Just like a sprinter warms up for training, warming up to be on video is just as important.
Showing up with the right energy and intention will help you hit your mark and engage with your audience.
But let’s be honest, some days we just aren’t feeling it. We might wake up flat, have an issue to deal with in our business, or feel like there is too much on our to-do list today.
How do we combat these feelings and kick those goals? Here are some mental and physical exercises to change your state and warm up your body ready to be on camera.
Getting in the right headspace
Mindset is everything! If you’re not feeling it, it’s going to show up in your delivery.
So how do you change your state?
Sometimes I wake up flat, with no motivation to start my to-do list, and especially no desire to get in front of a camera!
When I feel like this at the very beginning of the day, something simple I do to change my state before I even get out of bed is force myself to smile.
I make myself smile and say to myself ‘today is going to be a good day.’
Smiling is a natural drug; the act of smiling releases endorphins and serotonin to help us feel good.
Smiling is a great state-changer that I use before recording any video, at the beginning of every podcast interview (usually before my guest joins the call) and anytime I start feeling flat.
Vocal warmups
Do you ever wake up in the morning and the first words that come out of your mouth are more like a squeak escaping your body?
With cold muscles and shallow lungs, our speaking will not be at its best, so it’s important to warm up our diaphragm, lungs and throat with a few exercises.
- Breathe
Start by yawning. Let a big gulp of air fall into your lungs. Then spend a few minutes deep breathing. I usually do six-ten deep breaths through my nose.
- Hum
Next, we need to wake up the chest and the deep, low vocal cords. Humming a long ‘mmm’ while gently patting our chest with our fist will help to get those membranes moving.
- Stretch
Gently stretch your neck from side to side and forwards in a semi-circle. Do this at least six times, and then rotate your shoulders in slow circles forwards six times and backward six times. This will help loosen the tension in your neck and shoulders to feel more relaxed in front of the camera.
- Read
Choose a passage to read out loud from a book, article or newspaper. Read it out loud and totally over the top. Overemphasise and dramatise whatever piece of scripture you choose to finish warming up your tongue, face, vocal cords and lungs.
The more over the top the better, because this can also get you in a more lively headspace to start recording.
Feel good in what you’re wearing
How we feel on the inside starts with how we look on the outside. You are going to look and feel much more confident on camera if you wear something that makes you feel good!
That may be fun colours, accessories or simply your favourite shirt.
There is no right or wrong thing to wear on video, it is completely up to your own personal style and how you want to represent yourself and your brand.
If you’re not quite sure where to start, check out this post on what to wear and avoid wearing on camera.
Remember why you’re doing it in the first place
What is your why?
Who are you going to help by putting this video out?
How will this little step help you towards your big goal?
I find that bringing my why back into view helps to pull me out of a flat state of mind. Every step towards our goals is going to bring us that little bit closer.
So, are you ready to get out your camera and share your message with the world?
To help you target your content, language and energy to the right people, check out this post on the ‘One Person’ Visualisation technique.
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