How to Sound More Conversational on Video

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BONUS FREEBIE: Your message deserves the media’s attention. So how do you get out there in a bigger way? I’ve got you covered. CLICK HERE to grab my free “Checklist to Become a Go-To Media Expert.”

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I’ve noticed a trend among my clients. A lot of them sound like robots when they’re recording video. 

Haha I know that sounds like a joke but it’s not. 

They’re using what I call “phone voice.”

This is the voice you use when you’re recording voicemails or dictating text messages. 

It’s robotic and impersonal, which is exactly the opposite of what you want to sound like when you’re doing video.

Instead, you want to be conversational and friendly. I call this “video voice” — and it’s a lot closer to the way you talk when you’re speaking face-to-face. 

Lots of conversations that used to happen in person are now happening over video.  It’s important to know how to translate your personality and message into the best format for virtual meetings and video interviews. 

And it’s key  to do video rather than phone calls. 

Studies show that after two weeks, people don’t remember whether they saw you in person or over video. Quality videos can help you grow your audience and connect with people. 

That’s why I came up with three steps you can take to start perfecting your video voice. 

• Choose video voice over phone voice.

First, you have to recognize if you’re using phone voice. If you hear yourself sounding robotic, you know this is something you need to look out for and train yourself to stop doing. Before you record any kind of video, remind yourself to speak conversationally. Remember that you’re not speaking to the camera, you’re speaking to another person. Try to visualize your human audience to sound more natural. 

• Watch your videos

I know — lots of people don’t like watching themselves on video! But this is key to training yourself to start using video voice. Whenever you record a video, replay it and take note of what you’re doing well and what you want to work on. Does your voice sound natural? Are you using a lot of filler words like “um,” “so,” or “like”? I rewatch videos with my media training clients to help them see when they can improve on. It’s a great way to gauge your performance.

• Practice and have conversations with other people. 

Practice, practice, practice. So many more people are now doing video in situations where they would have been speaking in person. We’re all more comfortable talking to people in real life, so if you’re new to video or you want to improve your on-camera presence, don’t get discouraged. This is a new skill and it’ll take some time to sound conversational over video. I even have a whole course where I teach you how to produce compelling videos.

That’s why it’s so important to practice your video voice as much as you can. And it’s even better if you can arrange to practice with other people in the context of a webinar or video interview . 

I did an interview with Lisa Nickerson on her show Lunch with Lisa. I also chatted with Raquel Wilson, the CEO of Peachtree Versatile Assistants, about powering productivity using lists.

Being interviewed is a great way to practice doing video. Even if you’re doing a podcast and your face isn’t shown, you still want to use your friendly, natural video voice to connect with your audience. 

If you’re interested in getting booked on media check out my free three-part video course Be A Media Magnet.  

I’ll be doing more videos on social media, so please follow me on LinkedIn as well as Twitter and Facebook so you can catch my other videos.

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BONUS FREEBIE: Your message deserves the media’s attention. So how do you get out there in a bigger way? I’ve got you covered. CLICK HERE to grab my free “Checklist to Become a Go-To Media Expert.”

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