Transcript:

Brad Powell: 0:00

You’ve built a real business. Clients trust you. Your work gets results, but when it comes to showing up on video, something is getting in the way, because when you stare at the camera, either your mind goes blank or, worse, you start sounding like a robot, and the moment it’s over you’re thinking that didn’t sound like me at all. Well, you’re not alone. For most expert entrepreneurs, being seen on video isn’t the hard part. It’s coming across the way you do in person Clear, confident and relatable. So why is this so difficult? Well, that’s exactly what we’re unpacking in today’s episode. We’re starting with someone whose videos break every rule you think you’re supposed to follow and by the end, you’re going to walk away with three ways to show up on camera that actually build trust, without trying harder or doing more. So let’s dive in. This is Mel Robbins no makeup, no script, didn’t even brush her hair. She’s sitting on her porch talking straight into her phone, and over a million people have watched this video. She’s 56. She’s not chasing trends, she’s not optimizing for the algorithm, she’s just showing up. Hey, it’s your friend, mel Robbins, and I just wanted to tell you I think you are f***ing awesome. Wait, that’s allowed. Everything we’ve been told says you want to look polished, you’re supposed to sound professional, you need to be camera ready, whatever that means, but what if that’s the thing that’s making you forgettable? That question is at the heart of today’s episode, because if you’ve ever felt like video just doesn’t come naturally, or you’ve watched someone like Mel and thought that would never work for me, you’re not alone. And yet what is she doing? It’s not magic, it’s not charisma. It’s a skill, one that any expert can develop, and today I’m going to show you what that skill actually is, how I had to learn it the hard way, and how you can start practicing it, even if video has felt like your blind spot until now, and if you stay until the end. I’ll share three simple ways you can show up on camera that build trust faster than any script or strategy ever will. Let’s keep going.

Brad Powell: 2:31

For most of my 50s, I was behind the camera. I was working as a freelance videographer. I had a five-year contract with National Geographic and I was helping others show up beautifully graphic and I was helping others show up beautifully. I was the guy making sure that they looked good, telling their stories and, honestly, I told myself that was enough. I didn’t need to be seen. My job was to lift others up. But here’s what I didn’t admit, not even to myself. I wasn’t just choosing to stay behind the scenes, I was kind of hiding out because being on camera felt vulnerable. I didn’t really like how I looked on camera, I didn’t like how I sounded, and every time I’d hit record I felt like I was pretending and I had all this imposter syndrome kicking in. So I told myself things like like it’s just too late, I’ve missed the bus. Building a personal brand just wasn’t going to be my thing and after all, I don’t really want to be an influencer.

Brad Powell: 3:33

But then I did something that really changed how I thought about this. I started a show. This was a live video interview series, and every week I’d go live and I’d go live with a guest, and I ended up talking with over 150 expert entrepreneurs, having real conversations with zero script. And here’s the twist I wasn’t just helping them show up, I was learning how to do it myself, but not in the way I expected. Because, yes, I still obsessed over the gear. I wanted the perfect mic and I wanted the right lighting and I wanted an all-pro setup, but the turning point didn’t come from any of that. It came from the moment I stopped scripting. I threw away my list of questions. I started listening to the guests of questions. I started listening to the guests and, instead of looking at my list of questions, I started speaking off the cuff and having real conversations. And that’s when people started reaching out, not because the lighting was perfect and not because I sounded like a pro, but because they saw me and they’d say things like I saw you on the live stream and I feel like I know you, and that made me ask a different question what if presence, rather than polish, is actually the thing that builds trust? And this is the moment I stopped trying to be camera ready and started trusting that who I already was was enough.

Brad Powell: 5:08

Let me show you something. According to YouTube, there’s at least a kajillion billion people every day who are watching video. 90% of those folks will go and look at a video before they go to make a purchase. If you are a service provider, video is even more important because when people go to hire a service, they don’t actually look for the service itself. They look for the people behind the service.

Brad Powell: 5:37

This was me about eight years ago. I’m a little stiff. I’m trying really hard to sound right. I’m thinking I need to perform. And this is me now Same white hair, same glasses on my head, but a lot more at ease. One of the reasons that people aren’t working with you yet has nothing to do with you, has nothing to do with your offer, has nothing to do with your service, has to do with them. No matter what it is that you offer.

Brad Powell: 6:04

People have tried to solve the problem that you solve already. You know they tried a bunch of things. Most of them haven’t worked in the way that they wanted, and so they get to this place where they’re thinking, well, I just have to live like this, like I don’t think that I am going to be able to change, because I’ve tried, you know, six different things. None of them worked out, and so they’re in a mindset of disbelief. If you do something which will help them get over just a little bit of the hurdle and give them a little bit of a quick win, a little bit of that positive experience of like, oh my gosh, I actually did get down the road a few steps they start believing in themselves, and once they start believing in themselves and you were the guide that took them those few steps. You become this very trusted and familiar authority, and they’re going to want more.

