Video reviews

Which roadtest or product are you working on?

I can relate to your concerns.  I was especially insecure about my voice on 'tape' during my younger years.  To make matters worse it seemed as soon as junior high and high school were underway the teachers went out of their way to shoe-horn A/V elements into the assignments.  I still remember sitting there in my desk in grade 7 watching the Halloween video we did together as a class and instead of laughing and enjoying myself I sat there in complete terror dreading that brief moment where I speak on camera.

As time went by this aversion to my own voice decreased considerably but I still harbour some insecurities with the way I speak.  So, if anything, you aren't alone with the way you feel.  A lot of people share this insecurity to some degree.

The root of the problem is that in day to day life we don't hear our own voices the same way others do.  Then when we finally hear how we sound in a recording it can be quite jarring.  However, if we spend some time to think rationally about it everyone around us has accepted the sound of our voice, so based on that it's probably nowhere nearly as bad as we think.  In a weird kind of way this is yet another example how we are our own worst critics.

I suspect the requirement for an unboxing video will be waived and I won't blame you for taking that route here.  With that said this situation offers you a chance to rise up and overcome one of your fears and I imagine you'll be stronger for it.

I would disagree on waiving the unboxing video requirement.

It's Easier to Ask Forgiveness Than It Is To Get Permission is a quote from the late U.S. Naval officer Rear Admiral Grace Hopper.

The performance anxiety was known when the requirements for a video were stated as part of the RoadTest. If the anxiety was identified as a risk in the application than I feel there is some flexibility. If it wasn't, I feel that is an unfair advantage.

The RoadTest reviews requirements are designed for product vendors. I'm not a fan of the unboxing video. I recall a post discussing the the value of unboxing content in a review.  The post didn't find a lot of support for the content. I've seem some recent unboxing videos that attempt to provide entertainment to overcome the typical box cutter reveal.

I would encourage the reluctant video presenter to view the requirement as a professional presentation. I was tasked by a former boss with the lions share of presentations within our group. When I inquired as to the reason why, she said "You are good at them. You must enjoy doing them." How wrong she was. I needed presentation skills to further my career. I learned techniques to improve them. As for enjoying them. I found them exhausting, terrifying and riddled with anxiety.

The video may feel like life or death. Anxiety has that hold on us. Provide the presentation in all its flaws (you feel) and walk away.

colporteur said:

I was tasked by a former boss with the lions share of presentations within our group.

... Those were in your own language, weren't they? How comfortable would you be to post a technical video in a language you dont't speak well, on the internet?

I have noticed a lot of videos now use a computer voice (text-to-speech). I don't mind listening to this type of video. It might be an option if there is a video requirement. I've also seen videos where there is no voice, all explanations are done with graphics, highlighting methods or text in the video. I like the computer voice better than these methods although they are fine when used in addition to a voice.

Decent text-to-speech software might be a good topic for discussion. There are several free programs/services - you can try readloud.net, it allows up to 30,000 characters in each submission.

Cytron Maker Pi RP2040

Guys, thank you so for the replies.

First, It's nothing with my voice. I'm just with a freaking cold and it sounds funny when recorded. And I have everything recorded already...

I'm super comfortable speaking in public. I've done lots of presentations and some for full auditoriums. And I stutter since I was a child. At first it was a problem, but now, it just don't bother me anymore.

which is funny, because when recording the video, I'm a bit nervous and I don't understand why...

I was just asking because I've seen Road Tests without any video reviews and I was just wondering, considering the cold.

Yes, not so much the technical terms ,but the names of the products , may be a bit difficult for me to say so that the person hearing may understand.

I've seen those videos with computer voice generated, and I'm not a fan.

I will record again during this week, I'm getting better from the cold and I think I still have time until the deadline.

Thank you all for the comments.

If it was a requirement, I would have to figure out a way to suck it up.

This one?

The Roadtest page lists an unboxing video as optional, not a requirement.

To me, "unboxing" is not the same as "out of box experience."

Personally, I think the most useless part of any review (Roadtest or otherwise) is wasting time showing the packaging. Unless there's something special (or dreadful), who cares?

However, "out of box experience" is far more important. What happens once you plug it in? How hard are the drivers to install? Are there any weird pieces you have to attached? etc.

I always watch my own videos at 2x speed. At that speed, they sound good to me