Deliver Videos in One Take
Sep 05, 2025Struggling with endless retakes? Strengthening your video presentation skills can transform how you record, giving you the ability to deliver videos in one take. Chris Schwager shares proven strategies to improve on-camera skills, simplify preparation, and build lasting video confidence.
Why Mindset Shapes Video Presentation Skills
The biggest barrier to better video presentation skills isn’t your camera or lighting it’s your mindset. Without a process, professionals often fall into the record–delete–repeat cycle. By shifting your perception, you can stop chasing perfection and start improving your on-camera skills with clarity and presence. For practical insights, check out our article on mastering on-camera presentation training.
"Confidence isn’t about being flawless. It’s about being present."
Three Strategies to Record Videos in One Take
Success comes down to keeping things simple and repeatable. Here are three ways to sharpen your video presentation skills today:
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Preparation – Use bullet points or short prompts instead of memorising a full script. If you prefer, use a teleprompter or even a “poor man’s teleprompter” like a cue card near the lens. This reduces pressure and makes delivery more natural.
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Treat the camera like a person – Eye contact through the lens builds connection. Strong on-camera skills are less about being perfect and more about showing energy and presence.
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Publish without perfection – Don’t get stuck in endless takes or over-editing. Done is better than perfect. Small imperfections make you relatable and improve your video confidence.
Publish with Confidence, Not Perfection
Perfect videos don’t build trust, published videos do. By focusing on getting your content out there, you’ll sharpen your video confidence, cut wasted time, and finally share videos that deliver results. Done is always better than perfect, and when you prioritise publishing, you’ll master how to deliver videos in one take.
When you focus on mindset, preparation, and consistent publishing, your video presentation skills will grow rapidly. Apply these strategies today and build the confidence to deliver videos in one take while creating content that drives lasting results for your business. And if you’re ready to fast-track your progress, join the Video Confidence Collective our live coaching program designed to cut through the noise and give you a repeatable system for confident video creation.
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Video Transcription:
[00:00:00] Chris Schwager: Video presentation skills can feel overwhelming. Too many takes stumbles, frustration building in every restart. But what if I told you the best presenters, they prepare and they perform with intention. And the secret isn't about memorizing word for word. It's about building confidence, finding rhythm, and learning the techniques that techniques that help you publish without.
[00:00:21] Chris Schwager: Endless retakes stick around 'cause I'm gonna uncover how you can do this right now in this episode. Oh my God. Hi, I'm Chris Wagger, video coach and founder of the Complete Video Success System, and I've spent decades helping professionals create high impact videos that build trust, generate leads, and drive business success.
[00:00:37] Chris Schwager: And if you've ever felt unsure or under-prepared, or just play awkward with video, this is for you. I'll give you the mindset and strategies to take control, build video confidence so that you show up like a pro. It's time to make your videos work for you.
[00:00:54] Chris Schwager: Uh, have you ever started recording a video and suddenly found yourself redoing it? 10, 15, even 20 times? You're not alone. Many business leaders and professionals struggle with this video, video, video presentation skills, and that's what we're here to tackle today. In this episode, I'm gonna dive into how you can deliver videos in one take, because when you master this, you'll stop wasting hours on retakes and start producing content that feels off.
[00:01:17] Chris Schwager: Then tickets, confident and polished. And one of my clients recently came to me after spending 20 takes trying to record her intro. She kept repeating, deleting, and rerecording, stuck in a cycle. She just couldn't break. And she told me it felt like a kind of a performance, like a coma, like she was in coma when no matter what she did, she couldn't get past her mistakes.
[00:01:39] Chris Schwager: It's what's called a scotoma. I believe this. Constant cycle where she's not able to break free of it. And in a one-on-one session with her, we worked through a simple methodology and suddenly she was able to see what she was doing wrong in her takes, not just labeling them all, good or bad. Oh, that was crappy, but actually identifying what to adjust and how to fix it within a couple of days.
[00:02:01] Chris Schwager: She recorded a video, published it on a Sunday, and felt so proud of herself, and proud of, of the result that she had achieved the power of shifting your mindset. When you know the right framework, you can, it can break you free from the record, delete, repeat cycle. And we've all been there. And here's the big thing, right?
[00:02:19] Chris Schwager: The barrier isn't performance. It's not the camera, it's not the environment, it's not the bloody tech. The real barrier is you, your mindset, your perception of yourself. 'cause most people are thrown into completely foreign tasks when they're starting to make their own videos. It feels uncomfortable. And why should it be any different?
[00:02:39] Chris Schwager: They don't have a process yet. They don't have a system, and without that, they get stuck in this vicious loop of record, delete, repeat. And that's why I'm always encouraging people, get some fucking coaching on this. Seriously square it away in no time. Coaching gives you perspective, a system a way forward.
