Look on LinkedIn newsfeed, and you’ll witness dozens of trainer or coach-led video clips usually involving head and shoulder presentations from an expert in a topic. I do them myself. How long do you watch these for? Are they really engaging? I’m not sure anymore.
Whiz back in time to the Old Grey Whistle Test from the enthusiasm. BBC2 was the only place you could experience decent bands playing on the TV, and we loved it. They brought in bands from the USA and the UK, plonked them in a room with some amps and speakers and told them to perform for ten minutes in front of. Well that was the problem. Some camera crew, a couple of sound technicians and the producer who all remained very still and unanimated.
The first few were stilted, lacked energy, too rehearsed.
They lacked an audience which the bands were used to. Performing to an audience changes everything; it adds sparkle, enthusiasm and excitement. Once bands got used to this, their performance improved. Just think of Freddie Mercury at LiveAid in 1986. 72,000 people. Or Oasis at Knebworth in 1997 in front of 250,000 people – their performances were electric.
The answer for presenter videos is to mirror the same performance when you present live or present digitally to an audience. Not sitting down but standing up, that’s the way you would do it live. Use livestreams to Youtube or Facebook where you have people watching you live. That’ll change the way you present, I guarantee. I know, when I livestream now, it’s a game-changer. You’re with a live audience which changes the whole experience.
Then came MTV in the 80’s and all those pre-recorded videos, I do miss the Old Grey Whistle Test. Hairy, bearded, flared trousered rockers – very 70’s – possibly the greatest decade for music ever, but I’m sure you have a view on that.
I do know that presenter videos on LinkedIn won’t be remembered as the greatest year of videos.
