How to express yourself properly

Expressing yourself in the right way during recording of a video is quite important. Not just when recording a video, at any point when you want to communicate something properly.

This is why this is very important thing to do right, to be able to record video like a pro. It is also one of the reasons we have decided to talk about it in our series.

Key points to best expression

There are different points which might be specific to you, to the type of video or the purpose of the video. They all however boil down to several key points that you should be aware of. To some we have already mentioned, while others are new and will be further explained bellow.

1. Practice makes perfect.
2. Pace yourself for the talk.
3. Some things might come in handy. When doing a video, well those would be your hands.

Practice makes perfect

Something we have mentioned so far in the series, and it is completely true. As such it is worth to say it one more time. If you can and it is really important for you, practice as much as you can.

You can practice by recording a video of yourself or even by just talking into a mirror. We do recommend recording a video instead so that you can not only see yourself, rather hear back what you were saying as well.

Pacing yourself

The video might be limited to certain amount of time and you want to make sure you get to say everything. Unless you are interviewing for a position of auctioneer or doing it live, chances are you will not really need to talk very fast.

By talking a bit slower you allow yourself to process the information before you actually say it. It is also easier to understand you and pay attention to what you are saying.

Of course it is good to say that you should not go too slow where you have to drag the words. Rather find a speed that feels comfortable for you to talk in. If it is a live video, you will be able to instantly know if you should slow down or can speed up. For pre-recordings it is best to create a test recording for yourself and see it.

If you feel like that would not be enough of time, then consider to say what is really the most important first. Then add more info as time permits.

This is easy to do if you have a list in front of you, allowing to easily switch back to some theme or point you wanted to discuss.

Handy hands

Well hands do come handy for so many things. Same is true for video. If your video is about teaching, either about yourself or in general you would likely benefit from using your hands to create gestures. Gesturing with the talk about something helps people better understand your emotions and what you are trying to pass onto them.

As such if you are too nervous you might instead prefer to keep your hands next to yourself. Generally it is a great way of passing over additional information and would be suggested.

Summary

Expressing yourself while you are nervous or under stress is much harder than if you are relaxed. Releasing some stress before the video can be of great help. What you do want to keep in mind though is to talk a bit slower than you might do usually.

It is also good to practice once or twice before the video just to get a hand of it before the actual video is made. Likewise if you need or want to express yourself with your hands you should go for it. It is a great way of passing over additional details about yourself without actually talking about it.

Another great piece of advice we would like to give is to check out our next article in the series. We will talk about what do look out for