If you’re trying to start a career as an influencer but worry your speaking skills aren’t good enough, you’re not alone! Almost everyone experiences a bit of camera fright at first, even those famous actors we see on screen. A successful influencer career requires clarity, confidence, and a natural connection with your audience. But how can you get better at talking in videos? And is it even possible to overcome that initial fear?
Absolutely! Thousands of people are already creating videos and earning a good living from it. (Check out our guide on making money without a degree!) In this article, I’ll share practical tips to help you improve your speaking skills and become a confident on-camera influencer.
Why Talking Skills Matter for Influencers?
Videos are the key to become an influencer in 2024. People love watching videos, and businesses use them all the time to get the word out. So, if you want to be a great influencer, you need to learn how to talk well on camera.
Your speaking skill matters because if you don’t seem confident when you are talking in a video, it doesn’t give the audience the trust they need to continue watching you. It also bores them sometimes and feels like you are expecting extreme patience from them. Worst of all, you have to face your competitors who are already making high quality videos and they are so good at speaking that even you’re a fan!
Because of all these reasons, it is really important for an influencer to have good speaking abilities and control on their voice.
Practical tips to get better at talking in videos
Without any delay, let us get into the list of suggestions I have for you if you want to improve your talking skills and get better at speaking in videos.
Take a personality development course to build confidence in your voice
This is the first thing you should do if you are actually seeking to improve yourself. Your personality, hand gestures, communication skills and overall confidence in front of camera can get changed a lot if you take a good personality development course. There are hundreds of free courses available online and you can choose any of them to start. However, we recommend you take a personality improvement course offline where an expert teacher can guide you physically.
Some of the best online personality development courses that we found are these:
- Brilliant, Passionate You Course by University of Michigan | Coursera
- Improving Your English Communication Skills (Georgia Tech, Coursera)
- The Complete Presentation Skills Masterclass (Udemy)
Once you are done with these courses, you can then visit a local institution for a few day of workshop where you can see how much you have learned and improved.
Start with a script and write what you want to speak
Another very practical and working method to improve your speaking quality in videos is to write it down first. When you know what you are going to speak, you get a clear voice, and you are more confident. You do not hesitate, and you also have lesser chances of bombing during the recording. Every great artist writes a script first.
The best way is to note down the points that you want to speak about. After you’re done with the outline, write the whole script in a document and then read it a few times. After that, you can easily start recording yourself in camera and speak what you have written instead of guessing and talking.
When you are starting out, having a script gives you confidence to face camera. Gradually, when you are already comfortable in front of camera, you may go off-script too!
Check this video by Richard Walter of UCLA screenwriting department on ‘The essentials of screenwriting‘.
Attend public meetings and try speaking to a group
This may seem unexpected for an influencer, but public speaking and on-camera skills are surprisingly similar. Research shows that 75% of people experience some level of anxiety about public speaking. By confronting this fear and practicing in real-world scenarios, you’ll gain valuable experience that translates directly to your on-camera confidence.
Why public speaking helps in getting better at speaking on camera?
- Spontaneity: Public speaking builds your ability to think on your feet and deliver a message without a script.
- Eye Contact: You’ll get practice making eye contact with a group, which translates to better engagement when facing a camera.
- Confidence: The more you practice speaking in front of others, the less intimidating it becomes, reducing anxiety in any setting.
How to get started with public speaking?
- Start small: Attend local meetups, community events, or workshops where you can strike up conversations with other attendees.
- Take the lead: Gradually work your way towards leading conversations or offering your insights in a group setting.
- Seek opportunities: Look for chances to speak publicly, whether it’s giving a toast at a friend’s wedding or presenting an idea at work.
The goal is to get comfortable speaking in front of others. As you gain experience, you’ll notice a significant improvement in your ability to speak clearly, confidently, and engagingly on camera.
Use AI tools to enhance your voice quality in videos
I know that we are talking about self-improvement here, but at the same time it is very important to know the use of technology in a digital career. A career as an influencer requires you to not only be your best but also know how to improve your output using technology. A good microphone, better quality of sound absorbents, and good audio editing tools work together to make those high-quality videos you see on YouTube.
Now, in 2024, AI tools are on rise. We have many free AI tools that can help you improve your audio quality once it is recorded. One such free tool (for now!) is the Enhance Speech tool by Adobe Podcast AI. We would like to clarify here that this is not a sponsored article, and we really recommend this tool as we use it ourselves.
- Visit https://podcast.adobe.com/enhance.
- Upload your already recorded audio file.
- Download the enhanced audio file instantly.
Even when you don’t have any tech expertise, you can use this tool to enhance the quality of your audio. When you use this enhanced audio in your videos, you will sound more confident and clearer.
Collaborate with local influencers to learn speaking better on camera
While apps and courses offer valuable guidance, nothing beats real-world learning from those who have already mastered the art of on-camera speaking. Seek out local influencers who create videos with confidence and charisma. If you don’t know any personally, reach out online or at local events and express your interest in learning from their experience.
If you can find one such influencer who is already making videos with confidence, you can watch them work and learn the art of speaking on camera. You can ask them how they improved themselves or observe what they are doing different from you. You can learn which tools they use, which devices they prefer and also what are the mistakes they fixed which you are still doing.
All this will help you in improving your voice on camera and also give you a confidence to speak better in videos. Next time when you are making a YouTube short or an Instagram reel, you can just go online and get done with recording in a minute!
So, these are out suggestions for you if you want to get better at speaking in videos. Unlike other guides, we have not just told you to maintain eye contact or be confident but told you how to actually do those things.
To summarize what we have learnt today, here are the key takeaways for improving your on-camera speaking
- Take a personality development course to build self-assurance.
- Start with a script or outline to guide your speaking.
- Get rid of camera shyness by speaking in real-world settings.
- Use AI tools like Adobe Podcast Enhance Speech for professional-quality sound.
- Connect with local influencers and observe their techniques.
We hope that you find our suggestions practical and that these tips help you in being a better influencer. If you have any questions or queries, drop them in comment box below. We read every comment!
