In short: A camera records less of you than a room does, so a lively conversation can look flat on screen. Aim for about a tenth more expression than you would use in conversation. On stage, the room needs roughly a fifth more. Amplify your natural self rather than playing a character, then record a minute in each setting and compare.
Presence is the gap between how you feel you come across and how you come across. Most people overestimate how much of their energy reaches a viewer and underestimate how much they need to show. The fix is a measured increase, set for the setting you are in.
Why a camera flattens you
A camera records a fixed part of the scene at a fixed distance. Gestures that feel generous in the room can fall out of frame. A calm, even delivery feels natural to you because you can feel your own energy, but a viewer only sees and hears the recording. Your voice also sounds fuller from inside your head than it does to anyone listening. So the first adjustment on camera is a small lift in expression, not a dramatic one.
Why a room needs more
On stage the people at the back are a long way away. They see your outline rather than the detail of your face, and they hear a voice that has to travel. Movement, a clearer stance and a stronger voice do the work that eye contact and small expressions do up close. That is why the stage increase is larger.
Amplify, do not replace
Ask yourself what you would do with a friend across a table, then turn the expression and energy up one notch. Keep the same words, the same stories and the same gestures you would use anyway, only bigger. A talk that is believable is one where the speaker is recognisably themselves.
Find your level
- Record a minute in conversation mode, as if talking to a colleague.
- Watch it with the sound off. Note whether your face and hands show anything.
- Record a second minute with one notch more expression and a clearer gesture.
- Watch both on a screen the size your viewers are likely to use.
- Choose the version that feels slightly exaggerated to you, then check it with a friend.
Keep both recordings. Watching them a week later, when the rehearsal nerves have gone, shows you whether the change looks natural or only feels that way.
Common mistakes
- Playing a character. Viewers spot it at once.
- Going big for a webcam. A webcam sits close to the face, so smaller movements read larger.
- Mistaking energy for speed. Raise warmth and clarity, not the pace alone.
- Ignoring the framing. A tight shot needs less movement than a wide one.
For the detail of expression, see facial expression on camera and eye contact with a lens. For reading from a screen without sounding like you are reading, see how to read an autocue.
Related guides
- Eye contact with a lens: arrows, eyeline and the window
- Framing yourself on camera: headroom and distance
- Facial expression on camera
- How to read an autocue without looking like you're reading
- Sit or stand for camera?
- All guides and tools
The picture at the top of this page is an illustration, not a photograph of a client or a real job.
Questions we get asked
How much more should I act on camera than in real life?
About a tenth more expression and energy than you would use in conversation. Watch the clip with the sound off to see whether your face and hands show anything at all.
Do I need to be more animated on stage than on camera?
Yes, the room needs more than the lens does. Aim for roughly a fifth more energy, with bigger movement and a stronger voice, so people at the back feel included.
Will amplifying my presence make me look fake?
Not if you amplify your real self. Turn the expression and energy up one notch from how you naturally speak. If it feels like a performance, you have turned it up too far.
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