As a YouTube creator, the words that you speak
are actually only a small part of the communication
that's happening in your video.
Your nonverbal communication, your body language,
actually do a lot to hook your viewer
and hold their attention so that you get more watch time,
your videos perform better in Search,
and Related Videos and all that.
So today let's talk about nonverbal communication
and body language and how it affects
that viewer's attention.
Hey, guys.
My name is Tim Schmoyer, and welcome to Video Creators,
the channel that is all about helping you grow your YouTube
audiences and spreading messages that change lives.
This is Daniel Read.
He is an acting trainer, right?
What do you do?
I work with models and actors here
in the region to do on-camera work, so for commercials,
for film, how to feel comfortable and natural
and look like your authentic self.
On camera.
So really good at that.
And we've been shooting a course together called
Find Your Voice about how to feel comfortable on camera,
how to present your authentic self,
and really build a deep human connection with your viewers.
There's an entire lesson in that course called body posture
and nonverbal communication that is really important,
and we're going to talk with you about some
of the tings we talk about in that lesson that
will help you guys really keep your viewers' attention.
What are some of those things?
Here's three nuggets for you.
One is eye contact.
Right?
Like, if you're talking, but you're kind of always looking
around, and then you come back to the camera
and you look around.
Well, it's mostly-- all people look at the viewfinder.
They like looking at themselves--
Oh, yeah.
--more than into the eyeball of the camera, which is the lens.
You've gotta-- you're making eye contact with the viewers,
right?
Yeah.
So like in the-- have you ever walked
past a painting of "Mona Lisa"?
She keeps watching you down the whole hallway.
Like, it doesn't matter where you go,
she's always looking at you.
Creepy.
In the same way, if you're looking at the lens,
no matter where your viewer is, in front of the monitor
or however they're watching the content,
you're always going to be made eye contact with them.
And that holds their attention, because they're like,
oh, he's talking to me.
Like, not just, like, reading a script or something like that.
And, in fact, if I was having a one-on-one conversation,
I can only make eye contact with one person at a time.
If you're making video content, you
can be making eye contact with a million people--
Yeah.
--all at the exact same time.
It's so huge, so powerful, but make sure
you're looking at the lens.
Yes.
That's where that eye contact happens.
Number two is open arms.
You never want to have things crossed.
Like, if you're constantly crossing
different parts of your body.
Like, that's just conveying negative signals.
So you want I have nothing crossed.
You always have this open-type of thing.
I like to call it "the hug factor."
Like, it's allowing people, if they were to come up to you,
they could sneak in there and grab a hug if they wanted.
Whereas if I'm like this, no, you're not hugging this.
Right?
So, like, it's just a much more open atmosphere
if you keep everything open, don't cross yourself
while you're on camera.
Number three is smile.
It's, like, the most important thing ever.
Like, people want to see that you're having a good time.
So if you smile, they're going to have good time.
Everybody's going to have a goo time.
Smile.
Yeah.
Not in a creepy way.
And don't overdue it.
Like, hi, guys.
Today we're going to talk about nonverbal communication.
Like, not that any of you guys do do that.
Yeah.
Let me profoundly exponentiate on that.
There's two types of smiles.
There is a smile that you plaster on like this,
and if you were to just zoom in on my mouth,
it looks like I'm smiling.
But if you zoom in on my eyes, like,
if you were to just look here, you wouldn't actually
know I was smiling.
Like, nothing up here has changed.
And, going back to the eye contact,
people are looking at your eyes so you
want your smile to actually originate here at the cheeks.
Like, they should be able to see the little-- what
are these called?
Corn's-- corn's feet?
Chicken feet?
You're outside my realm of expertise.
OK.
Well, anyhow, whenever you call these things,
like, these are wrinkles that happen up here
by your eyes, it's proof that you actually
mean it that you're smiling.
Like, this is the proof that you're
actually having a good time.
Not here.
It's sort of backwards thinking, but you actually
smile with your eyes.
Yeah.
That makes sense now that I think about it.
No, that's cool.
So if you guys want to learn more
about nonverbal communication and how to hold your audience's
attention and how to really create a, like,
really natural human connection with your viewers,
check the link in the description
below this video for our course called Find Your Voice.
And a card will pop up around here, too,
somewhere that you can click.
And that'll go way more in depth.
We have one whole lesson just dedicated to this stuff.
I would love to hear from you guys in the Comments below.
What have you noticed about creators
that you watch that hold your attention?
What are they doing consistently with their body language
and how they are communicating nonverbally with you.
And then, also, those of you guys who are intentionally
paying attention to that while you're on camera,
I would love to hear your tips and advice as well.
Comments down there.
Everyone to read this stuff people
are typing down there, because I learn from you guys
all the time.
I know you'll learn from each other as well.
So go check all that out.
And if this is your first time here,
I would love to have you subscribe to Video Creators,
because every week we're making videos like this--
and not like this, even-- to help you guys
grow your YouTube channel.
And if this is your first time here,
I would love to have you subscribe.
Every week we're publishing videos
that just help you guys grow your YouTube channel,
spread your message, and ultimately change lives.
That's what this is all about.
So subscribe, and I will see you guys again soon.
Bye.
[BEEP]
Is my body language holding your attention?
[BEEP]
So thanks for letting me and Daniel-- nope.
[LAUGHTER]