How to improve your Camera Presence.

Camera presence is an odd topic within YouTube, because you kind of have to learn it, and then unlearn it. Let me explain.

Many many years ago now, I ran across the channel ​Charisma On Command​. I was probably trying to learn something for my work. What caught me about Charlie, the lead coach, is that he was a shy, smart, introverted kid growing up. He didn’t like this, so in college, he studied psychology to understand more about connecting with people. He says this was the most transformative time of his life, leading to a 100% switch in his romantic relationships, friendships, and career. And of course, now he runs Charisma on Command with almost 7 million YouTube followers.

Now, there is no doubt that charismatic extroverts win in many ways life. Studies show that extroverts are ​more likely to work in top executive roles​, ​perform better in job interviews and negotiate higher renumeration packages​, and ​are overall considered more likeable​.

It doesn’t take but a quick look to see this is also true on YouTube. The biggest stars are all super friendly, talkative, animated, charismatic, passionate, and generally likeable characters.

Good news, a lot of that can be learned.

What About Authenticity?

As someone deeply in a recluse phase and knowing that hanging on to my authenticity and uniqueness is key to my YouTube channel standing out, I don’t like the idea of “learning to be an extrovert” or learning extrovert qualities. How can I possibly become an extrovert and also be authentic?

Well, the good news is that a lot of it is mindset, and that shift can have a big impact. But let’s start with some simple definitions.

Extrovert vs. Introvert

A lot of people mistake an introvert for being shy and quiet whereas an Extrovert for being loud and charismatic. Actually, it has to do with how you recharge. Introverts tend to recharge in solitude whereas extroverts recharge around people. Note that it is on a spectrum, and you may have a bit of both.

This definition is important, because it opens up the opportunity that an introvert can be outgoing when in public but will ultimately prefer being alone.

And here is the mindset shift: introverts tend to be most outgoing around people they trust (let’s be honest, extrovert or introvert: it’s easier to be yourself when you feel safe).

In numerous ​podcast interviews​ I’ve done, big YouTubers say they started out by just making videos for their friends and family. They had no intention of becoming big. And that made them able to show their genuine, authentic, loveable selves.

So, if you tend to be more introverted or have “introverted qualities”, you need to get yourself to that place where you feel like you’re talking to trusted friends, and that’ll be a big step towards you becoming better on camera.

Trolls

But with the inevitable trolls, criticism and hate you will get as an influencer, how can you act like your audience are friends???

Boundaries.

Boundaries are key to being able to sustain YouTube and also stay authentic. Whatever boundaries you need are unique to you. For me, it includes blocking triggering words, immediately deleting hateful comments and blocking those users (but keeping respectful criticism) and limiting my time online after work hours.

I also recommend getting ​deeply attached to the mission of your channel ​and what you want to achieve for your viewers. If your goal is to inspire others to get off the couch, go sailing, go hiking, go exploring, then every time you put out content that fulfills that mission, you can look back with confidence that you are serving your audience.

Actually, let’s talk a bit more about confidence and camera presence.

Confidence.

Confidence is crucial for on-camera presence. It’s about being comfortable in front of the camera and exuding assurance in your delivery. But confidence is two things: deeply internal and personal, as well as built over time through success. The second I can help you with, but the first is a personal journey you need to go on.

Here is the reality: you might not be successful on YouTube. We’ll both try our hardest to get you there, but there’s no guarantee. AND, you are a wonderful human being who deserves kindness, respect, and connection. If you can’t disconnect that belief from your success on YouTube, you will never be able to be confident on camera.

And confidence is what leads to authenticity, one of the keys to camera presence.

Authenticity.

I know you know this stuff but let me illustrate. I had a moment recently where this “clicked”. I was hiking around the ​Kaikōura Peninsula of New Zealand’s South Island​ when I ran into two different situations where I had to delicately deal with wildlife. In both instances, I felt the need to educate my audience about how to deal with the situation. At the same time, I felt “preachy” and like a “know-it-all”. Like most insecurities, these are words that were repeated by people who didn’t know how to set healthy boundaries in my childhood.

I am 100% sure that I come across as both of those accusations to some people. And at the same time, I also know when I am around “my people”, my knowledge is accepted, requested, and appreciated. In fact, I am one of those people who love it when people share random facts when I travel. One of my favorite travel memories is traveling around Eastern Ukraine with my historian friend and learning all about all the places we visited.

If you’re one of those people who would find my constant facts annoying, that just means I’m not for you. But it 100% does not mean I should be less authentic to the fact that I enjoy sharing and receiving facts.

What I have learned, read, and been told by some of the biggest YouTubers is the moment you feel insecure and uncomfortable about what you are about to say and share, it’s typically a cue that that is exactly what will make your audience connect with you. Share it, and then circle back to that boundaries bit above.

