YouTube Tips

On YouTube you want to look like a trusted authority on your nonprofit. Unfortunately, the camera can make anyone look like a bit of a dork. 

Think of a camera as if it was a person.

Think of a camera as if it was a person.

Part of the problem is due to the fact that it’s not natural to talk to a camera. Here are some quick tips to make your social media appearances more natural on video:

  • Think of the lens as if it’s a person.  Have a mental picture of talking to someone you know well, someone you’re comfortable with.  This is a trick that newscasters do. Remember they can’t see their audience either. It’s a lot easier to imagine talking to one person than countless strangers. Some will even tape a small picture to the camera as a reminder.
  • A lot of nonprofit executives try to memorize too much. Memorizing is hard work and it can result in some awkward phrasing. Instead pick two or three points that you want to make. Think of these as subject areas. Know the gist of what you want to say but don’t try to memorize it. You’re an expert in your area and you could talk to a friend for hours about your work. Now learn to do it to the camera.
  • Be yourself. Don’t expect to turn into Walter Cronkite or Diane Sawyer overnight. You may not be able to be as smooth as those pros but you can be the best you. Let your personality show. People like to hear from real people so be yourself. Otherwise you may appear to be the stereotypical used car salesman.

Now you’re ready to start recording YouTube clips. Beside posting them on your YouTube channel, you can also add them to your blog and Facebook pages.

 

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 at 7:43 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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