Why we reworked these sessions
Over the past months, the same pattern kept showing up in our Eyeline and Camera Presence work. People arrived with a good script and a clear message, then lost their footing the moment the red light came on. Their eyes drifted to a second monitor, their shoulders crept toward their ears, and the frame cut them off at an awkward point. None of it was a talent problem. It was a setup problem and a habit problem, and both can be changed with a little patient practice.
So this autumn we rebuilt the session around three things you can see and feel: where your eyes go, how you hold yourself, and how you sit inside the frame. Each gets its own block of time, with a short recording at the end of each so you can watch the difference for yourself rather than take our word for it.
Where to look, and why it matters
The first block is about the lens. Most adults who record business videos want to look at the person they imagine on the other side, which usually means looking at their own face on screen. The result reads as someone glancing past the viewer. We start by finding a spot on the lens, or just above it, that you can hold without strain, and we practise returning to it after every natural glance away.
We also talk about what to do when you need to check notes. A quick, deliberate look down and back reads as thoughtful. A slow drift reads as lost. You will practise both, so you know which one you are producing, and you will leave with a simple cue you can set beside your own camera.
- Choose one fixed point on or near the lens
- Return to it after every glance at notes
- Keep glances short and deliberate
Posture that looks relaxed on screen
The second block is posture. Sitting still for a recording is harder than it sounds, and tension shows up faster on video than in a meeting room. We look at how you sit, how far your chair is from the desk, where your hands rest and how much you lean toward the camera when you are making a point.
Megan Holloway and I usually work through this with a mirror and a short recording, then compare the two. Small changes matter more than large ones: dropping the shoulders once, planting both feet, letting the hands settle on the desk. The aim is a posture you can reproduce without thinking, so that you look engaged from the first sentence.
- Feet flat, back supported, shoulders loose
- Hands resting where they will not fidget
- Lean in slightly only to emphasise a point
Framing: how much of you the viewer sees
The third block covers framing, which people often leave to chance. Too much headroom makes you look small, a tight crop feels crowded, and a camera set below eye level is rarely flattering. We adjust camera height, distance and angle together, then check what sits behind you, because a cluttered shelf pulls attention away from what you are saying.
You can try this at home before any session. Set your camera so the lens is at eye level, leave a modest gap above your head, and frame yourself from the chest up. Record ten seconds, watch it with the sound off, and notice where your eye goes first. If it is not your face, move something.
What you take home after a session
After each session we send written feedback covering what we observed in the recordings, what improved and what to keep practising. It sits alongside a short exercise pack with eyeline drills, a posture check and a framing checklist you can reuse before any recording or live stream. Everything is written plainly, so you can pick it up a week later without needing to remember the conversation.
The feedback is encouraging but specific. We would rather tell you that your glances to the second monitor are running a little long than offer a general compliment. Most people find a clear, small thing to fix easier to act on than a broad instruction to relax.
- Written notes on what we saw and what to repeat
- A reusable exercise pack for home practice
Preparing for your first session
You do not need special equipment. Bring the camera or laptop you normally record on, a short script or talking points you have used before, and a sense of where you usually feel least comfortable. If you record in a particular room, a quick photo of the setup helps us talk about framing and light before we meet.
Sessions are friendly and unhurried, and nobody is expected to arrive polished. If you have questions about what suits your situation, or whether a colleague should join for a team workshop instead, you can write to us through the contact page and we will reply with a suggested next step.
Eyeline and camera presence are learnable habits, not gifts some people are born with. Over a few sessions you can expect to look steadier, sit more comfortably and frame yourself with less guesswork. If your recent videos feel slightly off and you cannot say why, this is a good place to start, and we would be glad to help you work it out.