[00:03:00] Chris Schwager: Why does everybody think? That they've gotta go it alone. You wouldn't teach yourself how to play a piano or maybe you do, I dunno, but are you any good at it? Most people, I'd say, aren't they good at playing the piano by just randomly smashing the key? So why do you do it with video? Now? Let's talk about one of the concepts I keep coming back to this time versus quality or time versus output.
[00:03:25] Chris Schwager: Because everything we throw at you, download a teleprompter app, use bullet points instead of a full script practice. Your delivery takes time, and if you are not careful, you can end up overwhelmed by all these options. Here's the thing, right? If you feel confident switching on the camera, shooting a short video without a teleprompter, without bullet points, and without screwing it up badly, then do it.
[00:03:47] Chris Schwager: It might be your best style. If you prefer prompts or scripts, that's fine. The point is to find a workflow that suits you. There's no one size fits all. When I teach best practice, if you want to go through this, hit me [00:04:00] up. When I teach this, it's about being able to deliver a word for word script and still make it sound natural and conversational, and that's the gold standard.
[00:04:08] Chris Schwager: That's exactly what I'm doing right now in this podcast. I've got a script in front of me. On the teleprompter and I riff when I need to and if I go off track, no problem. I come back. If I really derail it, it gets trimmed out and edited out, so no big deal. Just quickly, if you are ready to take control over your video production, but feel stuck, check out the video Confidence Collective, it's live coaching and a supportive community that's got your back.
[00:04:32] Chris Schwager: We cover four essentials tech messaging on camera presence and implementing what you learn so you can create consistent, confident content. That truly connects links in the show notes now back to the episode. But either way, I don't stop. I continue through and I finish the video in one hit and get it off my desk.
[00:04:50] Chris Schwager: That's balance between time, quality and output, and that's what the coaching that I teach will help you consistently deliver videos in one take. So here are a couple of strategies that you can deploy today to make this happen for yourself. First preparation. Simplicity wins every time. Don't overload yourself with a word for word scripts unless you are confident you can make them conversational Instead.
[00:05:13] Chris Schwager: Bullet points work well. And if you're not using a teleprompter, you can even use a simple piece of paper just below the lens as a guide, right? Like what we call the pool men's teleprompter record on an iPhone if you need to. There, there are apps that display prompts right on your screen. These tools can take the pressure off, uh, off your memory and let you focus on performance.
[00:05:32] Chris Schwager: Secondly. Treat the camera like a real person eye contact through the lens, just like I'm giving you now if you're on the YouTube channel, creates connection. And remember, confidence isn't just about being flawless. It's about being present. You'll magnetize the right opportunities. You'll say yes to growth when you show up with clarity and energy.
[00:05:51] Chris Schwager: And third, publishing. The goal isn't endless editing or endless takes. The goal is to record polish lightly and get it out there. Because the videos sitting on your desk. Don't win. Clients publishing videos do get it out there. I have people hit me up on WhatsApp and send me their videos and their scripts and show me and what my advice and the first thing I just I say to them is.
[00:06:20] Chris Schwager: Is this published? Get it out there. It's good enough right now. This is not delivering ROI by you sending it to me for a review. This must be get published, right? So you might be thinking, but what if I make mistakes? Well, yeah, everybody makes mistakes. I've made mistakes in this podcast. Small imperfections are what makes you.
[00:06:41] Chris Schwager: Relatable. The trick is you gotta get over yourself. That's easier said than done. I, I totally get it. This is not gonna be just something that switches on and happens immediately, but the more you embrace natural performance, the more you'll unlock the ability to deliver videos in one take. Oh, I've been harsh on you on this one, isn't it?
[00:07:03] Chris Schwager: So there it is. Sharpen your video presentation skills and you'll find yourself recording faster, publishing sooner. And we all want to, you know, I know, I think, you know, I press the point on publishing and create a bigger impact. Remember, it's about time versus quality, time versus output. It's not gonna deliver ROI unless you get it out there.
[00:07:23] Chris Schwager: Don't get stuck chasing perfection. Don't throw down endless retakes. Done is better than perfect, and publishing is always better than polished. Take these strategies. Apply them today, today, and you'll stop wasting time while building the confidence to deliver videos in one take. Thanks for listening to the Video Confidence Collective Podcast.
[00:07:43] Chris Schwager: If you enjoyed this episode, leave a five star review on Apple Podcast and Spotify and subscribe to us on YouTube so you never miss an episode. For more resources, check out the show notes and follow me at Chris Schwager or Ridge Films and see you on the next episode.