Basic Video Tips for Speakers
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
If you’re a professional speaker, here are a few video recording tips that will help you get more value from every speaking engagement — whether you’re recording it yourself, asking someone in the room to help, or hiring a freelancer.
TIP 01: Audio matters more than video
People will tolerate video that is not perfectly lit or perfectly framed. They will not tolerate audio they can’t understand. If possible, do not rely on the microphone built into your camera. That audio is usually too far away, too echoey, and too inconsistent.
The best option is to record directly from the PA system or soundboard. If that’s not possible, use a wireless lav microphone or a handheld microphone recording directly into the camera or an external recorder. Clean audio gives your editor options. Bad audio limits everything.
TIP 02: Record everything
And I don’t just mean record every minute of one talk. I mean record every speaking engagement you can. Even if you do not hire a professional video crew, get something. Take a few photos. Set up a phone in the back of the room. Ask someone to capture a short clip. Record the Q&A. Save the podcast interview. Keep the Zoom presentation.
Credibility is built through quantity.
When an event organizer sees that you speak often, that you are on stages, it reinforces the idea that you’re a professional in demand. And an editor does not always need perfect footage to make something useful. Sometimes they only need a few strong sound bites. They can get creative with photos, podcast audio, phone clips, audience shots, graphics, captions, and other supporting material.
The key is this: if you don’t capture it, it cannot be used later.
TIP 03: Always keep the original files
Do not only keep the final edited video. Keep the camera files, audio files, original photos, your slidedeck—whatever was captured and used during the talk.
Your future needs may be different from your current needs. Today, you might only need a full presentation video. Six months from now, you may want to repurpose that footage into a speaker reel, a social campaign, a course module or a sales video. When you go back to repurpose the footage later, your editor will have far more options if they have the original media in full quality.
TIP 04: Understand the difference between raw footage and usable video
Raw footage is not always ready to watch, post, or share. In many cases, raw camera files can’t even be opened without special software. And the audio may be recorded on a separate file. That does not mean anything is wrong. That is just what raw footage is.
But it is not the same thing as a usable video.
At a minimum, if you hire someone to record your talk, ask for a color-graded and audio-mixed copy of the full presentation. That means the video has been cleaned up enough that you can actually watch it and share it.
So, if you’re a professional speaker, remember these four things:
Prioritize clean audio
Capture every speaking engagement you can
Keep the original media
Get a usable, color-graded, audio-mixed copy—not just raw files
And if you do not want the pressure of figuring all of that out yourself, hire a pro. At Spotlight Videos our simple online booking makes it easy for you to walk off each stage with brand ready videos that help you stay in the spotlight.