Eyes, face, hands and posture

Goal

Control the visual side of your delivery: where you look, how your face moves, what your hands do and how you sit or stand, so the picture supports the words.

Eye line

Where you look decides whether a viewer feels addressed.

• Look at the lens, not at yourself on the screen. This is the most common mistake. The preview on the screen is a trap. When you look at your image, your eyes land slightly below the lens and you appear to look away.
• Tape a small marker next to the lens (a sticky dot or a tiny photo) as a target.
• Use the rear camera when possible. It has a better sensor, and without a screen to look at you naturally look at the lens. Use a small mirror or a monitor placed beside the phone if you need to check framing.
• Look away on purpose, sometimes. A glance up or sideways to “think” is natural between beats. Return to the lens for key lines, especially the hook and payoff.
• Don’t read from off-screen constantly. It breaks contact.

Your face

• Relax your forehead and jaw. Tension reads as stiffness.
• Smile when it fits. A real smile shows in the eyes; do not hold a fixed one.
• Let your face react to your own words. If the line is surprising, let your eyebrows rise a bit. Slight over-expression reads as natural on a small screen.
• Avoid “frozen face” between sentences. Keep a light, interested look in the pauses.
• Wear what you are comfortable in. Plain, solid colors tend to look cleaner than busy patterns, which can shimmer on video.

Hands

Hands are either an asset or a distraction.

• Use them for emphasis, at chest height, within the frame.
• Keep gestures purposeful: counting points on fingers for a list, showing size, pointing at on-screen text.
• Don’t flap. Large, fast movements blur and distract.
• If you are not sure, keep them still (resting on a desk, holding an object) rather than fidgeting.
• Holding a prop (a mug, a notebook) gives hands a job.

Posture and framing of the body

• Sit or stand tall, shoulders relaxed. Slouching shrinks you and your voice.
• Lean slightly toward the camera when making an important point; this reads as engagement.
• Standing gives more energy, sitting more intimacy. Choose by mood of the reel.
• Avoid swivel chairs that make you drift.
• Keep your head level, not tilted down at the phone.

Movement

Movement adds interest, but too much hides your face.

• Walking while talking works for casual or story reels. Keep the phone steady (arm held close to the body or a small grip).
• Static framing works for focused tips.
• Mix: start static for the hook, move for the story, return static for the payoff.

Common reel “tells” to avoid

• Looking at the preview on the screen.
• Reading a script with moving eyes.
• Rocking or swaying.
• Breathing out at the end of each sentence into the microphone.
• Hair or jewelry hitting the lavalier.
• Touching your face, then touching your face again.

You will notice these in review. Fix one per week; trying to fix all at once is paralyzing.

Review with a checklist

When you watch a take (in a batch, not right away), tick:

Question	Yes/No
Did I look at the lens on the hook?
Was my energy up?
Were my hands calm or purposeful?
Was my posture upright?
Did my face react to my words?

Pick one item to improve in tomorrow’s take.

Common mistakes

• Watching yourself while you talk.
• Over-gesturing.
• Hiding behind a stiff posture.
• Ignoring eye line on the hook.

Exercise

1. Place a marker by the lens. Film the same 20-second line three times: looking at the screen, looking at the lens, looking at the lens with a hand gesture. Compare.
2. Record a walking take of 15 seconds with the phone held steady.
3. Use the review checklist on your last three takes and pick one item to improve.

Daily practice

• Minimum (keeps the streak): a voice note of any length.
• Today’s take (about 30 seconds): Film with the eye-line marker and your hands at chest height.
• Weeks 1-2 everything stays private; from week 3 follow your publishing plan.
• Don’t watch the take right away (lesson 4.1). Tick the day in your tracker.

Reading (optional)

This week’s book, about 15-20 minutes: Chip and Dan Heath, Made to Stick. A loose suggestion; it does not have to match the lesson. More in resources and the schedule.

Checklist

• I have an eye-line marker by the lens.
• I know where my hands go.
• I stand or sit tall and relaxed.
• I picked one thing to improve tomorrow.
• I recorded today’s voice note and take.

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