Want to be better on camera? Start with these 7 tips

SOME ESSENTIAL TIPS - SEPT 2026

Feel more confident on camera: 7 tips from Aspire

Hello to you ,,, 

Whether you’re presenting on television, filming a YouTube video, sharing a quick Instagram update or speaking on camera for your business, the aim is similar: connect with your audience and give them something worth watching.

At Aspire, we encourage people to bring their own personality to presenting. You don’t need to become someone else, you need to get comfortable letting the camera see you!

Here are seven practical tips to try next time you press record.

7 TOP TIPS

1. Speak to one person

Imagine you’re explaining something to a friend. This helps your delivery feel warmer and more conversational. When addressing the viewer directly, look into the lens rather than watching yourself on screen.

2. Give your opening a purpose

Make it clear early on why someone should keep watching. Try opening with a useful promise, an interesting question or something your audience will recognise.

For example: “If you lose your train of thought on camera, here are three things to try.”

3. Prepare your points, then say them naturally

For videos that don’t require an exact script, jot down your opening, three key points and your ending. Practise explaining those points aloud in slightly different ways. You’ll know where you’re going without feeling tied to every word.

If you’re using a script or autocue, read it aloud beforehand and adjust any phrases that don’t sound like you.

4. Give your words room to land

Nerves can make us rush. Pause after an important point, take a comfortable breath and allow yourself time to think. A pause often feels much longer to you than it does to the viewer!

Vary your pace and emphasise the words that carry the meaning, rather than delivering every sentence in the same rhythm.

5. Let your body support your message

Release tension in your shoulders, find a comfortable posture and allow natural hand gestures. You don’t need to stand completely still, but repeated swaying or fidgeting can distract from what you’re saying.

Before recording, breathe out slowly, loosen up and focus on the message you want to share.

6. Adapt to the format

For television, practise working to time and staying composed when instructions or circumstances change.

For YouTube, give your video a clear structure and keep each section moving towards the promise you made at the start.

For social media, choose one clear idea per short video and get into it promptly.

For business videos and interviews, use plain language and examples that make your point easy to understand.

Your personality can stay consistent while your pace, detail and tone suit the situation.

7. Review with a purpose

Watch a recording once for the message and once for your delivery. Was the point clear? Did you sound interested? Were you easy to follow?

Choose just one thing to improve on the next take. Trying to fix everything at once can make you overly self-conscious.

Your five-minute challenge

Record a 60-second video sharing a tip about something you know well. Give it a clear opening, one useful idea and a simple ending. Watch it back, choose one adjustment and record it again.

The aim is to become clearer, more comfortable and more recognisably you.

If you’d like some personal guidance, simply reply and tell us what you’re working towards  television, YouTube, social content or confidence on camera for your business. We’d love to help you find your next step.

Happy presenting!

Darren Darren Simons Founder of Aspire Presenting Ltd London Aspire Presenting www.aspirepresenting.com