Ever wonder why people spend all their time looking for their favorite courses or niches on YouTube? Ever wondered why we remember incidents and experiences more than a dense group of words? Ever wonder why learners experience a significantly higher rate of retention and understanding of concepts while making use of video resources? The reason is that the videos that fit into the category described above are INSTRUCTIONAL and INTERACTIVE.
For a video to be deemed as an effective instructional resource, the video must be created with the best training video software. Using software like iSpring Suite enables you to create videos that would engage the mind of your learners while also automating your content creation process.
What then is an instructional video?
An instructional video can be defined as one that simply explains a concept or demonstrates a process with the singular goal of transferring knowledge to a person or a group of people.
It can best be summarised as an interactive and engaging video that seeks to attract learners or trainees without compromising the sanctity of the information discussed or delivered.
Learning doesn’t have to be torture for it to qualify as such.
Tips for creating engaging instructional videos
These time-tested tips will enable you to create engaging instructional videos for your audience:
1. Know your audience
Knowing your audience is the first step in getting started. You have to define who the recipients of the knowledge you are intending to share. Doing this allows you to channel the course contents to satisfy the knowledge gap experienced by the sect of people in need of your content. Questions like: How old are your recipients? What’s their knowledge level on the particular subject? Are you training or inducting new hires into your workplace environment? These are the questions that should frame your thoughts.
2. Set your objectives/ have a goal in mind
Imagine exploring an unfamiliar terrain without a map, a human guide, or a navigation tool of some sort. Pathetic right? This also applies to creating jaw-breaking instructional videos. Having a defined goal in mind would ensure efficiency and clarity.
For instance, your video may be to inform them or correct a flawed notion, or even improve the level of their knowledge on a particular subject.
3. Research
What distinguishes excellent instructional content creators or designers from mediocre ones is the quality of research they conduct. It is very easy to tell when a video has a research deficit as it shows in the quality of content churned out. You should conduct goal-oriented research by pooling a truckload of online resources which can be filtered as you progress in the creation of your video.
It’s better to err on the side of surplusage.
4. Create an outline and a storyboard
This step reinforces the usefulness of flashcards in our everyday life as an outline slightly resembles a flashcard since both of them were created for jotting points in bullets for easy remembrance.
Prior proper preparation prevents poor performance so you need to put down how your points would appear in the video. Order is key. Also, compile a series of shots into a storyboard to simplify the creation process.
5. Write a script
Without a script, there is no movie. A script lies at the heart of every video as time is of the essence. A script ensures that your contents are in sync with the time limit you have slated. During recording, a script would ensure that you are taking into consideration the time factor and the order of contents I.e what should your audience know at this particular stage of the video? A script should generally have three constituent parts namely: the introduction, body, and conclusion.
The Introductory part of your video by the script should introduce your learners to the concept and content you want to churn out. It should tell them what they seek to gain by imbibing the issues discussed in the lessons.
The body is the most important part of this tripod as it explores the thematic structure of the concept in question. You should ensure that you are not sacrificing simplicity and effective communication on the altar of big vocabulary.
The K.I.S.S ( keep it short and simple) rule applies here.
The conclusion should summarize the lesson in simple and concise words. It should enable your learners to take an action step to either further their interest in the niche being discussed or apply the knowledge garnered in the training.
6. Record your video
Recording a video goes beyond pressing the record button and rambling in front of a device for hours. It requires finesse and a touch of professionalism. Using a screen recording tool like iSpring Suite ensures that your video comes out excellently. iSpring Suites ensure that your video is industry compliant, thanks to its amazing features.
It is safe to take all necessary pre-recording steps to prevent glitches during the course or recording. Ensure your environment is properly lighted, your camera well set and your apps all closed to prevent interruptions. Also, make sure that your smartphone’s battery level is at full capacity as you do not want a power outage during your video.
7. Edit your video
iSpring Suite is the complete package as it allows you to record and edit your videos to ensure maximum quality and amazing interaction. With iSpring, you can add voiceovers, audio effects, animation, adjust exposure, color, and other pivotal elements to make sure that you deliver quality instructional content to your audience. Whatever is worth doing, is worth doing well.
Wrapping up
Creating an instructional video might look easy on the surface until one gets to walk the talk. Failure to follow any of the steps listed above signals doom for an instructional designer as they are individually necessary and jointly sufficient. Using a video authoring tool like iSpring Suite will ensure that your video is at par with global industry standards and specifications.
