Business Innovators Radio - Elaine Williams: How to Captivate the Crowd On Camera

Episode Date: November 29, 2023

Elaine Williams is a video performance coach and comedian who has over a decade of experience working with entrepreneurs to build confidence and a captivating presence on camera to get their message out in the world with authenticity, ease and humor. Some of her credits include: Saturday Night Live, America’s Got Talent, HBO, TV Networks, The New York Times & the Huffington Post.Learn more at: CaptivateTheCrowd.com Rebelpreneur Radio with Ralph Brogdenhttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/rebelpreneur-radio-with-ralph-brogden/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/elaine-williams-how-to-captivate-the-crowd-on-camera

Your Resistance is futile. The revolution has begun. We're listening to Revelpreneur Radio, helping you break the rules and build the business you need for the life you want. And now, broadcasting his pirate signal. From somewhere beyond the status quo. Here's your host, best-selling author, marketing and media strategist, Ralph Brogden.

Hello and welcome to Rebelpreneur Radio. it's the show that helps you build the business you need so you can live the life you want. I'm Ralph Brogden. Building confidence and a captivating presence on camera. Why is that important? Well, hopefully one day you will achieve fame and recognition on a worldwide stage. But in the meanwhile, most people get their start with podcasting or with YouTube. And so this is where you learn how to create that.

captivating presence on video. This is a podcast, so you don't get to see us. But I have a guest today who's very captivating on camera, and she's an expert at helping people to become more captivating on camera. Elaine Williams is a video performance coach and a comedian who has for over a decade been working with entrepreneurs to build confidence and a captivating presence on camera to get their message out in the world. with authenticity, ease, and humor.

Some of her credits include Saturday Night Live, America's Got Talent, HBO, TV networks, the New York Times, the Huffington Post, and several more. So I can't wait to see what Elaine has for us today. Elaine Williams, welcome to Rebelpreneur Radio. Thank you, Ralph. I'm really excited to be here again. Yeah, this is the second time around. You came back.

Yes. Yeah, so it's nice to be. to connect with you again. Tell us a little bit about how you got into the business. As a comedian, I imagine that you've been working on your camera presence for a long time. Tell us a little bit about that and then how you made the transition over to helping entrepreneurs become more confident on camera. Sure. Thank you for the question. So I moved to New York thinking I was going to do theater. I wanted to be the next Merrill Streep. And people kept saying,

you're funny. And I was like, what are you mean? Because, you know, I'd lived this sweet little life in Austin, Texas. And then moving to New York, I lived in a horrible women's dorm with the paint peeling. It, you know, it was just a really, the first year and a half was like tough. And people kept saying, you're funny, you're funny. And I had never thought of myself like that. So I finally took an improv class. And then I took stand-up. And I was not, I didn't know how to be funny on demand. But then when I got to the night of the show and I started, started talking about my dysfunctional family, people lost it. And I had that light bulb moment, oh, I was supposed to help people. And so my life made sense because there had been a lot of trauma

addiction, you name it. And so I was like, oh, okay. And then I knew, okay, I love the arts, but I don't want to be an 85 year old waitress of Denny's. Like what else? And so I started training as a life coach because I love helping people. And then I fell into speaking on the college circuit. So I was talking about really tough subjects like alcohol and eating disorders and drugs, but then I would use humor. And so I learned how to talk about tough subjects and keep people awake, right? And so, and then it just kind of morphed into, I realized I could be helping more people with their speaking. And I thought I was going to do speaking coach stuff. And then Facebook Live came down the pike.

And I realized, okay, wow, that's even more scary for a lot of people to be. on camera. And so that's when I started captivate the crowd in 2016. And it just keeps evolving. But I love helping people like you, find their voice and tap into that power, you know? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's awesome. Facebook Live, I didn't even think about that when I was doing the intro, but, you know, YouTube is kind of the ubiquitous video thing. But then Facebook came along. Here's Facebook Live. And then we had a pandemic. And it's like overnight, the world. went to Zoom and Zoom stock just zoomed. And you see all these people on camera that really were unprepared and caught off guard.

But because it was a pandemic and that's the best we could get anyway, we really didn't pay a lot of attention to how we were projecting ourselves on cameras. It's like, wow, it's nice to see another face and make some kind of a connection. But now that's over with. here we are, 2023, almost 2024. A lot of people are still on Zoom. A lot of people are still doing Facebook lives and doing YouTube channels. But I don't think that the quality of the on-camera presence has really improved over the years.

