Funny how a title effects people.

For example, C-E-O. It's just three letters.

But when the CEO arrives on a film set, the energy quickly shifts from warm and friendly to "Uh-Oh!"

Everybody scrambles. Fear strikes the heart. People are uneasy. Unsure of themselves. Unsure of what to say. Unsure of how to tell the CEO they need another take. And another. And another.

C-E-O. Three powerful letters, right?

Think again.

The camera doesn't care who's in front of the lens.

The camera can't differentiate between people and titles. Which, in a funny way, is truly liberating--for the CEO and the marketing team. Expectations can be re-set. New opportunities can be created.

The camera creates a level playing field for anybody that stands in front of it. Everybody gets the same treatment.

Forget the titles. Drop the fear. Take a breath and relax.

What does the camera care about? Emotion. That's it.

So the next time your CEO is going to be on-camera, remember what C-E-O really means...

"Chief Emotion Officer."

---Tom

Uh Oh The CEO

"I've been charged to produce a video for my company and I just wish I had a guide to help me tell our corporate video story."

I've had many conversations, both on-line and off-line, about this problem.

Producing a video is not something many people do frequently or even on a regular basis. So they feel ill-prepared to take on a video project. Unfortunately, this creates a "gap" between "what I need to create" and "how do I start creating what I need?"

Bridging that gap can be frustrating and challenging without proper help.

The Corporate Video Manifesto for Clients

My 24 page "mini-survival guide" for clients is meant to change that. It's like your own "handbook" to help you think about telling your story through video. It is a call to action; a point of view. There are concepts to ponder; answers to commonly asked questions. It is NOT a "how-to" guide.

The manifesto, "Bring Your Brand to Life: Harnessing the Power of Remarkable Corporate Video Stories to Ignite Conversations and Spark Action," is published under the ChangeThis flagship as a free download.

Over the past year, so many readers and clients requested that I publish this short guide; perhaps a "best of" from this site. So here it is. A montage, so to speak, combining popular and relevant posts; edited, cleaned up and assembled into one handy place for easy reference.

Conversations about your video start as soon as it ends.

• What happens in those few seconds when your video fades to black?

• Is someone seeing the world differently because of your story?

• Does your video story make a difference?

Ultimately, corporate videos can:

• Provide a "voice for the voiceless."

• Enlighten people who are touched by an organization in some way.

• Peak into the soul of an organization through its own employees storytellers.

Here's a sampling of titles in the manifesto:

• 5 Myths of Corporate Videos

• 10 Reasons Why Corporate Videos Matter

• "Hey! How Much is a Pound of That Video?"

• 5 Laws of a Remarkable Video

• What is a Corporate Video Edit Session Like?

...and more.

If you love manifestos, you'll love ChangeThis.

Spreading Ideas with Manifestos

What's different about ChangeThis is they facilitate the spreading of important issues. The original ChangeThis manifesto and concept came from Seth Godin.

Each month, several manifestos from amazing authors are posted as free downloads.

I hope you will find the "Bring Your Brand to Life" manifesto helpful. ChangeThis is about spreading ideas. So if you know someone who could benefit from reading the manifesto...

Share it. Post it. Give it away.

I would love your feedback on this manifesto. Write me. Tell me your thoughts. What did you like? What didn't you like? What did I miss that you would you have liked to read about?

Thanks for the push. Now about that book --cough--I need to start writing...

---Tom

The Client Corporate Video Manifesto

If you have a minute, cruise on over to Conversation Agent Valeria Maltoni's site and check out the conversation we recently had.

Better yet...jump into the dialogue and add your thoughts to the discussion. Part 1 is up now. Part 2 appears on Wednesday. There should be some neat ideas coming out of this. I'll chime in when I can.

Here's a few things we covered in Ask(?)Away:

1. Why corporate videos have historically had a bad rap.
2. I share an example of how an energetic and compelling corporate video can help a company communicate a message with real meaning and, dare I say, heart and soul.
3. The power of creating a new "reality" an audience can identify with through a memorable story.
4. The role of employee interviews "heroes" in telling corporate stories.
5. The role of corporate communication departments in discovering those "heroes."

Hope to see you there :-)

---Tom

Commodity to Community

Sometimes we just don't see the easy way. Then we try too hard.

When it comes to being on-camera, the easy way works remarkably well.

Remember:

It's a lot easier to tell your story by being yourself than it is trying to tell your story by being what others want you to be.

Sounds ridiculously obvious, but needs reminding.

People like Sandra Fransen share the same thinking.

Don't loose sight of the easy way by over-crafting your corporate video story. Then it becomes difficult. To watch.

Next time...try taking it easy.

---Tom

Where is the Humanity in Corporate Video