Why video is so impactful

One of the funny things about video editing is that the more you watch the video over and over again, the more you feel you know the person being featured.

It can actually get a little weird if you really think about it.

I've been working on reviewing a couple of executive videos for a few weeks now, working with an editing team to get them just right, but the more I look at them the more I feel my eyes start lighting up the way they do for people I know well. I even crack a little smile when I see their really authentic on-camera moments. 

I feel a connection with the executives in the video even though we've had little more than a few instances of small talk in real life.

Just imagine how powerful that effect can be when a person sees video after video of the same person giving a message? They feel connected, as if they have a real relationship with the person they're watching. 

Remember Michael Jackson? His music videos premiered on national primetime television. Many of us had been watching him all of our lives, and we had seen so many generations of images of him that we could identify him even in costume.

I remember feeling a strong emotional connection with Michael (we're on a first name basis) even thought I had never met him in the flesh. And when he left the world, I was severely disappointed. 

I might be getting a little ahead of myself, but I believe that the invention of video gave us all the reach of GODS. There may be a person in Bankok watching one of Michael Jackson's childhood performances, while a person in the U.S. could be watching a video of one of his adult performances -- all the while he is no longer on the earth at all. 

I'm a big time promoter of the concept of video. I don't believe that all people should be recording themselves, but those who have something to share can immortalize themselves by sharing their gifts with the world. 

How much of an impact do you want to make? That's really the only relevant question to ask when considering video as a tool to share your gifts.