A well-programmed and efficiently-used training video is a resource which makes learning easier. In fact, I\u2019d go as far as to say it\u2019s an irreplaceable and unbeatable resource for learning; especially when it comes to encouraging tacit knowledge, which is the result of experience and\/or observation.<\/p>\n
So what exactly do we mean by \u201cwell-programmed and efficiently-used\u201d? Basically, that it should respond to learning objectives in which video is the most appropriate tool. It is not about showing videos just because they look good or because it\u2019s a trend, but showing them because they\u2019re actually really interesting and add value.<\/p>\n
So, the first question you should be asking yourself before including a video in a training resource has to be:\u00a0is it more effective for students to see or to read about this?<\/strong><\/p>\n If you want to explain costodiaphragmatic breathing as a relaxation technique, your best bet will be to show the process rather than have the student read about it; yet if you want to teach constitutional law, text will be required and, therefore, unavoidable. We could also discuss what the text should be like and what its benefits are, but that\u2019s another story and it might well come up in a future post in this blog. For the time being, let\u2019s just focus on this: some types of content require resources which make it easier to take in information slowly, or to help structure different levels or different materials, depending on the students\u2019 learning styles. For other types of contents, a video is worth a thousand words.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve decided that video is the most appropriate resource, the second question you should be asking is\u00a0what type of video you\u2019re going to use<\/strong>: which will be the most useful for the student to learn.<\/p>\n Training videos can be classified as follows:<\/p>\n Which one should you choose? Imagine you\u2019re training medical staff in an emergency service. You want them to learn how to do the most common stitching. It is obvious that a\u00a0practice<\/strong>\u00a0video in which we see how the stitching is done will be much more useful than listening to someone talking about, say, diamond stitching, without seeing it, as if they were talking about sewing a tiara! Similarly, you can show a\u00a0simulation<\/strong>\u00a0video, if you want to teach the use of a corporate computer application, or a\u00a0documentary or storytelling\u00a0<\/strong>video, if you want to show students the Earth\u2019s rotation and translation. As we have seen, there are numerous possibilities and you\u2019ll have to choose the one which suits your didactical objectives best.<\/p>\n And then, what do you need to consider? Basically, absolutely everything related to production, scripting and postproduction of the video: from the location, to the music and the speaking itself. However,\u00a0the choice and direction of the person who is going to speak in the video<\/strong>, should it be required, tends to be rather a sensitive and delicate issue.<\/p>\n Cameras are strange elements<\/strong>\u00a0which are always around (except in Big Brother, so they say!), and yet most people simply are not comfortable in front of them. The paraphernalia associated to a camera makes the most competent speaker feel like a molecule being examined through a microscope, by a group of chemists interested in its slightest movement.<\/p>\n Doing a recording is not just about having a camera and a tripod (fortunately, we have to admit they\u2019re becoming smaller and smaller). Firstly, you\u2019re likely to need more than one. Then, you need to place a microphone on the person who is going to speak. You also need big, powerful spotlights to illuminate the room; maybe a video output with a monitor, and almost certainly many metres of long cables with an exceptionally thick plug at the end. And then, there\u2019s the team crowding the room with suitcases, battery chargers and all kinds of replacement material;, speaking in their own particular lingo and, just before the expert starts to speak, they\u2019ll place a white paper in front of the expert\u2019s face. All very natural, of course.<\/p>\n You also need to take into account that some people are basically very\u00a0camera shy<\/strong>. Quite apart from having to stare at a cold and impersonal lens, and the obsession of many experts who feel compelled to say exactly what they\u2019ve memorised, word by word, or even read it, in spite of having no experience in using a teleprompter\u2026<\/p>\n Can anything be done about it? Yes, after 18 years of professional experience, 11 of them recording many interviews on a daily basis, I can safely say that there\u2019s a lot that can be done.<\/p>\n First of all, you have to\u00a0choose your<\/strong>\u00a0speakers well<\/strong>. You want an expert, ok. It\u2019s not about hiring professional actors or actresses with perfect diction, or experts, even if they might be endorsing the product with their credibility, if they have a pronunciation defect which makes them difficult to understand.<\/p>\n Secondly,\u00a0speakers need to understand the recording process<\/strong>. It\u2019s advisable to be meticulous and explain all the details, even relevant suggestions about clothes, hairstyle… You might have an expert with the best speaking skills, calmly speaking in front of the camera, but the recording will be a disaster if she wears a necklace which hits the microphone or if she wears a checked sweater which creates a moir\u00e9 effect. Not to mention if she turns up dressed in green when you\u2019re going to record her with a green screen background!<\/p>\n Similarly, we have to\u00a0ask them to prepare their speech and to have everything ready for the day and time scheduled<\/strong>. But, above all, you have to\u00a0answer all their doubts<\/strong>, make them feel you are\u00a0taking care of them\u00a0<\/strong>and that it\u2019s your job to make theirs a little bit easier<\/strong>. That\u2019s why it\u2019s a good idea to contact them several times during the production phase. This will contribute towards creating a comfortable and relaxed environment.<\/p>\n Thirdly, it is a good idea to\u00a0give the speaker someone to look at<\/strong>. It\u2019s no good if they recite something they\u2019ve learnt by heart. No matter how well they do it, the audience will notice. As we\u2019ve already mentioned, reading from a teleprompter doesn\u2019t work well either if they are not used to doing so, as the spectator will notice the movement in their eyes. It is not advisable to ask them to look directly at the camera when giving a speech, even if you don\u2019t mind spending time repeating or editing the recording as many times as it takes. The best thing to do is to place a person near the lens so that the speaker can look into his or her eyes when they speak.<\/p>\n And lastly,\u00a0give the speaker someone to talk to<\/strong>. In my opinion, the best way to record an expert for a training video is by using an interview technique. The presence of an interviewer and the question-answer format are useful for calming speakers down, directing and focusing their speech, obtaining more specific explanations, asking them to repeat things in a friendlier way, reducing tiredness… You can also obtain results which are easier to edit and which you can surely make the most of. And above all, your ultimate objective: it allows you to create a video which is more consistent with the learning objectives you have set out.<\/p>\n All these rules may be summarised with one basic idea:\u00a0show empathy at all times<\/strong>.<\/p>\n There are no more secrets. The key factor is to put yourself in the place of the people you\u2019re going to record and treat them, as Kant said, as you would like to be treated. And that\u2019s all, from me, for the moment. The following line of this post is reserved for your comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A well-programmed and efficiently-used training video is a resource which makes learning easier. In fact, I\u2019d go as far as to say it\u2019s an irreplaceable and unbeatable resource for learning; especially when it comes to encouraging tacit knowledge, which is the result of experience and\/or observation. So what exactly do we mean by \u201cwell-programmed and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n\n