Every speaker needs a demo video in her promotions toolbox. Today, I’m sharing the simple way even brand-new speakers can get fabulous footage for your speaker demo video. Let’s dive in!
By now, you know that every speaker needs a website that quickly and effectively tells event planners everything they need to know to consider you for their events. And you know that a speaker demo video is a key element you’ll want on your website. But what if you’re new to this speaker adventure and don’t have existing speaking footage to use? You shoot some! Here’s how.
Step 1 – Find an Empty Room
First, find an empty room that’s similar to a place where you’d like to speak. This could be at your church. A banquet room at a hotel. It might be the conference room at work. An auditorium at a nearby school. All you need is an empty room with a stage or speaking platform of some sort where you have permission to shoot some footage of you speaking. You’ll likely only need the space for about 30 minutes. Grab a friend to help you, and you’re in business!
While you can always record with a fancier camera, don’t overlook the phone that’s likely in your hand right now. Today’s phones have high-quality cameras at your fingertips and are 100% adequate for shooting the quality speaking footage you need. Don’t overcomplicate where you don’t have to!
Step 2 – Think About the Fine Details
Once you have your space, set yourself up for the best footage possible by making sure the little details are covered.
Make Sure You Sound Good by using a lapel microphone that’s connected to your phone or the camera that’s recording you. Good audio will quickly make or break the value of the footage you capture, so do yourself a favor and make sure it’s solid. I personally use this little microphone from Amazon. It’s nothing fancy, but it does the job for me and might work for you.
Make Sure You Look Good with good lighting. If you’re at church or in another setting that’s used to having speakers, you may have the opportunity to utilize existing stage lighting. Regardless, make sure you’re as well lit as possible and that there are no unflattering shadows. Shoot a little test footage and take a look before you shoot the real deal. If you need a little additional lighting, there are affordable light kits that can help brighten your face and eliminate shadows. (When you’re recording video in a smaller space like a home office, these ring lights like I have make all the difference!)
Bonus Tip: Mix It Up by bringing an extra top for a quick clothing change. Or change up your hair a bit. Put on your glasses or take them off. Little changes like this will allow you to get the most bang for your buck with your quick recording session.
Step 3 – Record Yourself Speaking
Now for the fun part! After you’ve made sure your sound is good, you’re ready to go. Once your friend hits record, speak for 4 or 5 minutes, sharing some of the highlights of your message. Make sure to cover your message’s key takeaway and main points. Move around a bit and look around the room as you would if you had an audience in the house.
Cover a variety of tones as you would in your message–something funny, a thought-provoking question, an impactful point. Be sure to speak clearly and not rush. Give a bit of breathing room as you would with an audience. You’ll need these pause points for smooth editing.
Once you’ve got a 1st run-through complete, change your top, hair, etc if you plan to, and give it another go with your camera buddy in another place in the room closer up or farther back from the opposite side. You’ll appreciate the variety of angles for the edit. If time allows, shift around and record a third time.
Now, you’ve got gorgeous, professional quality footage to edit yourself or provide to a video editor who will create a speaker demo video for you. As you have more opportunities to speak, always ask for high-res photos or footage from the event planner. Many events are recorded anyway, so it’s a very small ask. As you have more speaking footage, you can continue to update and freshen your demo video however you like.
Pretty easy, huh? Get your speaker demo video done and send me a link! I’d love to see it. And so will the event planners who come your way. Go get em, sister! 😀 😘 😀
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