if an individual speaks quickly, it’s often because they feel they are not work listening to. And you are worth listening to. If speaking slowly doesn’t come naturally to you, practice it a few times and it will make you feel more confidence.
A smile makes everyone feel more comfortable and a smile always portrays positivity and confidence. Plus when you smile AND look at the person you are talking to (IE great eye contact) you are golden. If you are filming, make sure to look directly at the camera because that’s how the audience will believe you are looking right at them. Don’t look off to other things in the room; make sure to focus in to the camera. If you are presenting to a room full of people, take time to look at different folks within the audience and not your shoes to ensure they know you are confident enough to connect with each of them.
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When In Doubt: Create a Gratitude List
We all have doubts about ourselves at some point. But the key here is to not dwell on those self-doubts. Rather sit down and write out all the things you are grateful for. Then make a list of all the things you are proud of accomplishing. I can guarantee you’ll have a nice list, which will immediately inspire you. Then display that list somewhere in your office or home where you can be reminded of all the great things in your life. Whenever you feel down, take a look at this list – because what better way to gain confidence than by being inspired by you!