Kelly Petering is a voiceover artist, public speaker, and business coach. She specializes in helping women break out of their comfort zone to show up online in a confident manner. Working with female entrepreneurs, Kelly coaches them to bring out a natural, confident presence. The process allows her clients to grow more comfortable whether on a stage or in front of a camera. Whether working with groups or individuals, she’s always ready to help. You’ll find her coaching, running workshops, as well as programs. As a strong advocate for women in business, Kelly Petering shares top tips regarding camera confidence.
Kelly, what got you started in this line of work?
Thank you so much for having me! First, it’s important to note that I used to be REALLY shy myself. That’s been the biggest driver for me. I wanted to help women because I know how it feels when you don’t have the confidence to put yourself out there.
It doesn’t matter whether it is on camera, or if it’s in front of a small group of people. I know how it is to feel nervous about sharing your message or opinion. In fact, it was early in my journey when I realized my lack of confidence was holding me back.
I decided to study acting to build my skills. It was through that acting journey that I built my ‘outer’ confidence. What I mean by that is; I was able to memorise or read a script, step out onto a stage, and become a character. I learned the outer skills; voice projection, body language, and stage presence.
But inside, there was something that was still holding me back. I didn’t figure out what that was until I started learning about human behavior. About ten years after I studied acting, I got into coaching and personal development. I learned the psychology behind confidence and how to overcome those visibility blocks.
That’s when I did the deeper work and began to feel TRULY confident in myself–confident enough to be able to speak in front of an audience as ME rather than as a character.
A few years ago, I decided to blend the two worlds together. I created training programs to help other people. You need the performance skills to captivate your audience, especially when you’re in front of a large crowd, or front of the camera. For the greatest impact, you also need to do ‘inner work. Personal development creates the biggest results for my clients.
Why is it so important that, as women in business, we develop these skills?
With social media, the fastest way to build your audience and trust with them is through video. Hands down! But it’s not just for social media. Video is powerful.
It comes down to building a relationship with your prospects and clients in a way that is time effective. It means you don’t have to meet every individual person to create a connection. It can save us a lot of time.
What do you think the difference is between a brand that uses pictures or text compared to a brand that uses video?
It depends on the industry. There’s a place for beautiful images, branding photography, blog posts, and text. But, what I’m noticing with the clients I work with is once they start using video, this shift occurs. Their audience finally sees there’s a real person behind the scenes, making the products or providing the service. It creates a connection.
Our audience doesn’t always make that deeper connection with images or text. It’s a different experience for your audience to watch a video as opposed to seeing an image or reading text. They say a picture tells 1000 words, right? If you think about a video how many still images does a video have? The impact is so powerful.
We’re able to communicate so much more through video. The bonus is, if we’re sharing from a place of authenticity, then we’re going to attract the RIGHT audience.
Video also gives us (as marketers) the opportunity to tell a story in more detail than an image or text ever could. It gives us the power of control. Not long ago I was on a Zoom training that my friend also attended. Halfway through the training, she sent me a text. It read ‘That picture behind her is so grotesque’. I laughed because I thought it was free-flowing and beautiful.
We all have different interpretations of the images we see. When we use video, we have the opportunity to guide our audience’s mind. With an image, we can’t give them the full story. They have to come to their own conclusion.
What do you think stops women from showing up on video?
Great question. There are a lot of elements that hold us back from showing up on video. One of the main things that hold people back is the fear of judgment and the fear of making mistakes.
It’s those thoughts like “What will people think of me?” “What are my family or friends going to say?” “Do I know enough?” “Will people want to hear from me?” There are a lot of fears that come into play around judgment, criticism, and rejection.
When these fears come up, the focus is on ourselves. We’re focusing internally. If we can shift that focus outside of ourselves, to our audience, some of those thoughts start to fade.
If you think about it, it’s kind of similar in social situations. When you go to a party or a networking event all you need to do is talk to people about THEM! I learned this from a friend of mine, back when I was really shy and hated going to parties. Ask other people a question about their life… and you’ll be the most popular person in the room. Everybody loves talking about themselves.
This can help when it comes to building confidence because it helps us take that first step. Confidence only comes when we practice. It doesn’t come from sitting on the couch or reading an article. It comes when we take ACTION! To build confidence we must DO the thing. This applies to all aspects of life.
Do you have any other great tips for us?
Absolutely. I’ve got so many tips and tricks. I share a lot more content in my Facebook group. It’s called ‘Speak with Confidence ~ for women in business, you’re welcome to join me there.
But while we are here… another tip is to focus on the purpose behind why you’re speaking. When you’re on camera, focus on the purpose behind why you’re speaking, and that’s going to shift your mind away from yourself and onto the bigger picture.
For me, it’s about helping more women rise into positions of leadership, be it in their business or organization. Public speaking is a skill that is sought after in leadership roles. I believe we need more female leaders in our world, to bring a more human connection focus.
That’s what drives me. To me, that’s more important than my fears.
Kelly Petering
Public Speaking Coach
Voice Over Artist
0422 453 654
Helping women in business speak with Confidence & Authenticity on camera or stage!
Join my free Facebook Group Speak with Confidence ~ for women in business
Find me on Facebook here: @kellypeteringofficial
Find me on Instagram here: @kellypetering
Want to check out my next workshop or programs?
All the details are here ~ www.kellypetering.com.au