A Playbook to Create an Instructional Video Instructional Video Course

Jan 28, 2024

The truth is that making online courses requires many hours of work and can be an extremely long process especially if you make a lot of instructional videos.
    A way to help you make course creation and design simpler? Telling stories
   
    Elise London, our resident video specialist who is responsible for all our in-house and marketing courses She explains that the secret to creating engaging virtual courses is using stories in order to organize and present information.
   
    Being able to discern the main story behind the content's issue and structuring the course content using the hero's journey method can transform your course. This is everything you should be able to do for planning the structure, design, and build an online course that is engaging and exciting. It includes the tools you'll need.

Jump ahead:

A perfect subject to conduct online training

You don't need a fresh concept, straight from the box for your online course.
   
    Find a topic which is well-known. Knowing your objectives and the public will assist. Here's how:

Recognize what's currently resonating

Use data measurement tools like Google Analytics to find high-performing written pieces. You can find an ebook covering one particular subject that performs particularly well? Consider expanding it into a detailed video course.
   
    It's also possible to survey your list of email addresses to discover subjects that your subscribers would love to take an online course. It is also possible to have the same survey posted through social media (if you're a genuinely engaged public on those platforms) and also to communities you're a part of with.
   
    Keep in mind that your goal is to determine a course field that students will have an interest in.

Deepen your dive, don't widen it.




    How can you solve this problem? Examine the struggles that your target audience faces with regard to the topic.
   
    Are you asking yourself:

  • What challenges are readers confronting as they attempt to solve the issue?
  • How do we deal with overwhelming feelings? we can help them overcome?

When it comes to live streaming for instance, it can cause feelings of anxiety as folks create the first stream. A course on this topic could be "How it is easy to set up live streaming to ensure that you're not overwhelmed."

This is the most effective tip you can make for your course's name

When thinking about names for your class think about what the audience you're targeting feel in relation to the topic you're discussing and then incorporate this into the name.

Designing for and structuring the online course

Elise suggests using hero's narrative to guide the online course. It involves:

  • The issue that the target students face. Find these by answering the questions people ask about the subject of your class.
  • Guide them in overcoming obstacles and finding solutions. This is where you divide the subject into sections and video lessons that each answer the question.
  • Then they will be able to experience the promised transformation. Offer additional resources, such as checklists and templates that assist students in applying the concepts they've learnt.

This is the way to gather questions from the audience and the desired outcome to organize and design your course

Ask your audience members questions about research

Instead of making assumptions, take these actions:

  • Discover Reddit as well as Quora to make a list of questions that are frequently asked.
  • Survey, and then make 1-on-1 calls to learners for questions.
  • listen to calls from customers who are part of the support and sales teams for answers to common questions.
  • Check out the bestseller's book's indexes on Amazon to get a better understanding of the concerns they ask about the subject of the class.

If you've held webcasts that dealt with the subject you can also look into questions attendees requested to aid your research.

The course's topic can be broken down into buckets

Woman recording herself with smartphone. Image reads, "Concept > modules > video lessons"

Then, refer to the concerns and questions of your audience for breaking your topic into narrative elements which build upon each other for the next stage along the path of a learner.

"Instead of saying that we're going to train you to use an interactive program' (which is a broad difficult-to-understand thing) Instead, state "We'll teach you beginner, intermediate, and advanced features. This means the topics that you will be learning in your online class will fit within one of these three groups." Elise London, Senior content production manager

Simply put "disparate concepts" in buckets in order that as you view the course from afar the course appears more manageable."

A tip for course structure

It is important to define your course's structure in order to reach out to students where they are at in their growth. It's often easy to overshare and make students confused because of the trap that is ignorance (a cognitive bias that presumes your audience to be as educated as you are). Make sure to check the design of your course to make sure the course is easy.

