The video camera is the best listener you ever had! It wants to know more about you. It doesn’t get distracted, it is 100% focused on every word you utter and every movement you make. The camera does not judge you. It won’t interrupt you or attempt to make you wrong. It never gets bored.

What you wear has a big impact on how you will be perceived by your viewing audience. However, unless you are in the business of selling clothing, you want your viewers to spend more time looking at your face (and hearing your message) than staring at your clothes in your video presentations.

When working with clients to coach them on their video presentations, I emphasize the importance of taking extra care to present your “best self” – to ensure that the way you “look” meets the expectations of your target audience and builds your credibility.

Careful make-up application is critical. We provide you with a step by step make-up application process, along with expert tips and techniques to get you camera ready for your web videos.

Careful makeup application is critical, not just to make you look more attractive, but more importantly, to correct the distortions caused by the camera lens and lighting. The camera sees things differently to the human eye.

In this article I will share the secret of knowing which angle is most flattering for your face. You may not know this, but celebrities who are filmed for a living have learned which facial angles and expressions work best for them, and they take care to present this angle to the camera most of the time.

If a picture says a thousand words, then a video presentation says ten thousand. You can convey so much more on video than you can with words and pictures alone. With video presentations you give your audience the chance to experience and engage with the real you – your “best self”. Don’t blow it by using an autocue.

Selling yourself (or your business) by filming yourself giving a video presentation has become increasingly popular, and many (so called) “online marketing experts” are jumping on the bandwagon. They follow each other’s recommendations like sheep, and suggest that when fronting your own videos you should, “Be authentic. Just be yourself”. Wrong!

As part of my video presentation coaching work I see a lot of people who are nervous about appearing on camera. Often they try to compensate for their nervousness; either by being very serious and not smiling at all, or they overcompensate by forcing a “fake smile”.

Video Presentation Skills series: Imagine your target audience is watching your presentation. Imagine how they will feel about the message you are presenting. Get emotionally involved in your subject matter and “feel” the content of your message so your facial expressions match your content.

Video is Intimate. Stage is Not. In my experience, many people who are used to presenting on stage (or in front of a room), are not aware of how they need to adapt their presentation style to the technical requirements and demands of the camera.

A vital point to remember is that the video camera sees things differently than the human eye. What looks good to the human eye may look completely different on camera.

When presenting to camera it’s more like having your viewer standing 4 feet away from you – but in reality you are actually under a microscope! The camera picks up on every nuance: facial tics, tension, nervousness, bug-eyes, blinking, whether you appear to be reading an autocue, and whether your smile…

When filming your video presentations, the aim is to create a positive experience for your viewers, and put them at ease.

The camera has no human qualities. It doesn’t blink, smile, or give you encouraging feedback like a real person does – it’s a machine observing you with an intense robotic stare…

While speaking, avoid any hand to face gestures. You will note that most public officials have been trained to avoid such things when addressing their audience or in interview situations – very rarely will you ever see them…

When filming your online videos, where the camera is placed in relation to you (the presenter) can greatly influence the way your viewers perceive you and how they interpret your message. It is important for you to know the effect of using different camera angles, so you can choose to use them in appropriate.

How you “frame” yourself on camera – has a powerful subconscious impact on your audience, so it is worth knowing some of the basics. In terms of online video presentations…

Do not shy away from your light source, thinking that a low-light level will hide your imperfections – it won’t. All it will do is make you look like a big scary monster on camera – especially if your main light source is behind you (back-lit).

A great way to communicate important messages to your target audience is the tried and true “talking head” video – where you speak directly to a camera. Simple and versatile – you can be humorous or serious, informative or promotional.

You don’t need to be a Spielberg, nor do you need to spend a fortune on the latest high tech equipment to look good online – but if you want to stand out from the crowd you will need to purchase some basic pieces of equipment.

This “Making You Look Good Online” series of articles and videos will teach you how to give great online video presentations – whether its for internal staff communications, sales presentations, product demonstrations, web conferencing, webinars, video blogging, or sharing your thought leadership.

Think of your target audience as being the center of your marketing bull’s-eye. They are who you picture in your mind when you design your product or service, or create your online personal brand.

The challenge we face today with online personal branding, is that people are much less trusting than they used to be. Politicians, corporations, celebrities, sports stars, the news media – wherever we turn, it seems…

Delight the Few to Attract the Many – Video Quick Tips. When you have a clear target market audience – your personal brand will have more clarity & focus, and your communications become much more effective.

In my experience many people are too cautious when it comes to presenting their personal brand. If you use bland, generic words and statements to describe who you are and what you do – you will not cut through the clutter!

Your target audience is who you “market” your personal brand to. You may choose to “sell” to people outside this bull’s-eye, however, realize that your personal branding strategy will be far more effective if you focus your aim on a clearly defined target audience.

It is a big mistake in online personal branding (or any branding for that matter) to try to be all things to all people. If you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one. Your mantra for branding success should be, Delight the few to attract the many.

Before creating your online personal brand, it is well worth investing time to build your vision first – the more vivid and compelling you can paint your vision of your ideal future – the greater your chances of achieving it.

Like any form of marketing, if you want to create a compelling online personal brand you must start by getting very clear on your strategy first. Then you have to make sure you execute your strategy effectively.

One of the habits of highly effective people is that they “begin with the end in mind.” That means they set goals. They think before they act. They get clear on where they want to go, before they start executing.