Some people LOVE to be on camera. They're naturals.

The vast majority of us however, are petrified and feel terribly self conscious. Being on TV ranks up there with public speaking as the thing people fear most.

How do you overcome that fear in order to make your own web videos?

Practice.

I have been lucky enough to make buddies with a guy who is a genuine Hollywood actor. Thom McFadden has been in hundreds of shows and here's a link to his You Tube video. Go see how many times you recognize him!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQabPRl4hnE

Thom has been teaching me some acting tricks and I want to share them with you. Even if you're just trying to make a sales video for your website, it helps to have a bit of acting practice. It will help you feel more comfortable tooting your own horn!

Plus, the more enthusiastic you can be, the more that will rub off on your customers and entice them to buy. A good sales video displays some passion for the product.

Here is some great advice Thom has given me about how to act on camera with passion and enthusiasm.

As you're developing web videos and thinking about the way you want to portray yourself, you'll want to start with humanity. No matter what kind of web video "character" you're trying to achieve, humanity is at the root of us all.

What is humanity? Humanity is what drives us all, it's what makes us human. It's what fuels our soul.

How do you recognize someone's humanity? It's whatever they feel passionately about. Passions reveal where their humanity lies.

To better understand what I'm talking about, start with yourself.

Ask yourself what it is you love. What is it you stand for? What are you willing to debate about to convince people? What makes you excited?

Now, if you were completely unafraid, this is what you'd stand up and shout out to the world at the top of your lungs. Hey, look at me, LISTEN TO ME! Here's what I have to say!

In everyday life, we often live the opposite, afraid for others to see the real us, so we hide behind polite facades. That gets boring and web video needs to be exciting, not boring so I want you to learn to feel unencumbered and unafraid to show some passion. Break out of your comfort zone.

That's hard for lots of people to do, but that's what acting is all about so I'm going to teach you some exercises to help you get in touch with and reveal your passion. The exercises will give you practice and help you rekindle and stoke your passions.

People connect to other people through their emotions. If you're going to make successful web videos, you've got to be able to attract people on an emotional level. That emotional connection is what motivates people to act. So if you want to sell to people, displaying passion and emotion is the best thing you can do. If you're excited what you have to offer and your customers will be too!

Now some of these exercises I'm about to teach you might seem exaggerated, and you might feel a little funny doing them. They ARE a bit exaggerated, but that's the whole point. If you can get comfortable acting in an exaggerated way in your own living room while no one is watching, you'll be better able to act in an appropriately enthusiastic way once the cameras start rolling.

How do you understand and reveal your humanity in a web video character? Body language, gestures, tone of voice, all of these things. How you stand, where you hold your hands.

Let's practice.

Hold your hands up over your head. Palms outstretched to the sky. Jump up and down to get your blood flowing. Shout!

Now, ask yourself how you feel? Excited? Pumped up? Of course you do. It's impossible for you NOT to feel excited and pumped up when you put your hands up over your head and shout.

Now, let's go into a little bit more detail.

Start by make a list of everything you believe in. What are your core values and beliefs? Your world view, your philosophy of life? Write everything down.

Now, stand up on your soapbox, literally. Stand up on something that makes you taller, the sofa, a chair, whatever is handy. This helps you feel powerful. Now, shout out to the world what you want them to hear. It doesn't matter that no body is actually listening at the moment, say it anyway! Raise your arms up over your head. Clench your fist and shake it, feel the passion flow from your soul.

Now do the same thing sitting down. Lean forward in your chair and be forceful. Pound your fists on the table.

Now, do it while walking around the room.

Try it again while lying down. Can you even stay lying down?

Every time you recite your list of passions, feel the rhythm and electricity going through your body. That's what passion feels like. That's what passion looks like.

Now, I want you to think about public speakers who display lots of passion. Preachers and polititians are both good examples. Think about their body language, their voice and their mannerisms.

The movements of their arms are generally uplifting and energetic. Common gestures include clenched fists, sawing in the air and hands over their heads. The strength of their emotion comes through in their voices; their entire body vibrates with power and forcefulness.

Practice again with a different "script." Talk about things you're perhaps not quite as passionate about, and this time concentrate more on the gestures and mannerisms that display passion. Hold your hands above your head, palms up and reaching toward the sky you can feel yourself becoming more excited and powerful.

Deepen your voice. Talk louder. Let your body shake with emotion.

The more you practice, the more you'll get in touch with your deepest humanity. Break out of your comfort zone and rise to the next level.

Once you do that, just imagine how much easier it will be getting in front of that camera and convince your customers that your product or service is JUST THE PERFECT thing to solve all their problems. You are so excited about it and they will be too! Excited happy people are excited happy buying customers. You have now connected to them on an emotional level, the deepest connection we humans have. Our humanity.

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