Easily Getting Video Recordings For Public Speaking Improvement

One of the most powerful performance improvement tools that anyone who is involved in public speaking has at their disposal is recorded video.

This can help not only with presentation delivery, but also with body language and expressions. And in the modern age of the smartphone, virtually everyone carries a video camera.

Using your phone for recording and playback can be a great way to help identify and improve areas of your speech or presentation that need attention.

The best part is that there are some very inexpensive accessories that can be used to give you much higher quality recordings. For example, a simple, clip-on microphone can be used with your phone to provide improved sound.

This can be a great way to ensure that every word of your speech is picked up clearly.

So let me introduce you to the equipment first, then I will discuss the various things that you can do with your smartphone video camera once you have this awesome equipment.

Gear Every Public Speaking Professional Must Have

Getting a video of a speech or presentation tends to be a bit of a hassle because usually an additional person is required to operate the video camera.

Well that hassle is pretty much eliminated if you use a smart, remote controlled tripod designed to work with your smartphone.

Here is an example of what I am talking about for less than $30:

Note: I am not endorsing this particular item because I don’t personally own it. I am providing you with an example of what is available and inexpensive to turn your smart phone into a highly functional, independently operated video recording device using a Bluetooth remote that works within a 30 foot range.

Here are the features of this particular smart tripod:

• Adjustable from 16-55 inches. That means you can set it up on a table or on the floor.
• Only weighs about 1 lb. and is very portable.
• Highly adjustable phone positioning with locking.
• The most important feature: Remote video camera on/off switching via Bluetooth.

To do a search for yourself on Amazon, use a term like this: smartphone tripod with Bluetooth remote.

Here are some things that you need to keep in mind as you are considering getting one of these:

The real value of a smart tripod is that it eliminates the need for a second person to start and stop the smartphone video camera when getting a recording of a speech or presentation.

And this sort of equipment could also come in very handy for any type of personal video recording that you may want to do as well.

Another Inexpensive Equipment Consideration

If you choose to use your phone for capturing videos of your public speaking (or personal use for that matter), in addition to a smart tripod like the one above, I would also recommend that you get a 3-in-1 or 4-in-1 USB drive for your phone to store your videos.

Here’s an example of what I am talking about:

Note: I am not endorsing this particular product but I have something similar to this (the model I have was discontinued) and it works like a champ. It allows me to take videos on my phone and easily move (and/or play) them on my laptop. Videos can take up a lot of space on any device. This type of storage device eliminates that issue.

You just need to make sure that if you get a device like this that it will properly connect to your phone — that why I recommend the 3-in-1 or 4-in-1 types like this one that will have the proper smartphone connection along with a full USB connection.

The Real Value Of Video Recordings

If you know what you are looking for, video recordings can be a most valuable tool that can truly put a speaker on the fast track to success in front of audiences.

Here are some of the ways video recording can be used as it relates to public speaking performance improvement:

Rehearsal tool. Having the ability to remotely turn smartphone video recoding on and off remotely makes for a fantastic rehearsal tool for any speech or presentation — if you know how to do it.

Speaking improvement: When it comes to making rapid and targeted improvements in public speaking, nothing compares to being able to review a video of a presentation delivered to a live audience if you know exactly what to look for.

This is particularly important when evaluating how well the audience responded to humor that was incorporated into your speech or presentation.

The Bottom Line

I simply cannot overstate the importance of getting video recordings for public speaking performance reviews, especially when you are actively incorporating new humor additions.

Keep this in mind:

You CANNOT effectively or objectively evaluate how well you did when delivering a speech or presentation to an audience WHILE YOU ARE STANDING IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE.

Once you are in front of an audience, your entire focus should be on delivering your well rehearsed content and communicating directly to your audience as effectively as possible.

With a video recording, you can easily pinpoint specific areas of your speech or presentation that need adjustments afterward.

Don’t get me wrong — if someone is giving the exact same speech over and over again and they are satisfied with it in every way, there’s no reason to continually get video recordings.

I should also mention that while this sort of smartphone recording is great for performance review activities, if you are looking to get video footage for a promotional video, you will most likely need to have a more advance set-up or pay someone to do that for you.

Unless you want to just try to guess you way to success like most people try to do and then continue to be perplexed when you can’t make any real improvement in your public speaking…

A much faster path when it comes to becoming a skilled public speaking professional is to do the things that most people won’t do, don’t do or don’t know how to do

Recording and reviewing a video of your speeches and presentations is one such activity.

And now that virtually everyone has a smart phone with a video camera built in — well, there are really no excuses for not using this tool for public speaking performance improvement.