Principles and planning can help you quiet the distractions, clarify your message, and find your direction for better video communication.
It’s August. Can you believe it? Depending on where you live, the kids may already be heading back to school, and if they’re not, you know that first day is right around the corner.
There’s always been something about August that feels like a shift to me. Summer isn’t over, and I’m certainly not suggesting we put away the flip-flops, cancel the cookouts, and stop having fun. But August has a way of reminding me that we’re well into the third quarter of the year, and that fourth quarter is going to come knocking before we know it.
So maybe it’s time to start getting back into gear.
Not rushing. Not hustling. Not suddenly trying to accomplish everything we said we were going to do back in January. Just pulling our eyes away from some of the distractions and asking ourselves a simple question: Where do I want to go from here?
Maybe We Need a Little Review
Remember going back to school after summer vacation? Those first few weeks usually included some review because apparently our teachers knew we’d spent the summer replacing useful information with swimming pools, bicycles, vacations, and sleeping late.
Well, I’m declaring August review time here at Weezy, too.
I’ve taken some time away myself. Life changed, we moved, and I needed to step away from some of the noise and give myself room to settle into a new season. Now I’m coming back to my work, my creativity, and my own communication, and I’ll admit it: I’m a little rusty.
Maybe you are, too.
That’s why I think this is the perfect time to revisit something that’s become foundational to the work I do: my 4P Video Method: Principles, Plan, Prep & Practice.
Those four Ps are designed to help real people communicate more clearly and naturally, whether that’s through video, audio, social content, email, an interview, or simply telling a story that matters.
But here’s the important part.
Good video communication doesn’t begin with the camera.
It begins with Principles.
Before We Decide What to Do, Let’s Remember What Grounds Us
Principles are the foundation underneath everything else. They’re what help us decide how we’re going to show up before we ever decide what we’re going to say.
For me, those principles have become pretty simple: Presence over performance. Clarity over perfection. Connection over polish. Calm over urgency.
These aren’t just principles for being on camera. They influence how we communicate in our videos, our social content, our emails, our businesses, our stories, and even our everyday conversations.
Who are you? What matters to you? What have your experiences taught you? Why are you communicating in the first place, and who are you hoping to reach?
Those things matter.
I’ve learned that through experience, and occasionally I’ve learned it the hard way.
Because believe me, I’ve chased my share of rabbits.
About Those Rabbits…
I love a good idea. And through the years, I’ve heard plenty of them.
There’s always a new strategy, a new platform, a new trend, a new piece of technology, or somebody telling us, This is what you need to be doing now.
And because I love learning and creating, it has always been pretty easy for me to spot a shiny new rabbit and take off running.
One rabbit leads to another. Then another. Pretty soon you’re twisting and turning, changing direction, and wondering whether you need to change what you’re doing because, well, “they” said so.
Eventually, that gets exhausting.
Over time, I’ve learned something: I can listen to what “they” say without automatically allowing “them” to determine my direction.
I can learn. I can explore. I can stay curious about new technology and new ways of communicating. But I can also bring those ideas back to my own principles and ask whether they actually help me accomplish what I’m trying to accomplish.
Do I really need to change direction? Or did another shiny rabbit just run across the path?
There’s a big difference.
Principles Give Us a Foundation. Plans Give Us a Map.
That’s why Principles come first in my 4P Video Method. They help us quiet some of that outside noise and get grounded again in who we are, what matters to us, and how we want to communicate.
Then we can Plan.
I think of a plan as a map. It doesn’t mean every mile of the journey has to be plotted out before you leave the driveway. It simply means you’ve decided where you’re trying to go.
And maybe that’s exactly what August needs to be.
Who are you trying to reach? What do you want to communicate? What has been sitting in the back of your mind waiting for your attention? And when December rolls around, what would you like to be able to say you finally started?
Because we still have time.
There are months left in this year to tell the story, share the idea, introduce yourself, reconnect with your audience, start the video series, preserve the family stories, or finally begin communicating something that’s been sitting on the shelf waiting for “someday.”
But we don’t have to do everything.
We need to decide what we’re going to do.
That’s Where We’re Heading This August
Throughout August, I’m going to spend some time talking about these first two Ps: Principles and Plan.
We’re going to look at the foundation underneath how we communicate, and we’re going to start thinking about where we want to go. I’ll share some ideas, ask some questions, and give you a few Creative Director nudges to help you find your direction and start mapping out what comes next.
Toward the end of the month, we’ll start peeking at our next P, Prep. We’ll save the deeper dive into that for September because there’s no reason to race through this.
Remember one of our principles?
Calm over urgency.
That applies here, too.
So, Class Is Back in Session
Maybe you’ve taken some time away. Maybe you’ve gotten distracted. Maybe you’ve chased a few rabbits of your own. Or maybe you’ve simply been enjoying summer and haven’t given much thought to what you want the rest of this year to look like.
That’s okay. Grab your metaphorical backpack and come on back. I’m shaking off some rust myself, and perhaps that’s why returning to these fundamentals feels especially right this year.
Before we start adding more, doing more, or chasing the next new thing, let’s remember what grounds us and decide where we’re actually going.
Principles give us the foundation. Plan gives us the map.
And that’s where we’re going to begin.
This blog may only show up once a month, but our conversation doesn’t stop here. Throughout August, I’ll be digging deeper into Principles and Plan through my emails and social content, sharing ideas, asking questions, and giving you a few Creative Director nudges to help you find your direction and start mapping out what comes next.
So, if you’re not already on my email list, this is a good time to join us. And make sure you’re following me on social media, because that’s where we’ll continue the conversation throughout the month.
You can also download my free 4P Starter Guide for a simple introduction to Principles, Plan, Prep & Practice.
We don’t have to figure out the rest of the year today. We just need to get our eyes off the distractions, decide where we’re headed, and start moving in that direction.
And after all that talk about chasing rabbits, maybe there’s something to be said for taking a lesson from the turtle.
We don’t have to race through the rest of the year, trying to catch up or do everything at once. We can move at a steady pace, keep our eyes on where we’re going, and make thoughtful progress along the way.
That’s really what the 4Ps are about. Principles keep us grounded. Plan gives us the map. Then, when the time comes, Prep and Practice will help us keep moving.
So let’s enjoy what’s left of summer. Let’s take our time. But let’s also start getting back into gear and moving with purpose.
The bell has rung. We’re back in class.
And don’t worry. I’m not giving a pop quiz.
At least not in August.