Many of us shy away from pictures and run screaming when someone tries to video us. I recently learned the value of filming yourself in the classroom during certification for Verbal Defense and Influence, a class I will be teaching numerous times in the coming years. As part of the certification you spend a LOT of time in front of the camera. As part of the certification I had to complete a teach-back and during this time I was filmed for 3 hours. What a lesson.
Here was what I learned:
- I have got to lose some weight. Yea, the camera adds 10-15 pounds, but it doesn’t add 60.
- I have got to cut my hair shorter. I knew I was growing a solar panel on the back of my head, but I had no idea I had a fin growing over the top.
- I swing my arms, say “um” a lot more than I realized, and pace too much.
You may be thinking, “being in front of the camera doesn’t sound like much fun.” I don’t know about fun, but I got more feedback on my classroom skills in three hours than I have been given in all of my feedback over the last 10 years combined. No filter, no-one trying to keep from hurting my feelings, just raw feedback that I can work with to hone my skills and improve my art.
So how can a poor trainer get a camera with which to obtain this amazing feedback? Great question. I used an old I-Phone and purchase an adapter that allowed me to mount the I-Phone on a tripod. I used the X-Shot tripod mount for my old I-Phone 5 which works very well. I can attach it to any one of my tripods and have used it to film both in the classroom and in the great outdoors. In a moderate size classroom it even picks up voices well enough to provide excellent feedback on your voice projection. Yes, I could have sold it back to a phone vendor for $80, but I now have a dedicated video camera that I can use any time for feedback.
Of course you do not have to use an I-phone and there are a number of other phones/camera’s that would work well. Want more information? Check out the Austin Mann website for equipment and techniques. He focuses on the I-Phone but the techniques and equipment are transferable to any phone/camera you choose.
Happy Training.
