Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- Adapting to a relaxed demeanor on camera can be challenging for doctors, who are used to maintaining a serious tone in patient care.
- Effective communication on screen is essential for doctors to convey messages and engage audiences, encouraging viewers to take action.
- Creating content that resonates with viewers and leaves them feeling better emotionally can enhance the overall impact of doctors’ videos.
- To look good on camera, doctors should be themselves, plan their script and delivery, be prepared but flexible, and make eye contact with the viewer. They should also incorporate humor, tell stories, and remember to breathe while speaking.
Introduction
The Challenge of Appearing on Camera
For many doctors, the prospect of looking good on camera can be daunting. The daily routine of interacting with unwell patients, maintaining a serious demeanor, and carefully choosing words to convey messages can create a tendency towards a grave tone on video.
Adapting to a Serious Demeanor on Camera
The inherent seriousness adopted by doctors, crucial in patient care, can pose a challenge when transitioning to a camera-friendly role. This seriousness can make the task of presenting yourself on camera seem even more intimidating.
The Importance of Effective Communication on Screen
To effectively convey messages and engage audiences, especially when addressing issues that require solutions, doctors must learn the art of talking about themselves and their work in a compelling manner. This is essential not only to look great but for encouraging viewers to want more screen time or to take action, such as signing up for newsletters or revisiting websites.
Making Viewers Want More
For doctors serious about spreading their message and making a positive impact, the ability to inspire action is paramount. This involves creating content that resonates with viewers, leaving them inspired to revisit your website or sign up for your newsletters.
Making Patients Feel Better Beyond the Diagnosis
Beyond the medical diagnosis, doctors must learn to connect on a personal level through video. Creating content that not only imparts medical information but also leaves patients feeling better emotionally can significantly enhance the overall impact.
Overcoming the Video Challenge: It’s Easier Than You Think
If you find yourself relating to the struggle of adapting to a camera-friendly identity, this guide is for you. Overcoming the challenges of looking good on camera is easier than it may seem at first glance. Read on to discover practical tips and insights that can make the process more manageable and even enjoyable.
How To Look Good On Camera
1- Start by being yourself
In order to look good on camera, it’s essential to start by being yourself. Don’t overdo it or force your demeanor.
Know your strengths and your weaknesses, as it’s crucial for your audience to see these as well when they watch you. This transparency helps them better understand who you are as a person and how you engage with patients.
You should also ensure that you address any health topic in an open and honest manner—even if they’re not the most pleasant to talk about.
It’s natural to feel a bit uneasy, we’re all human!
Drawing from your experience as a doctor, you know that looking good isn’t just about appearance; it’s about honesty being paramount when it comes to someone else’s health and well-being.
2- Think about what you’re going to say and how
Consider what you’re going to say and how you can look better on camera while saying it. You might have a concept, but it’s not fully developed yet. That’s perfectly fine!
Know where you’re going
Persistently refine your message until it’s crystal clear in your mind, enabling you to present it with confidence.
For example: “I want my audience to understand how important it is for them not only as patients but also as humans who may one day become patients themselves.”
Ok, not great.. Notice in this example the message is incomplete (you want them to understand WHAT exactly that is important?). Go through the entire thought in your head, break it down and figure out how exactly you want to get there.
3- Have a plan for your script, but be flexible
Planning is important, but you also need to be flexible. Here are some examples of how to do both:
- When planning, think about what you want your video to accomplish and how it will be used. This will help you decide what kinds of information will be most useful for your patients.
- If there’s something in particular that comes up during filming that doesn’t fit into the script, make sure to jot them down after filming ends so those moments can be covered in another video.
- You may want to write down some notes before each take or scene so that you have something to reference on hand.
4- Be excited about what you’re showing, not nervous
When you’re on camera, it’s crucial to look good and remember that your audience wants to see you enjoy what you’re doing. If they can tell that something excites or interests you, then they’ll be more likely to get excited too.
Allow your passion to come through
That’s why it’s important not just for medical professionals but also other experts in any field–from professors teaching classes at universities to bloggers writing about their passions–to make sure that their passion comes through when speaking with an audience online.
The best way to accomplish that is through sharing stories about treating patients who need help with some sort of condition; this helps people understand how much work goes into providing quality treatment and encourages them toward making better lifestyle choices as well as seeking out professional support when needed.
5- Have a specific goal in mind
The first step to looking good on camera is having a specific goal in mind. That sounds obvious, but it’s important. You need to know what you want, and then plan out how you’re going to present it. If it happens that you change your mind along the way about a specific piece of content that means changing the structure of your message, be ready to redo that take from the top.