Brad Powell: 6:51

So what changed? It wasn’t a better camera, it wasn’t memorizing better lines and it definitely wasn’t cracking the algorithm. What changed was me. I stopped trying to sound like someone else. I stopped trying to sound like someone else. I stopped trying to prove something and I started trusting that being real, especially on camera, wasn’t a liability. It was the point.

Brad Powell: 7:16

Now I’ve worked with a lot of experts, people who are brilliant at what they do, but the moment we hit record, something will shift. Their voice tightens, their body stiffens, their energy starts to fade. So why is that? Well, it’s because we’ve all been taught that showing up professionally means removing everything human about ourselves. Here’s the thing In the age of short form video, it’s not perfection that stands out, it’s your presence, and the more you try to act professional, the more forgettable you’re going to become. So I started testing something different. I’d let the camera roll, even when I didn’t feel ready. I shared things I would have edited out before I let my quirks show up. I started laughing more on camera, and the more I did that, the more people leaned in. They weren’t watching because I nailed the delivery they were watching because I showed up like a real person, and that’s what I want to share with you.

Brad Powell: 8:20

Next, because this isn’t a mindset shift, it’s a repeatable skill. So next I’m going to walk you through three simple ways to start building that kind of trust on camera in 30 seconds or less. So how do you actually do this? How do you stop performing and start building trust on camera? Here’s three simple ways to practice. Number one don’t rehearse, reflect Before you hit record. Don’t write a script. Just ask yourself this one question what do I believe? Then? Say that, like you’re talking to one person you care about, because the goal isn’t to say it perfectly, it’s to say something that’s true for you, and the most compelling thing you can do on video is believe what you’re saying.

Brad Powell: 9:11

Here’s an example I’m on a mission to help people show up and stand out, and the problem that a lot of people face is that they’re like this hidden gem, they’re like this secret that hardly anybody knows about. But the hard part for most people is being able to be a relatable, regular human and connect with people through this medium, and so the mission that I’m on is to make it as easy as possible for people to show up and stand out just as they are and be able to express themselves in a way that’s meaningful to the people that they really want to serve. Me and have her ask me questions and I was just responding to the things that she was asking me, which is a great way to break out of trying to act like something and just be your normal self when you’re in normal conversation. You can try this with a friend. So here’s practice number two lead with a real moment. Instead of starting with a point or a topic, start with a moment. So tell a story or share a realization that you had sometime when something shifted for you. It doesn’t have to be super dramatic. In fact, something small and specific is much better, because when you speak from lived experience, people will feel it and that’s what makes them stay. So here’s a story example A trip I was on a little while ago where I was going to one of these three-day events, a conference.

Brad Powell: 10:46

I was in the mode of being feeling like really gregarious and like, oh, I’m going to a conference, I’m going to meet new people and this is going to be great. And I got on the plane, sat down and next to me was a young woman who who was sitting there with her earbuds on and her iPad out, and the whole flight she totally ignored me. But the funny, weird thing that happened was after the conference, when I was probably even more in a gregarious mood after meeting people and talking and stuff like, oh, I wonder if anybody will be in the plane who I know we can join and fly back together. Well, I got on the plane, sat down and next to me was the same person. Well, I got on the plane, sat down and next to me was the same person and this time I was thinking, oh no, like well, forget this idea of having a good conversation. But when I got there and she looked up this time and her eyes met and we both started laughing and we started talking To me. The lesson there is that I’d become something familiar and in the context of the plane ride, I was the only familiar face in a plane full of strangers. This is how simple it can be Like, even though you put stuff out there and it feels like, oh no, no one’s paying any attention and no one’s listening and no one liked my last post or any of that stuff. You’d be surprised at who saw it and what will happen the next time. And the last practice I’ll share.

Brad Powell: 12:05

Number three let your quirks come with you. So your crooked smile, the pause you take when you’re thinking, the way you push your glasses up on top of your head these are not flaws to be fixed. They’re actually signals of trust. When you stop editing out what makes you human, you actually start becoming more memorable, and that’s it. It’s not a formula, it’s not a performance. It’s just a few tiny shifts that help you show up the way you already do when you’re at your best.

Brad Powell: 12:42

And if you try just one of these this week, I’ll bet you’d be surprised how different it feels and how much more real your videos become. Here’s what I hope you take away from this. You don’t need to be more polished, you don’t need to be more camera ready. You just need to be more you, because your presence unpolished, unscripted, unperformed is what people actually remember. And the more you show up that way, the more trust you build, not over time, but in the first 10 seconds. Now, if this stirred something in you, if you’re starting to think maybe I could actually do this, then you’ll want to stick around, because in the next episode we’re going to talk about the one belief shift that makes all the difference, not just in how you show up, but in how your audience responds when you do so. Thanks for watching and I’ll see you there.