Leadership on Video: What We Can Learn from Queen Elizabeth

As we wait out the election results in the US, perhaps a visit to the Queen is in order.

I have written about why sharing your wisdom on video is crucial right now, for your business and brand, and for the world.

How lovely (as they often say in the UK) that we have this strong example of Queen Elizabeth doing exactly that. If you haven’t seen this video, I’ve linked to it at the bottom of the post.

Now, I do not follow the celebrity royals. I could care less about the clothes and the weddings and the drama.

I lived in London for a bit in college, my daughter just graduated from University there, yet I still didn’t really understand the point of their monarchy in this day and age.

After watching Queen Elizabeth’s addressing the nation in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, I get it. I’m wishing we had a Queen.

I now see what a leader that is above political and religious fray can do for a country.

So, what can we learn from Queen Elizabeth’s video for our own videos?

How can you connect with your audience in a way that inspires and makes them feel better?

Her video is a marvel of leadership messaging. Here are a few points you can bring to your own content.

Perspective

If you reading this, I’m sure you have survived some challenges. What helped you back then? Is there something in that you could share now? The Queen references her past; I’ll get back to that in a bit.

Another example is from a friend in Mexico who survived the 1985 Earthquake in Mexico City. I asked him the other day, “What helped you get through that?”

He mentioned how the families in his barrio self-organized to help each other, with stories of how his tias (aunts) took turns cooking for multiple families, and people pitched in what they could for the meals.

Closer to home, what helped you after the crash of 2008? Or 9/11?

Is any of that helping you now? Share those stories.

Empathize and inspire

This is very important. People are upset. No one wants to be fussed at when they are scared and hurt.

On the other hand, they also don’t need to have their fears activated even further than they already are by mainstream media and advertising.

The Queen acknowledges the difficulty people are feeling, and gently encourages them to not give into despair or negativity. She calls on the legendary resilience of the British people.

The message is, “Remember who you are”.

Here is a classic example of why video is so powerful:

The short clip at 2:18, with the photo from 1940 of her first radio broadcast, as a young girl, from Windsor Castle is brilliant.

That photo instantly reminds us that she, and the world, have weathered many crises.

For younger people watching that, she is a living bridge to a time that seems very distant from today’s reality, yet there she is, a survivor in a lovely green dress and pearls, soft-spoken with an iron will.

How comforting is that? All communicated in a few seconds.

Dignity and Authority

The Queen’s presence is a major factor of the power of this video. She’s calm, speaks slowly and clearly. There is no schmaltzy emotional music. In fact, the editing is very simple.

Contrast that with most messaging to the very distracted public in today’s world.

To get attention, marketers and media channels push on our emotional buttons until they bleed. It is highly manipulative and a great reason to limit screen time.

Her Majesty’s calm delivery stands out like a steady beacon through the noise.

I would love to see this understated yet powerful technique become a trend.

In fact, this style is especially an opportunity for women. We don’t have to be something we are not to be relatable.

If you are extroverted and love dance challenges, go for it.

You can also be more low key and still create effective videos. The “tone” of your videos will vary depending upon where your target audience is in their customer journey with you, but the main take-away is to be on brand and be yourself.

If we choose to claim it, we can convey our power on video. That’s a topic for its own post, but the Queen points the way.

You don’t have to be as reserved as she is, if that’s not who you are.

The point is, she knows who she is and isn’t trying to be someone else.

She is compassionate, authoritative and empowering.

She has taken the time to compose herself and her message, without overdoing it or trying to look years younger.

She has shared in the past that public speaking was never her favorite activity.

She is 93, and I doubt she loves being on camera, but I also would guess that she spent zero time worrying about it for this video.

It is 100% apparent that her concern for the audience is at the heart of her message.

London’s situation is personal for me. My daughter Jessie lived there for 4 years, and graduated from University of Arts, London, early this summer.

The graduation ceremony was cancelled, like thousands of others across the globe. She called me after reading her congratulatory email, alone, in her room in the middle of the London lockdown.

We talked about the Queen’s video and about putting all of this into perspective.

The Old Town has seen it all in its 2000 year history. England has a strong rule of law, coming together in times of crisis is in the DNA of the British people.

None of us has the street cred of Queen Elizabeth, but we all do have the option to slow down, accept ourselves, share our wisdom even if being on video feels strange, and appeal to the best part of ourselves, our audience and followers.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

If you enjoyed this post, others might as well. You can find several options for sharing it just above the photo at the top, by clicking on the box with the arrow. Thank you!

Here is a link to the video: https://youtu.be/2klmuggOElE

Originally published at https://www.mirroryourbrillianceonvideo.com.