Videos to be designed for lessons

  1. Be sure to address the challenges your student faces in relation to the issue an instructional video can help solve.
  2. Respond to the questions with solutions to the issue they're facing.
  3. The information in the video must be summarized or provide additional resources to help students adapt.

Videos on script-on-demand

pro tip

Script generator gif

Shooting your course video content

Tools you'll need

If you are looking for a high-end production tool kit and set up It will require:

  • Camera for a Microphone (two at a minimum) and a 3 or four point light kit
  • Learn Management System (LMS). This software houses the video content and make it available to students. Examples include: Teachable, Podia, and Kajabi.
  • . A platform for video that is free and lets you host recordings, making edits and add elements of interactivity to educational videos, which you can later upload to your LMS.
  • Teleprompter. A display device that shows the text moving on screen. It makes it easy for on-screen folks to record videos.
  • Music pedal. It's a cost-effective and foot-operated keyboard that allows you to switch the direction in which slide slides are displayed on screen.

The perfect video production environment

Elise is adamant about:

1. Avoid using fluorescent overhead light sources.

Shadows may cause a lot of discomfort to your face. The light of fluorescent bulbs might flicker periodically creating a green color as well as affecting the quality of your video's stabilization.

2. Recording in darkness with no natural light

The natural light patterns shift throughout the day. If you're filming for several hours consecutively then the quality of light in your video won't look consistent, Elise warns. Also, this could be a issue when you choose to transfer portions of your video from one to another video.

3. Set your cameras at different angles

The second camera can't "just make editing more fun (which is helpful even if you are using a script or even if you complete it all in one shot) However, it aids in breaking up the monotony of people looking at the face of their instructor."
   
    "More crucially, a different camera can be utilized to cover cuts," Elise adds. "So if whatever you're delivering will not come out in one shot and you want to hide the cut, the best method which to cover that cut is using B-roll or to simply cut into an additional camera."

4. A clean and clutter-free background

Beware of vibrant hues like magenta, orange and yellow since these can cause color reflections and be distracting for viewers. Make sure you choose neutral shades for backgrounds like gray, dark blue and soft white. These look great on camera as well as feel great on your eyes.

Recording your online video course

Naturally, recording can feel a little anxious. If you've put in the time to planning and scripting your strategy, recording won't be an issue.

5. Always utilize a audio-visual teleprompter

Teleprompters can help prevent you from becoming stuck on your screen as you try to decide which part you must remember.
   
    It makes recording simple and helps with editing, however "it will also allow you to concentrate on the camera even when watching the screen from the Teleprompter" Adds Elise.

6. Utilize a music pedal change between slides

"Instead of using a keyboard or clicker on your hands, try using an electronic music pedal to change your slides]. It's basically a USB Bluetooth keyboard with a left and right. It means that the person presenting doesn't have to hunt for either keyboard or mouse in order to advance."

Editing the videos you have on demand

Make an effort to reduce the length of your edits and provide a lasting viewing experience by using these expert tips:

7. Make a ruthless edit

8. Add B-roll content for maximum engagement

One method to ward off the boredom that comes with talking head video is to switch between camera regularly.
   
    It is also possible to add animations, graphics slide as well as videos from stock or customized to create an engaging learning experience.

9. Layer in interactivity

  • Enjoy a build-your-own-learning path
  • Check out the video hotspots listed below to dig into other learning tools
  • Jump between sections which are relevant to these sections (useful for onboarding video within the organization)

Interactive videos increase the level of engagement among viewers and increase retention. Also, you can test your students' skills through making video-based tests using Interactive.

Are you prepared to design your own online courses?

The procedure of putting together videos that an public enjoys could be summed up in the following manner:

  • Be specific with regards to the issue you wish to resolve
  • Converting the information into a coherent narrative
  • The information should be structured so that it's simple to follow and digest

Also, don't forget to use with the right tools, and you will be able to ease stress by creating top-quality instructional videos, guaranteeing you a full-bodied learning experience.

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