Creating Effective Video Training
Welcome to the course consultant show. I am so excited today to talk about today’s topic. Today, we’re going to be talking about how to create effective video training online, how to stay on budget, how to use the best tools, and how to actually get all of those specific topics pulled together in a clear and concise video. So thank you so much for joining me. I’m going to go ahead and dive into today’s topics.
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Table of Contents
How to make a good video tutorial
First of all, when it comes to online training and courses, a lot of people find that they prefer videos. Give me a thumbs up if you like watching videos when you’re watching online courses. Hopefully you agree. So for me, when I actually create online courses for my clients, I typically try to vary the types of what I refer to as deliverables. But when it comes to, if you were to create your own online training, I would actually start first by thinking about what are the key learning objectives that you want your students to understand and accomplish.
Start with the end result
And so when you’re thinking about how to allow your students to learn, you have to start first with the end result. Let’s take, for example, one of my students who was trying to actually allow her students to learn how to write a manuscript for a novel. Well, of course the end result is for students to write a novel. But if somebody is just starting out and they’re completely brand new to the concept of writing a novel, they probably first need to know some basics. Right? So again, in that second step, we’re going to think about what that end result is.
Thinking now to the third step, you’re going to work backwards from that, by writing out what small lessons the student will need to be able to understand. So again, going back to that explanation that I shared with you, when somebody is trying to learn, they really need you to break down the steps into small incremental lessons.
Go Back to Basics
So, if I were to take, for example, writing this script, I would probably start first on the actual steps of understanding what’s incorporated into a story. So going back to your basics in English, when you’re in English class, you’re going to talk about the beginning, the introduction. You’re going to talk about setting the scene. You’re going to have to talk about the climax and the conclusion. And of course all the little bits and pieces as you go up into the climax and descending down into the conclusion. So without getting too fancy, it’s pretty simple if you were to write this out. What you would do is you would actually start first with the end result, work backwards and write out each small step.
I always try to describe this in the sense that if you were to create a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and you did not know how. What was the first step that you would do? Well, first of all, you would need to have two pieces of bread. Then you need to have your ingredients, your peanut butter and your jelly. Then you would need to get your knife, your butter knife, and just simply, go ahead and spread out the peanut butter and jelly.
Abstract Concepts
So I think when you think about actually breaking down those lessons and breaking down the video, you’ll be able to actually clearly communicate to your student what exactly is needed. Now often, this is the case when you’re talking about abstract concepts. It’s also very important to have some sort of supplemental activity.
Like let’s say, for example, you’re speaking about leadership development. Well, that’s a very abstract concept. So you need some way for students to be able to understand and comprehend this. So using some supplemental learning activities, along with your videos are actually going to really help to reinforce learning. One of my clients, Andrea Pavia, she did a great job in her Instagram Marketing Academy class, where she had supplemental strategy guides and planners, along with her lessons which were video based, that allowed students to actually comprehend the lessons as they were going through developing their own Instagram marketing strategy.
Video Recording
Now let’s take, for example, the next step and that is what is it that you need to record. So for example, if you were to take a video, you have probably two examples. You’d have one, the video example of actually using a screen recording software. And some people prefer to do a talking head, which is simply one person talking straight to the screen, much as what I’m doing right now. And so if you think about those options, those are really a great starting point. You can get really, really fancy and do even some animated video or even hire a videographer to put your videos together. When you start to get into that stage, it’s definitely time to outsource to a professional like me or somebody who is more experienced with those video editing softwares. And so those kinds of exciting new ventures are absolutely fantastic. But for most of us who really want to actually put something together really fast and don’t want to hire a team, or maybe they’re not prepared to hire a team yet. You can still do it on a budget by simply using the right tools. And what tools am I referring to?
The Right Tools
So, first of all, you would want to start with tools that are going to lend itself to the type of video training that you need. So again, if we’re talking about doing a simple screen share, your video lesson mostly is probably going to be comprised of a PowerPoint. I had one of my clients ask me, which is better for the learner video screen share, seeing my face, or having an animated video? Well, the answer is, it all depends on your learner and what their preferences are. And to be honest, as long as the content is engaging, it really doesn’t matter how the information is presented as long as it meets the overall lesson objectives.
