HOW TO PRODUCE A TRAINING VIDEO

Training videos….they don’t have to be boring. Believe it or not, there are actually a few ways to capture your audience’s attention while educating them. Here are a few tips we suggest to avoid producing a boring training video.

• Focus on the story – At 522 Productions, story is the most critical component in every video we produce. Yes… even in training videos. We always focus on the story when developing training content. This keeps audiences more engaged – especially with characters and situations that they can readily identify with. Even if you’re doing a simple video presentation, a well-developed story will win over your audience.
• Use bite-sized content – One of the most common mistakes found in ordinary training videos is that they include way too much content. In most cases, your audience is only going to takeaway a few key points. So, break up videos into small bites and allow your audience to take a breath.
• Develop characters that identify with the audience – If your audience cannot identify with what is on-camera, then you’ll likely lose them from the very beginning. The best way to reach your audience is through well-developed characters. These characters provide you with a natural window to communicate your information to the audience. Don’t give a lecture. Your audience will relate much better with a peer (or someone they’d have a beer with) than some unknown authority.
• Integrate supporting visuals – Let’s face it, if you are producing a video, you really have the opportunity to show your audience what you want them to learn. If you are developing a software training video, then it’s certainly helpful to show how users interact with the software. If you’re developing a safety training video, then you can include demonstrations on the “proper” way to function in the workplace. The more you show, the more they’ll know.

At the end of the day, an engaging video goes a long way to teaching your audience about any topic. The more time you spend thinking it through in the beginning, the better the results in the end.