So it's like, but now, because we are more interested. in how people look and how they interact, we don't, we don't, we're not going to give people a pass like we did in the pandemic where I'm just, I'm just glad there's another human being out there someplace, no matter what you look like. Now people are really paying more attention to, to the camera. So why is it such a, why is it such a struggle for people to get their act together on camera? Well, I think there's a lot of, there's a lot of things happening, right? So we have, we've been conditioned, especially if you're female.

I mostly work with females, a few smart men and mostly females, but you know, you're conditioned to be a certain way and, and there's a lot of pressure to look young and not have wrinkles and not have silver hair or whatever. And then there's that internal pressure. And then, yeah, there's just a lot happening. And so what part of my job is to help people create empowering things happening in their head, right? Because you have the inner critic that's like, oh, you look old today. I don't know, nobody cares.

Everybody knows this, right? There's that inner critic. It's just our ego, our identity, trying to keep us sane. So I work with people a lot on coming from the inside out. Like, what is your why? Why did you start your business? On my wall, it says, remember why you started, you know? And instead of focusing on, oh, my God, my hair, I use my inner techniques about thinking

about what is your commitment. How do you want to make a difference for people? If you're a coach, speaker, author, healer, how does your work save lives? And when you can think about the difference you're trying to make, that's so much bigger than like, oh, her hair was off, right? And so, and I really work on reframing it, right? Because I used to be afraid, Ralph. I used to be like, hi, hi, everybody.

So today we're going to talk about being bold. You know, I was not congruent. And I realized I was hoping that I wouldn't get bullied or made fun of by my fellow comics. And I was like, Elaine, that's so inauthentic, right? And so my mentor was bullied in a very, in like a 10,000 person Facebook group. This woman made fun of her list and was just really mean and petty and catty. And her mentor said, yay, being bullied means you've made it.

And I tell that story every time I start working with somebody new because is your goal to not be bullied or is your goal to make a difference with your life or legacy or boys? because anybody who's cutting out through the mainstream and speaking their truth, there's going to be some shade somewhere, right? There's a whole YouTube channel is devoted to Oprah and Gail and Tony Robbins. And it's like, do they even spend a minute? No, because they have this big commitment, these big missions, and who, you know what? Like, go do something with your life other than it and make fun of me, right? And so I just try to get people freed up. Because so much of that is just holding us back, right?

So I have heard some people say, oh, just fake it till you make it. You know, just get up there. If you act like you got it together, you will come across to have someone who has it together. What do you think about that advice? Is that good advice? I don't. I don't. I've been told that.

And I don't like, because I'm really into mindset, right? And I think if you tell your brain, fake it till you make it, I just feel like there's another layer saying, BS on your stuff. And so I would rather think, okay, so maybe you're not where you're supposed to say you want to be. Maybe you don't have your own TV show or whatever your big lofty goal is. But let's just take a few minutes. And, you know, that's part of my job, Ralph, and I bet you do it too, is I remind people how amazing. they are, what they've already overcome.

You know, I have a client who's been an organizer for 19 years, and she'll, every once she'll call me and be like, ah, and I'll go, 19 years, 19 years. Like, that's a long time to be a successful business person as a single mom. Like, and so part of my job is to help remind people of who they really are, right? because, and that's another challenge, right? Like Instagram, everybody looks perfect and skinny and Barbie and perfect houses. And so I love to remind people of like, that can be smoking mirrors. That could be a set.

That could be a rented house. That could be an Airbnb. And at the end of the day, who cares? Like, bring it back to like who you are, who you help and how you help them and what value are you're trying to give. And then another thing I love to remind people, Ralph, is like, When you're passionate, you're beautiful. Your hands, right? Like, when someone is speaking about something that they are passionate about, a cause,

a mission, it is captivating, right? No one's going, oh, gosh, she's really got to get some wrinkle cream or whatever, right? Like, Martin Luther King, we were, like, captivated by him. Like, think about amazing speakers. And so I love working with, like, can you tap into that? because that's that charisma right yeah that's that intangible quality that attracts people without you trying to attract people it's just people are attracted um when you when you're talking about the gremlins when you have a narrative inside that says i'm just going to fake it until i make it

these same people will then turn around and say you know i really struggle with imposter syndrome i don't I don't feel like I'm being real. Well, this is because you're not. First of all, you're saying I have to fake it in order to make it. So basically, I have to be a fraud to get everyone to approve of me. And it's also saying I haven't made it. I'm still in this upward climb instead of like you're talking about value, who you are, what you contribute, all that you have already overcome and already accomplished. And let that be the genuine, authentic, passionate, excited, you.

that comes across and people kind of overlook everything else. At least I think that is that is why people who are at a certain level, they just don't care. They don't care what they wear. They don't care what they look like. They just get up there and do their thing and people are blown away by it. Right. So they have the credentials.

