It has been a while since I have posted an update on my blog, and not without reason- I have been instead, as the title suggests, pivoting to video. After a few months of using the medium of videos on YouTube to speak about my thoughts and opinions, I have a few takeaways from it that I wanted to talk about through the medium of the written word.

Higher Fidelity

One of the key advantages of using videos is the fact that it allows people to put a face to the name and the words that they hear. Sure, I can put my face on to a blog, but there are verbal and nonverbal cues that the medium of videos helps to communicate, that a simple blog post cannot.

I have been hearing a lot more feedback about my videos than I used to get about my blog. This could partly be because of the novelty factor, but I believe that the higher fidelity of a video format helps to add a new layer of personability, that written words on a screen do not provide.

Write the way you talk, talk the way you write

One of the key goals I have for myself while making videos is to be a better and more direct writer. I want to stop being redundant in my writing, and that starts with me being more clear and concise in my thought and my speech. Practicing my speaking through the Toastmasters program was one step towards that goal, but creating and editing videos adds a new dimension to the process. While editing videos, I have to watch and re-watch each and every word and sentence that I utter. This helps me focus on the mistakes that I make, and also forces me to think of ways to improve.

Also, it helps me practice speaking on a regular basis. As the saying goes,

Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.

Abraham Lincoln

I prefer this quote to “Practice makes perfect” because it’s more actionable and adds the dimension of premeditated preparation to the act of practice. A goal of constant improvement necessitates the need for practice and preparation.

Garnering Feedback

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been getting a lot more feedback on my videos than I got on my written blog posts. Not only that, but the feedback has been a lot more detailed and specific. People tell me what they think about the content of my videos, and they also tell me about the way that I speak, the way that I edit, and so on. Garnering such feedback on multiple aspects of the work that I put out helps me act upon it and improve holistically.

The next step is to incorporate the feedback not only to the videos themselves, but to translate those insights into other aspects of life, mainly my written blogs.

The key insights I have gained

Clarity and conciseness of thought and speech is the first and foremost takeaway in terms of feedback. Another has been maintaining the balance between aesthetic or technical improvements and the content, in such a way that satisfies both me and my audience. The balance between self-indulgence and fan service is tricky but rewarding.

Another insight is not to ruminate on a concept for too long. There’s a point of diminishing returns when it comes to introspecting on a topic for too long, and I have come to understand when I have hit that point more clearly now. The need to showcase something that is polished is still there, but there’s also the need to put what’s inside my head, out into the world, so the independent perspectives of the audience at large can help me see things in a light that I had not seen before.

What’s next for the Blog?

To conclude, I’d just like to say that I need to figure out a way to make the videos and the written blogs coexist. It could be to create a written post and transcript of every video that I put out. I could also make video versions of blog posts I’ve made in the past. I want to do this because I want a cohesive strategy between all the things I put out into the world, and I want both videos and blogs to grow and improve together.

In short, I want this “pivot to video” to be the first step towards being a better talker, as well as a better writer.