People often ask me, “How do I get more comfortable presenting or being on camera?”

The obvious answer? Practice. But let me tell you about one of the strangest pieces of advice I ever got.

Years ago, when I was working in TV news on the marketing side, I was asked to voice some commercials. And if you’ve ever had to listen to yourself on camera or hear your own voice played back… you know.

Traumatic. 😂

I never felt like I had a “TV news anchor” voice. Probably because… I wasn’t a TV news anchor. I was a TV news producer. However, what I eventually learned is that being good on camera isn’t really about sounding like a professional.

It’s about sounding like yourself.

Natural. Conversational. Comfortable.

And the fastest way to get there? Stop overthinking it.

The Weirdest Presentation Advice I Received

My wonderful executive creative producer at the time gave me some very strange advice:

“Grab a camera. Grab a microphone. And go look at the trash.”

You heard me.

Go look in the trash.

Mic yourself up. Hit record. And start talking about whatever you see in the trash can. It was ridiculous. So ridiculous that I couldn’t possibly overthink it. And that was the point.

I did it several times, and little by little, I got more comfortable hearing my own voice, seeing myself on camera, and—most importantly—talking without a script. I’m still not claiming to be a professional ad-libber when it comes to trash cans. 😂 But I learned a pretty valuable lesson:

Confidence on camera doesn’t come from trying to sound polished. It comes from getting comfortable being yourself.

So if you want to get better at presenting or being on camera, here’s my advice:

• Grab a camera.
• Grab a microphone.
• Go find something completely ridiculous to talk about.

And maybe… check the trash. 🗑️

You might be surprised by what you learn.