Maintaining a sense of fellowship is more important than ever in a time where isolation feels prevalent. For many Houses of Worship, live streaming is the perfect solution to keep their communities worshiping together in the wake of COVID-19. Live streaming allows leaders to deliver their Sunday services and spread messages of hope in this trying time, all from a virtual setting.   

While community leaders are used to speaking in front of crowds, it can be a very different experience presenting in front of a virtual audience. No matter how many times you’ve spoken publicly, it can feel like quite a different experience when the camera goes live. Being camera-shy, feeling awkward and/or being just plain nervous is a common experience, and we have some tips to help House of Worship leaders and staff become comfortable on camera. 

Be Yourself 

As a leader in your House of Worship, your members know who you are, and already look to you for guidance. There’s no reason to act any different because you’re on camera, so do your best to treat your virtual sermons as you would any other. Not only will this help your members adjust, it can help you feel more comfortable in front of the camera as you go through your routine.  

People are coming to you for comfort right now, and many will feel that sense of comfort just from seeing your familiar face. Though it might feel odd, try and mimic how you would normally deliver a sermon, walk around if that’s part of your routine, use your hands as you might normally, smile and speak as though your congregation is right there in front of you. Familiarity will help you get comfortable on camera and bring a sense of normalcy to your viewers.   

Practice, Practice, Practice

There are small adjustments you can make to your practice routine to help you become comfortable on camera. Consider streaming your rehearsals to a smaller audience to get your sea-legs before your next video sermon. Stream to people who will be encouraging, and make you feel comfortable talking when you can’t necessarily see the audience. You could even record yourself without an audience at first. Review your playback and make adjustments as necessary. When it comes time for your service, remember that you’ve taken extra steps to help calm your nerves and it will definitely show as you bring your message to the ones who will be excited to receive it.

Remember, It’s Not About You- It’s About Connecting People

Many of your members are likely as new to live streaming as you are, and this is a learning process for more than just leadership. It’s not about performing the perfect sermon, it’s about keeping and kindling your House of Worship’s sense of community when they need it most. It is okay to acknowledge the awkwardness or feeling of being camera shy. You may not be an expert at being on camera, but you are an expert at instilling hope in your community.  

In the coming weeks, live streaming will become increasingly important to keeping your sense of community. Don’t worry, it’s new for a lot of people. But with a few tips it will become an essential tool to keep a sense of fellowship, community, and normalcy in your House of Worship, which is exactly what your members are looking for.

At Legrand | AV, we are dedicated to keeping people connected no matter where they are. If you have any videoconferencing, live streaming or connectivity questions, our solutions engineers are ready to help. Email us at av.solutions@legrand.com with the details of your project. For more of the latest COVID-19 information, please access the FAQs at www.legrandav.com/COVID.