Your Voice (NV)

Now that you have gotten the written portion completed, let’s look at your presentation. To bring your personality into your video, imagine you are speaking to a group of prospects. You are a professional who is passionate about their work. You love making your clients feel and look their best with the service you provide. Your speech should be clear and your message understandable. Remember your diction and use the proper pronunciation of words. Also, of note is the volume of your voice. Be sure to speak loud enough for the microphone to pick up every syllable of every word you speak. It is wise not to use slang or local colloquialisms, as it takes away from the message and the level of professionalism you want to convey. Your speech should always convey trust and be someone a prospective client can look up to. You are a leader. Your voice is the vehicle that carries the message. Therefore, it needs to be able to carry the message from your mouth the ears of the recipient without losing the meaning. Practice with the voice recorder in your smartphone or other recording device. Speak a few lines and notice your tone or pitch. Is it too high and squeaky or is it too low and monotone? You want to find a happy medium. This is important because tones can cause a listener or viewer to “turn us off” quick if the voice they are hearing is irritating. In your happy medium you may be comfortable speaking with a medium-high pitch which voice conveys energy. A medium-low pitch can be very soothing. Either way the viewer is compelled to continue with your video. The end result is your message conveys value and your voice is comfortable, or easy, to listen to.

When you make your video “show up” with positive energy, looking wonderful with a heart of compassion. Remember, what you are feeling and how you look contribute to the type of energy you bring to your client and hence, the video recording. The camera will not lie. So be emotionally and physically prepared. In some cases, this may be difficult. Life can sometimes throw us a curve ball and knock us over. In that situation consider practicing what is known as “mindfulness”. Take in a deep breath and consider your surroundings. What colors or scents do you detect in the room? Exhale thinking about your video and its purpose. Why are you here? What are you wearing? How do you feel about yourself? Focus on the moment. Be present in that moment. And, get the job done.

If you are recording a live stream, be patient with yourself when you make a mistake. Please do not over apologize. You do not have to start at the beginning every time you stumble. Pick up where you made the error and move confidently forward. Give your best effort not to nervously laugh. Just continue making your point. Be sure to correct words or numbers that are critical to the information you are sharing. This is especially true when performing extemporaneously. Other times you might have time to gather your thoughts before your presentation and have notes about what you intend to speak about. Either way, breathe and exude confidence. You are, after all, the expert on the subject matter.

Sidebar. On the days that you record, make it a practice to not have conversations with anyone who may alter your focus. Especially personal calls that you know 99% of the time will be negative in nature. Even if the content of the call may not be negative, the time leading up to recording is needed for mental preparation. Sometimes that means letting calls go to voicemail until your day in the “studio” is complete.