Good stuff, and training on being filmed?

[Zoe Girl]

So I have posted a lot and circled around. I got some old stuff out and now I am MUCH more positive. So here is the great stuff,

* I am teaching mindfulness in the classroom again this year, I did 7 classrooms last year and could probably do that again
* the school has asked me to provide youth programs for their family night around social/emotional topics
* I am teaching once a week at a youth homeless center (and I have all the permissions in place, that was the hardest)
* I have been asked to teach the staff at the homeless center as well
* I have support to teach staff at my job across the department in mindfulness once a month
* I get to go to a conference! That is super cool, and I am the only one from the department
* oh yeah, I still facilitate a meditation group with a team (Dharma Punx) and we are invited to be part of a larger facilitation team that does weekly phone calls on dharma topics.

So with this I realize I need to deal with being filmed and photographed. I realized after I went from teaching as a long term sub and getting great feedback to bombing a filmed lesson for an interview that I freeze on camera. We even had a big all-staff event where they used a go-pro and I refused to be on it, I offered to film instead so I was still a team player. I could call my old job coach, and I reached out to my mentor in the department for suggestions. Anyone else have this? As a kid I realize I was in a play and fainted, maybe the same anxiety? And I realize it could show up in interviews or other ways I need to speak. Meanwhile I love training staff and feel really comfortable with that, have had very good feedback on leading training with over 30 people. So it seems to be just being filmed that is the issue.

[Float On]

Don't you have a son living at home with you. Grab a camera and film him a bit, then have him film you, then go back to filming him. Do some silly things - act like you are doing a cooking show, show how to crochet, etc. Just start small and build up... create some goals: work on just being filmed, add eye contact, add being directive, being filmed in comfort of home to outside in front of others, be interviewed, do the interviewing, etc. You'll be a pro in no time. Or take a speech class at the local community college. They always film some of the speeches. Be open to feedback. Remember it's an audience wanting to learn something...not just a black lens staring at you.

[greenclaire]

How about doing some gradual exposure type exercises? Something like this:
- get used to taking photos of yourself doing regular every day things
- then maybe film yourself using a cell phone just doing stuff like cooking, not teaching related
- build up to maybe showing them first to someone you trust to get used to people watching you
- then try filming a training session that you feel super confident with, maybe just a small group of staff

I think it's one of those things that the more you do it, the less anxious it becomes.

[Zoe Girl]

Thank you guys, what a good idea to start with my son! I could totally do a crochet video (anyone want to learn to make freeform crochet dragon puppets?) I was thinking about having one of my trainings or dharma talks filmed but starting smaller would be a better idea. I was even thinking about recording my dharma talks and chickened out the first time. I lead again on Monday so I am going to push to do that since it is a safe space for me. I may actually need to write the whole talk instead of my usual outline with notes and off the cuff.

I just got an email back from my mentor who knows a community partner who works with this. It may cost something but I could work up to it if it meant some career progress. Okay, whew