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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
ISBN 9781119316039 (Hardcover)
ISBN 9781119324720 (ePDF)
ISBN 9781119324713 (ePub)
Preface
For the business executive of today – and surely of tomorrow – being able to communicate through a camera is an essential skill. It's powerful. It's immediate. It's often necessary to reach global audiences.
It's never been easier to leverage video across the corporate landscape to reach both internal and external audiences. Cameras are no longer confined to studios or designated videoconference rooms; they're on our phones, our laptops, and our tablets. A face-to-face meeting with a client on the other side of the world may require only a video chat app and a strong Wi-Fi network.
But speaking to a camera is not like speaking to a roomful of people you can actually see. It requires an entirely different skill set – one most people don't innately possess. This book aims to take the mystery out of communicating through the camera and provide specific tips and techniques that can make your message sing – and you, the messenger, feel confident in a job well done.
If you have comments or questions – or simply want more information on live training, feel free to contact us at [email protected].
Acknowledgments
A heartfelt thank you to all of my clients who have had the courage to step in front of the camera and learn how to speak through it, not shrink from it. I have learned as much from you as I hope you have learned from me.
If Kathy Council, Vice President of Publications at SAS, had not taken my on-camera performance class, I am quite certain this book would never have existed. Thank you, Kathy, for encouraging me to pursue putting it in print. Additional gratitude goes to Shelly Sessoms and Stacey Hamilton for ushering it through on the SAS side.
Thanks to Vicki Bevenour, Ian Ziskin, and Bill Franks, fellow authors who assured me I could climb this mountain and suggested ways to navigate it with ease.
For their time and expertise, I want to thank Jeffery West, Brad Simmons, and Andrew Davis. Your expert insight was much appreciated.
It was an honor to have my former vocal coach, Dr. Candice Coleman, help shape my content related to Analytical Reading. Candy, your contributions were invaluable.
Kathi Duggan, editor extraordinaire, thank you for guiding me through the editing process with a deft hand and a winning sense of humor. Can I send all of my professional copy to you? This is a lifelong relationship, right? Additional thanks to Sheck Cho and Judy Howarth at Wiley for your support and answers to even my inane questions.
To my family, thank you for allowing me to be consumed by the creation of this book. Shawn, Hayden, and Jackson – you know I love you beyond words.
Finally, to my mom, Peggy, my first and biggest fan – thank you for always thinking my writing has been worthy of a Pulitzer. (Honestly, my seventh grade autobiography wasn't that great, Mom.) Much love.
SECTION ONE
The Inescapable Reality – We All Have to Communicate through a Camera
It used to be unusual to be caught on tape, but today, cameras are everywhere, even in the palms of our hands. We use them to communicate with our family and friends, and more and more often, with our coworkers or customers. The reason for this is that video is immediate, impactful, and increasingly more accessible.
In this section, you will learn how communicating through a camera is becoming an essential business skill and why the barriers to doing it well are considerable. The section is divided into the following two chapters:
• Chapter 1: Why You Need to Read This Book
• Chapter 2: Why the Camera Changes Everything
CHAPTER 1
Why You Need to Read This Book
Gladys and her girls (The author is second from the right)
Despite the half-halo of happiness beaming from the four women surrounding her, the lady at the center of this priceless family photo was projecting her message loud and clear. Hers was the unapologetically unhappy face of a woman who does not like cameras.
The unfortunate circumstance for my nana, Gladys Mason: her beloved husband was what we'd now call “an early adopter.” The movements of my mother's side of the family were well documented on film, and the Martin Scorsese behind the movie camera was my grandfather, Harry.
Gladys was a frequent if unwilling participant in his 8mm films, so consequently, we all became intimately familiar with certain angles and parts of her body – the back of her head, perhaps a quick glimpse of the side of her face as she pivoted away from the offending lens before running rabbit to a faraway glen. If she couldn't dash away, she would try to hide in plain sight by extending her palm toward the camera, precursor to the paparazzi pose seen on the covers of tabloids the world over.
The good news for Gladys? For the most part, she only had to juke out my movie-making Papa to maintain her credentials as a Professional Camera Avoider. For the most part, Papa brought his camera out only for special occasions: family reunions, the first day of school, holidays. (On Christmas morning, no one was allowed to come downstairs to see what Santa brought until the room was properly illuminated by his own massive bank of lights. True.)
But today, avoiding Papa's lens would be the least of Gladys's concerns. Cameras are everywhere. I shudder when I imagine the levels of panic she would hit today.
The Power and Pervasiveness of Video
Video cameras are no longer just in a studio or pulled out of the closet for dance recitals; they're on your laptop, your webcam, your phone. They invade your personal space through apps like Skype, FaceTime, and Google Hangouts, and they've become as ubiquitous in the workplace as Excel spreadsheets and leftover birthday cake.
So what's driving this video proliferation? The medium itself is powerful and personal.
Consider how much time you spend viewing videos today versus even five years ago. The Age of YouTube has created an expectation that you can always watch rather than read. Need to know how to install a garbage disposal? Well, you could follow the directions enclosed in the Home Depot box – but why do that, when you can watch Bob the Plumber show you step by step in his DIY video?
Millennials have upped the ante even more with a penchant for Snapchat selfies and conversations conducted at length through the ever-growing list of video chat apps. For that generation, communicating through a camera is almost second nature.
But even the stodgiest of corporate cultures are making room for video. Corporate YouTube and Vimeo channels, Twitter accounts, and myriad social media opportunities vie with webinars, videoconferences, and Ted Talks for content. If a corporate web site doesn't have a video component, it looks outdated and downright boring. For the marketing department, it's a virtual video smorgasbord with unprecedented avenues to get your message out there.
But what happens if your messenger is about as dynamic on camera as a ham sandwich?
The Decline of the Professional Spokesperson
After a successful 15-year career in television news, I left the business after one too many “team coverage” snow-mageddon events, holidays spent on set and middle-of-the-night phone calls to cover whatever news was breaking. I moved to what I called “The Dark Side” – doing on-camera and voice-over work for any corporation interested in hiring me to serve as its professional spokesperson. I quickly realized how transferable and in demand my skills would be. Video is pervasive throughout the corporate landscape.
However,