But yes, I really think I very much dislike that frame. because I think it's not good for anybody. You know, and this whole thing with social media is we feel the need to be perfect, but nobody can relate to perfect, you know? So I'm like, share your imperfection, share that you're a master who's still in process, a work in progress. I mean, obviously, you need to own your value and own your expertness, but that does not mean you have to be perfect.

Wonderful, wonderful. advice. So, all right. So let's throw a hypothetical out there. Let's say that I've got a big Zoom presentation I've got to do next week. What are some helpful tips I should keep in mind before I go on camera and make a big fool out of myself? What are the biggest mistakes people make and how can we overcome those big mistakes? Well, thank you. I'm amazed at how many people still do meetings where they're like this. Looking up your nose. Looking up your nose.

Like you, I like to have the camera slightly above my eye level because it's more flattering. And it takes 10 pounds and 10 years off of you. You want to be facing towards the light. You do not want to be backlit. You want to, I like to have some kind of background. I don't like the green screens because I have curly hair.

So it just looks weird. but you can have, you know, you just don't want anything that's shimmery like a mirror, but you don't want to have just a plain background either. So, you know, you always want to look and see, like this is a brown jacket that I'm wearing, but it looks black. So you always want to check and see how is it going to look on camera. If you have glasses, you want to make sure your light is way above so that you're not getting the glare because that's hard for people, you know, you want to have the light,

way higher. And you can have notes. It's okay to have notes, but you want to have practice with them so that you're not going like trying to sneak it because that's weird. You can absolutely say, I'm just going to check one thing because I want to make sure I get everything covered. Right. So you can make it quick, but you don't have to like sneak it. And you can also have stuff, you know, taped to your screen. That's another great thing. But I would also say, don't do too many PowerPoint. I think I would rather feel you. I want, if you have something you're teaching or hopefully sharing some inspiration as well, you know, we want to see you. So sure, have some slides. That's great. But if it's too many, I start to get checked out.

I'm trying to think of other things. Obviously, you don't want to wear anything crazy. The jingles or any kind of crazy pattern because that can make people feel dizzy, literally. And start off strong, even though I just started teaching speaking again because I love it so much. I always say, I like to start with like, how many of you are worried about how to pay for college? Or how many of you know the Christmas 10 pounds is coming? How many of you, right? Like, I like to start with a question or like a big, bold statement because it grabs their attention.

Instead of like, hi, thanks so much for having me. So my name's like boring. That's how everybody opens, right? Right? So like, start with a thing of like, you know, I say the problem in our quest to stand. out to make a difference as most coaches, authors, and speakers take themselves way too seriously, which is boring and off-putting. I mean, that's a bold statement. I believe it's true. It might make some other people mad, but it's a bold statement that is to me so much more fun with a quote,

a story, a bold thing, or a hooking question. And then one other thing at the end, now this is whether you're speaking or doing a Zoom presentation, you never want to just leave with Q and A because it's kind of like, it's like the energy. It just, it's not, that's what they're going to remember. So let's say you and I are talking, blah, blah, blah, blah, okay, thank you, Ralph. Great question. So I'm answering you. I'm answering you.

And then the moderator says, okay, we have to wrap up. Let's see. So if anybody has other questions, email me, my contacts and the thing, here's what I want you to leave you with. Nobody does it like you. Nobody does it like you, and somebody is dying to hear exactly what you have to say right now. So your job is to keep getting out of your own way because the world needs you now or something. And so to me, that's just a really fun way to leave.

Some kind of cult action, right? Absolutely. I think that's worth the price of admission to this show. today. Because I've done that. I've done that. I've seen people do that. And it's like, well, let's open it up for some Q&A.

You take some Q&A and it's like, okay. And you do that. And then it's like, any more questions? Well, okay. Thanks for being here, guys. We'll see you next time. Right. And that's what they remember.

