Dear Reader,

This month we're looking at I-Catchers in more detail to show you what's involved and how painless the process can be! We've put together a case study based on several people's experiences of producing their own I-Catcher to give you a real feel for how it works.

We're holding two I-Catcher days very soon. The first is on Wednesday 29 April, and is intended for you if you're very confident of your presentation skills. It'll be without Sarah's pre-shoot training so you'll go straight into the interview on camera. If that feels too daunting, on Friday 1 May we'll be running a regular I-Catcher day when you'll get the benefit of Sarah's input. We've found that even the most seasoned performers find this useful – but the choice is yours.

We're also looking at a novel way you can sell your expertise even while you sleep. Intrigued? Read on to find out more.

Best wishes.

Gill

An Hour of Your Life – The I-Catcher Experience

I've never done a video to promote my business before but because I'm often giving presentations I wasn't too worried about recording an I-Catcher. Although Gill said I didn't need to prepare anything beforehand, I prefer to be organised, so I learned a rough script.

I knew that the whole process was only going to take an hour, which didn't seem much, but I trusted that Gillian Gee and Sarah McCloughry knew what they were doing.

For half an hour, Sarah took me through some breathing, relaxation and visualisation exercises, designed to prepare my mind for the forthcoming ‘performance'.

In the studio I met Gill, who studied my colouring and gave instructions to the lighting cameraman to change the colour of the light on the background. She explained that this was to make me look my best and not washed out.

It was quite a strange environment – bright lights, camera and microphone, all pointing at me, in an otherwise dark room. Nerves began to kick in but I concentrated on the exercises I'd done with Sarah.

The cameraman left the room, so it was just Gill and me. She told me not to worry about looking at the camera, and that we'd just talk.

I went through the script a few times. It didn't go quite as well as I'd hoped but she said not to worry, and we'd try it again later. She asked me to talk some more about my business. It's something I know a lot about but couldn't decide where to start. She patiently probed and guided me to explain fully what I do. She was very attentive and asked encouraging questions.

I soon forgot about the nerves and began to really enjoy talking so freely about what I love, my work. It was almost like chatting in a normal social situation. Before long, the session was nearly over and I asked if I could try my script again, which went very much better.

Two weeks later, I received the disk with the video on it in various data formats for different purposes.

What really surprised me was that our half-hour of talking had been edited down to only one minute. And hardly any of my scripted part was included. It was mostly the part where I was chatting with Gill and I have to say it did seem very natural and relaxed.

I thought I looked a bit weird and wasn't sure I wanted to be seen like that on the web. I showed it to some friends and colleagues, who all said the video looked great, and that I came across as very natural. A good friend pointed out that we always see ourselves in a mirror, which is a reversed image and not accurate. I realise that the video is how everyone I deal with sees me every day.

I've put my video on my website and the feedback I'm getting is very positive. People often say they feel they know me, even before they contact me for the first time. It's amazing. It's as though I'm out there making first contact with my potential customers, without having to lift a finger!