For over 15 years of making videos, I’m rarely in front of the camera. I’m most comfortable behind the lens. This post is also for me.

Earlier today, I put a camera in front of a brilliant guy who I’ve known for years as a great, very charismatic seminar speaker. I was interviewing him for a video series I’m working on. I thought this session would wrap up in 10 minutes.

But for the first 30 minutes, he was writing notes about what to say.

“Knowing you as a very eloquent speaker, I’m amazed at how much you actually prepare”, I told him.

His response surprised me. He mentioned that his comfort zone was speaking in front of an audience – being able to read the room. Facing the camera was a different league for him.

Sure enough, he was noticeably uncomfortable on our first few takes.

We all start somewhere, regardless of status or confidence level.

I recall interviewing someone who after filling up my entire SD card with retakes, still didn’t have a good enough clip. I had to delete the first few recordings to free up some space.

Another interviewee who looked shy delivered a flawless message in a single take.

Personally, the Zoom session (camera on) during the pandemic helped take out a lot of the anxiety.

How about you? How do you deal with being anxious in front of the cam?