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Why you should learn to twinkle for the camera

By Roz Morris, Managing Director, TV News London Ltd

‘Twinkle for the camera’ has always been a favourite phrase when we are training TV presenters.  If they don’t twinkle. People won’t warm to them. 

So why do you need to know about twinkling if you’re not a TV presenter?  Well in the last couple of years with the huge growth of social media and online videos, it’s no longer enough just to have still pictures on your LinkedIn page or your other social media accounts. 

You need to know how to make short videos and talk to your customers. Research shows that people respond better to your messages if they have a video or a picture. They remember more. They start to relate to you as a person. This is networking 21st-century style.

This is not just for celebrities with their millions of fans, it works for businesses too. Small businesses can use online video to build a market and increase growth.

Have you noticed how just this year on LinkedIn, there are now more and more videos and they start talking to you as you scroll over them?

This constant talking is the future. And it can only grow.  Latest YouTube stats show under 10% of small businesses have a YouTube channel.  Unlike large businesses, the majority of small businesses haven’t woken up to the fact that YouTube currently attracts about one-third of users on the internet with 150 million hours of YouTube content watched every day.  

There are over 60 million active business pages on Facebook and research shows that videos get the highest engagement rating from Facebook users despite currently making up only 3 percent of content published.  

As a broadcaster and a media trainer for more than 20 years, I’m used to helping spokespeople to get their messages across in radio and TV interviews. Now I’m also helping people to speak directly to their customers and potential customers through their own short online videos. Because, even though your equipment can be as basic as your smartphone, you can still make simple mistakes and spoil your message by looking unprofessional.

Some common mistakes include – untidy hair, fussy clothes, fussy setting/background, standing against the light near a window so your face is in shadow, and being hesitant and looking worried i.e. .not twinkling!  It’s not as easy as it looks to do this well.

If you’d like to know how to do this properly, why not join me at one of my ‘ Twinkle for the Camera’ Workshop on Thursday 22 November in Central London? You can practice talking to your phone or tablet with expert advice on content and performance.

This interactive session will help you to:

•  Look your best in online videos and in TV interview

•  Define your key messages and convince people you are worth listening to

•  Gain business through using video to increase your online profile

Find out more info here: http://www.tvnewslondon.co.uk/courses.aspx

Watch my video below:

https://youtu.be/pywnnuhg7g8