The 3 biggest obstacles to speaking with confidence on camera

A Collaborative post by Sarina Mann, Breakthrough Public Speaking

Over the years of coaching people on how to be confident on camera and also keeping in mind my own experience, I realised there were three common obstacles.

Here’s an overview of those three.

The inner critic

The first one was the inner critic. In my own experience I remember that I would do a video and then watch it back, I felt it was just terrible!

The way I solved this, and I highly recommend this to anyone doing videos, is I showed it to friends and colleagues who themselves produced videos.

I asked them for honest feedback and I was deeply encouraged by what they had to say. It also helped me to see that I had to stop believing my inner critic.

It’s great to evaluate your own video and see where you need to improve, that’s an excellent skill to have but when the inner critic comes into play you’ll notice the difference as it’s not helpful feedback it’s exaggerating the negative qualities of your performance in a way that completely undermines your confidence.

One of the best ways to overcome this is to get some feedback from someone who knows. Then be clear about what are your strengths as speaker and what you could improve. After that when the inner critic pops up, it’s about not believing it. It’s so much easier not to believe it once you have some solid experience and feedback behind you.

Perfectionism

The second roadblock is perfectionism. There’s nothing wrong with taking 2,3 or even 5 takes of a video but when you’re getting into 15 or more takes then this is definitely the perfectionist at play.

When you do so many takes of the same material, in the short term you lose the passion and enthusiasm behind your message, mainly because you’re totally exhausted!

In the long term, it takes all the fun out of video making.

Before you take your video really try to relax, see it as something new and something fun and take away the heaviness of the perfectionist in you that wants to suck the joy out of everything.

When you watch it back remember it doesn’t need to be completely perfect, that’s not the point. It’s just about you sharing some information to your audience that will help them solve a problem.

Fear and insecurity

Fear and insecurity are common barriers to speaking confidently on camera even for seasoned professionals. The idea of putting yourself out there can feel daunting, especially when you worry about being judged or making mistakes. A helpful way to navigate this is to ask yourself what you're truly afraid of, and what’s the worst that could realistically happen. Often, the imagined consequences are far harsher than reality.

Leadership training frequently addresses these internal obstacles, encouraging you to shift your focus from self-consciousness to service. By concentrating on the value you’re offering your audience and the clarity of your message, you start to move past fear and step into a more confident, authentic presence. Remember, your viewers are far more interested in your insight than in your imperfections. With consistent practice and a leadership mindset, you'll find it easier to speak with authority and connect genuinely through the camera.

Excellent presentation skills will increase your visibility, set you apart from your competition and help your prospect get to know you and your business. As a presentation coach, Sarina helps service professionals speak with confidence, clarity and impact. These days being able to speak well online for webinars, videos and virtual events is essential. Public speaking is something that's feared by many and speaking on camera can seem like a daunting task however, it doesn't need to be if you know how. Get in touch with Sarina to find out how she can help you with your presentation skills - Breakthrough Public Speaking.