Screen Recording Software
So let’s take, for example, video screen sharing software, which is probably one of the most common ways to share video and virtual training, especially when it’s held online within a webinar or within a recorded video. That is going to be the simplest way to go about it on a budget. And so what I recommend in terms of screen recording software, I recommend using a few different tools. I’ve used these myself and I’ve recommended that other people use them as well.
Affordable
So on the first scale you have your free tools and that would be obviously Loom. Loom is one of my preferred, easy to use recording software. It allows you to record your screen, record your face, and once you get into the pro version, you’ll also be able to draw on actual screens, which is actually a really great tool to have. The second tools that I recommend to my clients are two options. One is a Google Chrome extension called Screencastify, and this is a really great tool. It does have a free version, but it exports with the little branded icon on the bottom right. So I don’t recommend that if you’re trying to sell your recordings on a course, I recommend upgrading. And the second option is also Screencast-O-Matic.
So Screencastify and Screencast-O-Matic are very similar names, but they function very, very similar as well and they’re pretty affordable if you look at the annual or monthly plan. The annual plan I believe for Screencast-O-Matic is about $20, so it’s definitely worth it. I personally love using Screencast-O-Matic because it allows me to edit the audio and separate the tracks between video and audio. It also allows me to do some other editing as well, including allowing me to export the files in mp4, add text transcriptions using their text transcription software. It also allows me to edit and cut scenes, which allows me to cut and paste. And it also allows me to do lots of other cool things, such as adding text, allowing me to add popups. You can get very advanced in this very simple to use software and trust me, it can be very expensive, purchasing, much higher end video editing software.
Higher End
So let’s take, for example, if you were a video editor and let’s say that you are somebody who is experienced in that. What would you actually need to actually get prepared to share your videos online? So if you are more experienced, you might want to consider using a video editing software, and that could include final cut pro is a common one. You also have some Adobe products that are pretty, more expensive, but they do provide a higher quality of output. And that would be including how to use Camtasia. You can use also another video editing software, that I used for animated videos, which is called Vyond. Now I do recommend and Vyond is really more for corporate or business to business type of online training. So that certainly is a great one to check out in case you are wondering.
Video Editing Software
So, when it comes to your video editing software, you need to determine what is going to be recorded. So again, prepare your slides in advance if you’re doing a screen capture. Two, if you’re outsourcing or you’re doing more advanced video editing, you’ll need to actually determine if you need a voiceover script. A lot of people ask me, do I need a voiceover script or do I not need a voiceover script? The answer is again, it’s dependent on your comfort level. I recommend having a voiceover script if you’re recording your screens via SlideShares. So if you’re actually recording slides, I recommend that you actually record and have a voiceover script and your voiceover script is really gonna help you read out exactly what you wanted to portray to your students. And this is really one of the biggest pro tips that I would recommend when you’re actually recording your videos, if you’re doing any specific type of training and it requires that you share your screen and you’re doing slides. I recommend actually preparing the slides in advance and ensuring that you have a voiceover script.
Okay, here’s the second option. If you do not want to share your screens and you want to share your face, I recommend not having a script, but just having bullet points. So have something around you that’s going to be able to be easily read and not shuffling around with your papers or looking over and awkwardly trying to recite something or memorize something. Why? Because it’s going to feel forced. It’s going to feel unnatural and you’re going to feel uncomfortable when you’re onscreen. Unless you’re a broadcaster or someone who has acting experience or performance experience in the past.
The thing that I want to also encourage you to consider is to also practice in advance. Practice makes progress. So what I mean to say when you practice recording your screens and recording your face, sometimes you’re going to make mistakes and you might lose an entire few hours, just reciting and rerecording. So save yourself the hassle before you press record by practicing what you are going to say. Do it one to two times, maybe even three times. And then when you’re ready, press record. It can be very, very overwhelming to try and record so many different scenes and try to get it perfect all at once. You are not going to get it perfect all at once. And that’s the beauty of understanding where your progress comes in. You are not going to be perfect. You have to give yourself space to breathe, to relax, to lean into this new role as a course creator. So I’m very excited to share with you these tips. I do want to share with you a few other tips regarding recording video, and that’s the importance of quality audio.
How to Record Quality Audio
How many of you guys have ever watched a video and the audio quality was terrible? I have. I definitely have, and I will tell you, it is not been fun to listen to. I immediately want to X out and skip to something that has a much better audio quality. So here’s what I recommend.