6- Be prepared, but there’s always editing
Consider conducting a dry run to anticipate any tough corners or things that make you uncomfortable. If your videographer asks you something that catches you off guard, don’t panic. There’s always a chance later in the editing process to remove any mistakes.
7- Practice your delivery of key messages
Engage in practice sessions in front of a mirror, with friends, colleagues, and family members. If you’re unable to find a practice partner, rehearsing at home is a great alternative!
Practicing is crucial for looking great on video
It’s one that even TV hosts employ to gauge how they look and how they’re perceived by others. Reading quietly in your office is one thing, but articulating your thoughts out loud in front of an audience is a completely different experience.
Examine your reflection: Are you projecting the right image? Consider the feedback from your spouse or partner and refine your presentation from there.
Explore the top 15 ways to enhance your practice’s online presence.
8- Keep it light-hearted
Of course, humor is subjective. If you’re naturally more serious and don’t feel at ease with on-camera jesting, that’s perfectly acceptable. However, if you wish to incorporate some humor into your videos, then feel free to do so, ensuring you’re smiling and engaging with your audience.
Wit goes a long way
A touch of wit can be incredibly effective in breaking the ice and changing the perception of doctors. When humor is executed well, it becomes a powerful tool to connect with people. They might think, ‘If this doctor can make me smile through a video, imagine the positive experience I’ll have in person!’
9- Tell a story
A patient’s health encompasses more than just medication or gym visits; it includes their emotional and mental well-being. These aspects may not be visible in an X-ray or blood test, but they are equally, if not more, significant than physical conditions. When addressing the camera, consider your patients as protagonists in their own life stories, with unique challenges and achievements that have shaped their journey to your office.
10- Make eye contact with the viewer
To look good on camera, you need to look into the camera and make eye contact with the viewer. This may sound like a simple instruction, but there are many ways this can go wrong.
What not to do:
- Don’t look at your monitor (and definitely don’t look at your script). If you’re reading from something off-camera and then glance down at your monitor to see what comes next, it looks like you’re just staring into space while waiting for someone else to give you instructions or cues.
- Don’t look at the floor–or any object other than the camera lens itself. Even if there is nothing interesting happening in your line of sight except for carpeting or linoleum tiles (which would be boring), try not to stare directly down at them either; this will make viewers feel like they’re watching someone who has no interest in them whatsoever.
- Instead try looking slightly above where they expect someone’s head to be positioned when seated normally on an office chair: about two feet above ground level should do nicely without being distracting. Most people aren’t used to too much eye contact anyway unless their boss is lecturing about something silly they did.
11- Don’t forget to breathe
You may be nervous, but it’s important not to let that show on camera. To look good, adopt a good posture, take a deep breath before you start talking, and then remember to breathe while you are talking. Breathing helps you stay calm and focused on the camera, which makes it easier for the audience watching at home (or in the waiting room) to connect with you.
12- Sleep well, eat light
Sleep well the night before and eat lightly before the camera rolls to ensure you’re at the right camera angle. Following these two tips alone can make a huge difference in the level of energy you’ll have. The more energy you got, the longer you will go without blinking an eye (figuratively of course), and the more confidence you will exude, and the better they will perceive you.
Additionally, the better or longer your sleep, the smoother and healthier your skin tone will look on video.
13- What if I make mistakes?
If you make a mistake in the middle of your sentence that’s totally fine. Cut your video editor some slack and pause, regroup, and start the sentence over. You don’t need to pick up from the very beginning. A skilled editor can piece things together later on, just remember to keep the same intonation as the previous sentence and the cut will be seamless.
14- Doctors can also be great on camera!
You may be a doctor, but you’re also a person. And people can be nervous about speaking in front of the camera. That’s why it’s important to feel comfortable with who you are and how to look at the camera lens.
If this sounds like something that would help your confidence as a public speaker: great! There are many other ways for doctors to share their knowledge with the public (like writing books or giving talks at conferences) but there’s nothing that has the same impact like a professionally produced video, hands down. Doctors have so much expertise that could benefit everyone else; don’t let nerves get in the way of sharing it.
Doctors On Camera: Conclusion
If you want to know how to look good on camera, you need to understand what makes a good video and to present information in an engaging way. For many people who aren’t used to hearing about diseases or anatomy from doctors, it can be difficult to understand or remember what you’re saying. That’s why it’s important for doctors who want their videos seen and shared online to take some time learning about how people consume information these days, and then use those skills when making video content.
Owner of Memory Mill Media and seasoned video producer Zach Nassif has produced videos in Houston and Dubai for more than 20 years. Zach now helps companies attract and convert customers, tell their stories, and increase brand awareness using the power of video.