Things will go wrong on camera. Tech glitches. An underprepared day. Life redirecting you five minutes before you hit record. You'll feel the urge to say "I'm sorry" — in advance, mid-talk, or tacked onto the end.
Don't.
The apology is what calls attention to it
People are forgiving when they see something go slightly off. The apology is the thing that points at the flaw and tells them they should have noticed. It dilutes the impact of everything you did deliver well. You gave the best you had with what you had — let it stand.
There's a short list of real exceptions: you genuinely insulted someone, your facts were wrong, or a malfunction broke the talk irrecoverably. In that last case: one "I'm sorry," then move on. One.
Outside that list, hold your ground. Your authority depends on it. It is not your job to take everyone who found real value in your work and teach them, through your own apology, to discount it.
Take it further
Catch yourself the next time you want to say "sorry" on camera. Notice that the apology points at a flaw nobody had even noticed yet.
The full system — every exercise and the 36-day practice — lives in the book MEAN IT. and the 5 Minute CEO program. Work with Paul →