I recommend when recording audio to have a quality microphone. Now it doesn’t have to be very expensive. It just has to be accurately portraying your voice. You don’t want to be too quiet. You don’t want to be too loud. What you want is clear, crisp audio with minimal background noise. So how do you get great audio quality? Well, the first thing that you need to do is you need to make sure that you have the right microphone.
Microphones
I recommend two microphones that I’ve used that are very much underneath $100. The first audio microphone that I recommend is the blue snowball, Yeti. This Snowball Yeti is normally under $50 and allows you to easily record with a USB interface from your laptop or desktop computer. It also allows you to export and save the files as MP3. And if you need to use it in a wav format, you can also do that as well.
Another thing that I would also recommend using, if you’re interested in purchasing a higher quality audio, I would consider using the ATR USB 2100 or one of their affiliated types of microphones. I use the ATR microphone it’s a USB interface with my computer and it allows me to record my audio. I can do it for my zoom sessions. It’s really easy to use. My microphone when I purchased it, comes with this very small stand. And what you want to do again is once you do have your microphone, you should place that microphone in a consistent space between your mouth and the microphone.
Consistent Setup/Spacing
Why is that important? Why does it matter? Well, here’s the reason why, when you were recording in different sessions, let’s say that you sit down to record and you record about five videos, and then the next day you record five videos again. If your microphone is a different distance from your mouth to the microphone, you’re gonna notice a difference in sound level. Why? Because the distance between your mouth and the microphone is going to be at a different distance. Right? So if you’re closer to the microphone, you’re going to get one sound. If you’re farther away from the microphone, you’re going to get a different sound. And if you were to listen to playing it back, you might notice between one video to the next video that the voice level is actually different.
Now, does it really matter? I guess it doesn’t really matter if it’s very nominal and you can’t hear the difference. But once you start charging $2000, $4000 or $5000 for a course, that’s when it does matter. You really should make sure that you have accurate distance between your mouth and the microphone when you’re recording your video. So how do you make sure that the distance is the same each consistent time that you are recording?
Well, first of all, what you need to do is actually ensure that you have either a stand or a microphone boom arm. A boom arm is essentially a metal frame, I guess, it allows you to actually hook up your microphone to the arm and allows it to be either clamped on your desk, or sometimes it will be able to clamp to any other type of surface so that it will be consistently in one area between your mouth and the microphone. Another thing to do is consider purchasing a stand. You can normally purchase a stand as an accessory on Amazon. They’re pretty affordable there.
When you’re doing the podcast recording, what you want to do is, again three, the third thing you want to do is actually ensure that the background noise levels are down. So, what do I mean by background noise? I mean, if your dog is out there hanging out with you, you might want to actually make sure that the dog is in a different room. If you have young children in the background, or if you even have the AC on, the noise in the background can be very, very distracting. And so what you want to do is you want to make sure you’re in a very quiet setting in the room. Make sure if you have family members or anyone else present in the house, you ensure and communicate that they need to keep their voices down, especially when it comes to your recording time.
It’s very hard. I know, especially if you’re working from home to ensure that you have quality audio, but trust me, when you actually play back the audio, you want it to sound crisp, clear and professional. And to do that, you need to make sure you have all the equipment together. You have prepared what you were going to say, and you will also practice beforehand.
So keeping all of that in mind, I know that there’s so much that goes into recording videos. I want to also share with you that it is important to know that it’s fine if you make a mistake. It’s fine if you’re still working on this on your own and you make a few videos and it really didn’t go according to plan.
Ask For Feedback
What you want to do is ask for feedback. It’s so important to ask for feedback when you’re writing your own content. You’ll want to be able to ensure that everything that you’re doing is going to make sure that you have a good sense of what people are interested in listening or learning to. So, once you have everything put together and you’ve asked for feedback and you’ve recorded your screens, then it’s time to host.
Hosting
Once you host everything, you’ll need to make sure that you either set it to private. And it could be hosted either on Vimeo or YouTube, whatever the case may be. You need to make sure that you have an easy way to access it. If you’re using a course platform, such as Thinkific, Podia, or Kajabi, or one of the many other course platforms, you don’t really have to worry about hosting. But if you’re going to be referencing some of these videos periodically, you might want to consider actually hosting it on a third party platform. There’s also another video hosting platform called Wistia, but it’s not as important to consider that if you’re just using a course platform. All right guys there is so much information that I shared with you today.
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