Body Language.

I’ll never forget the first time I started researching body language and camera presence. For those of you not reading all my newsletters, I have a background of studying behavioral science, and almost chose to pursue a PhD in the field. What I’ve learned over the years is our body, face, and eyes send numerous cues, micro expressions, and signals to others about how we are feeling. Most interestingly though, it also works in inverse where body language can change how we feel. Have you ever gone into the bathroom before an interview and done a power stance? ​Research shows it can make you more confident​.

Importantly, we can practice good posture, gestures, and facial expressions that can help us connect with our audience a little easier. With practice, we can naturally and authentically exude the confident self that we are already showing our friends and family.

So back to that first time I started researching camera presence…

Hand Movements

I had learned through my research that moving your hands when making a point made the video more interesting and engaging. So I set out to practice. Boy did it feel awkward! I must have done every shot a million times trying to make sure my hands were moving. It felt so unnatural. Fast forward to several years later, and I found myself filming an episode. I went back to review the clip and saw I was naturally moving my hands around in a super engaging way.

Practice.

Eye Contact

One of the biggest mistakes early YouTubers make is looking at their own image in the camera rather than looking at the lens. And then when look at the video later, it looks like they are looking slightly off to the side. A newbie mistake.

But another mistake I made for a long time was quick side glances when talking about something vulnerable. It’s a natural response to feeling unsafe, but it also makes you look sketchy and untrustworthy. As I have gained awareness of this as well as gained confidence in the material I want to put out there, this has decreased.

Practice.

Smile.

I know for years I hated being a woman and told to smile. “Don’t tell me to smile!”

Sorry…. on YouTube, smiles help. Truly. Actually.

This goes back to a broader camera presence category, which is attractiveness. It will come as no surprise to you that beautiful YouTubers do better. In fact, ​humans are hardwired to appreciate beauty because it helped our ancestors survive​. While beauty can’t be faked, there are many many things you can do to make yourself more attractive.

Learn to smile when recording. Wear clean, attractive clothing where appropriate. Clean up your beard, wipe off the sweat, wash your hair, and make the extra effort to look presentable.

Now I just want to address the authenticity piece here. “That’s not who I am! That isn’t authentic!” I keep hearing this lately, and I have two arguments about this:

1. Your non-stop sweaty face could be preventing your audience from connecting with you. Is it really so hard to wipe your face before recording just so they can HEAR you? Don’t you do that for your friends and mom when they come around? Why not for your audience then?
2. Stop making authenticity about YOU. All of this stuff I’m teaching, ​storytelling structure​, ​pacing​, ​which topic you choose​, it’s about learning to ​connect with your audience​ in the way they need. And if you’re only trying to connect with your audience on your terms not acknowledging their very valid and biological needs, then that’s a very one-sided relationship. It’s hopefully not how you behave with your real friends, so why would you do the same on YouTube?
3. And actually a third point: I’m not saying stray so far from who you are that it genuinely becomes authentic. I’m saying make a little effort in the same way you would for your friends and family if they came around.

Energy and Enthusiasm

I’m going to wrap this up with the last thing you can practice, which is energy and enthusiasm. Bringing a little energy to a clip can make a big difference. Again, you of course don’t want to come across as inauthentic, so there are two things you can do:

1. Get clear with yourself about what you are actually enthusiastic about. If you don’t care, you don’t care. And if you do, be brave and share it. Let your true passions shine through.
2. Imagine you are telling the info to your best friend. Actually, visualise them right in front of you. Your energy will shift naturally.

Stay Authentic.

At the end of the day, all of this is about practicing being who you naturally with your friends also when you are talking to the camera. It’s about giving all of yourself and honoring what you are interested in and actually want to talk about.

I want to share one last story with you.

I hosted a stand at the Auckland Boat Show in March and met eight other YouTubers there. We were discussing a channel we all knew and how in the beginning of their channel, they had very raw humor where the couple on the channel were teasing each other constantly. The editing in particular made fun of one of the characters.

Almost everyone present said something along the lines of, “I used to love them back in the day, but then they became… so produced.” “The humor left.” “They became more serious.”

Interestingly, I had coached this channel a year ago, and I remember them saying something along the lines of, “We had one viewer say, ‘Why are you making your partner look so incompetent and making fun of him?’ So, I changed our editing to make him look competent and stopped poking fun.”

​They dulled their edge​.

Action & Takeaway

Gaining confidence in who you are, getting clear about the messages you want to put out, and practicing camera presence can go a long way to improve your ability to connect with your audience.

But at the same time, learn to be discerning about who you take feedback from. Are they in the arena? Have they demonstrated over time that they connect with the core of who you are? When you tune in to yourself, does their feedback resonate? Is there a risk that implementing their feedback will make you lose your edge?

Practice. Be discerning.