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RE: STEEM-focused Content and The FIRST PRINCIPLES of Steem
Wow you're amazing, not only because every word you speak is thoughtful and contains value, but also because of your confidence, the way you build a relationship with the viewer .
I tried recording a Video today that I wanted to post, but decided not to, because it doesn't look or felt natural, I make to many pauses and "uhm's". May I ask how long you've been practicing or if you're naturally talented?
I have to disappoint you, all points you make I agree with! Regards from Germany :)
Well, I don't think I'm naturally talented, I can tell you that much. So I do think you could do this if you set your mind to it. I will tell you that I have NOT published everything I have SHOT. Some stuff just doesn't work. I wasn't having a good day, I hadn't thought about the content deeply enough or I hadn't come up with a good enough script. If it isn't clear, sometimes I improvise, sometimes I read a script, sometimes I do something in between. When I improvise, believe it or not, I prepare by wondering around my apartment rambling out loud, haha. I probably look like an insane person! In order to improvise I have to have a firm grasp of what I'm talking about. In other words it must be something I've been thinking about for a number of days, weeks, possibly even years. Economics has been a passion of mine for many years, hence my ability (hopefully) to talk about relatively complex subjects with relative ease. That's actually years of work. I also briefly did stand up comedy. I'm sure the practice that came with that was insanely beneficial, and that would probably be a great way to learn real quick. Of course it can also be horribly demoralizing. I'll give it some more thought though and maybe I'll do a post on this specifically. One thing I would say is that it's important to realize that this is me attempting to act like my authentic self. The moment you turn on the camera you are acting. You are not being yourself. So don't be disappointed if you're acting weird. The trick is to get closer and closer to your authentic self. And practicing not saying "Um" and "You know" is an ongoing struggle for me. Editing helps a lot with that ;) It might also help you to know that I am naturally quite shy and introverted :)
P.S. I remembered another important thing. I TRY to talk fast. It sounds simple, borderline moronic, but for me it is very important not to think too much. That's when you say "um" and "you know." I actually didn't do that in this video, but I probably should have. Don't think, just talk. Force words out even if you feel like you don't know what you're talking about. Just SPEW words. If you know what you want to discuss it might surprise you how much what you say actually makes sense!
I had a professor once (it just so happens, also from Germany) who noticed me doing the exact thing that you're doing, but he didn't think that was a problem. What he thought was a problem was the apprehension I had over the pauses and the ums. That is what makes it sound unnatural, is your apprehension. He told me that if you need to pause for a moment, as a person who is familiar enough with the topic to teach it to others, the audience sure as shit needs a pause as well so that they can process the information you've just given. If you rattle it off faster than even you can think it through, it will go over everyone's heads and people will surely be bored to tears.
He said instead to embrace those pauses and let them help you get to the next thought. The audience will enjoy the presentation more and you will feel more comfortable as a result. All of my presentations after that have been much improved and I don't freeze up like I did when I started out.
Also of importance is practice. You simply have to just do this kind of thing repeatedly in order to get good at it. I hope this is of some help.