Yeah. So you want to tie it up with a bow. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So, yeah, if, if, and that makes sense because when you're doing a lecture or a presentation that doesn't have a Q&A at the end of it, you always know you got to leave on a upbeat, leave them with a challenge or leave them with a big thought or something. But then it's like Q&A, we forget. We need to close that off. And then it kind of whimpers out at the end,

especially if you don't have a lot of really vibrant Q&A going on. You can tell the atmosphere just shifts beneath your feet. So that's a great way. That's a great. Great tip. Everything you said was really good, especially people who are forcing you to look up their nostrils when they get on camera. Please, please, please, if you're going to be on camera, put the top third of the screen level with your eyes so that at least we're not looking up your nose when you're speaking. And if you can't do that, because. you're using a built-in laptop camera, just raise your laptop up, put some books on it or something. Yeah. And, you know, figure it out.

There's ways to hack anything. But these are just simple things. And if you have a message that is worth delivering, then you have a message that is worth taking the time to do these little hacks with the right lighting, the right camera level. and don't end on a Q&A, end on a positive, a quote, a story of a challenge. That's always a good way to leave things. My challenge for you today is this. If you don't remember anything else, remember this. But close all of that off with a nice conclusion that ends on a positive energy note.

Love it, love it. Elaine, what are you working on right now that's got you really excited that you'd like to share with our listeners? Well, thank you for asking, Ralph. So I'm so excited that I do the video and getting to work with speakers again has been such a joy. Getting to be on a big stage was so fun after being on Zoom so much. And I'm coming out. I have a new keynote called The Power of Healing Through Laughter. And it talks about the positivity when you can have a comedic mindset, no matter what's going to

on your day, you can shift. And it talks about also how you can be a shepherd of humor. You don't have to be the one telling the joke because that can be scary and everyone's so afraid they're going to offend, but you can be the one who shares the funny dog video or the far side cartoon. There's a million ways you can add levity in a safe way. And then the last point is like, and if you want to add humor, here's some other tips. So anyway, so that's been, I've been speaking about that more and I have a book coming out in the spring and so I am still we're still in the stages it's a group book about the power of community but I'm talking about the power of humor in it because I do think that humor can change a culture can change a relationship can change

a home there's so many things when you just bring a little bit of levity in love it can shift everything And so that's what I'm working on. I want to get on bigger stages. So Ralph, if you know anybody, I'm excited to go into some corporations and talk about the comedic mindset and how that can really create a positive environment, which creates more productivity and more fun. And when people want to come to work and stay, like, how cool is that? Sure. That's a lot of what I'm working on. That's really fun.

And I like what you said about comedy being able to shift so many things. things, it shifts the energy in the room. It shifts the energy in your mind. If you can look at things instead of falling apart over them, if you can find the humor in them, you can create your own transformation, your own energy shift right there in the moment. So that's powerful and that's very important. And I could see where that would be useful in a corporate situation, of course. as people come to work at their, they're depressed and they're stressed out. So if we can learn to laugh at our situation. And, yeah, especially for entrepreneurs, rebelpreneurs, solopreneurs out there, try to find some humor in your day-to-day activities and don't take yourself so seriously.

Elaine, what is the best way for people to reach out and connect with you? I think the best way is if you go to captivate the crowd.com, I have a really cool free gift where you get a video script. So if anybody wants to start playing with video and you don't know where to start, there is a whole training. So you can just put your email in and you get this really cool PDF, but then there's also video trainings to take you through it. And I'm really excited because that we just re-released that. And then if you want to have fun, too, you can find me on Instagram at Elaine Williams Fun. E-L-A-I-N-E-E-Williams Fun, F-U-N. And I share tips and tools and motivation and humorous stuff and being humorin.

You know, like, where are my glasses? I can't buy my glasses. You know, they're on the top of your head. You know, we've all done it, right? Yeah. This morning, Ralph, was that you? No. Probably so.

Probably so. Yeah, or I can't find my phone. Oh, it's right here in my pocket and that sort of thing. Oh, my gosh. So Wanda Syke has the whole bit where she's like, I can't find my phone. She's on her phone talking to her friend. And she literally is like, I went back in the store. I looked at my car. Hang on a second. She changes hands. And I mean, it's so funny. And we laugh because we've all done it, right? Yeah, yeah. It's like, what's the number to 911? I've got an emergency. Oh, my God. Elaine, it's been really, really sweet to connect with you again. Elaine Williams is a video performance coach and comedian, and she helps entrepreneurs build confidence and captivating presence on camera. Captivate the crowd.com is the website to go and connect with Elaine. Thank you so much for being on Rebel Purdue Radio today.

I really appreciate it. Thank you, Ralph. Thanks for having me. See you again soon. I hope. You've been listening to Rebelpreneur Radio with Ralph Brogden. Download the show notes and much more at Rebelpreneur.com.