Video Tutorials / Webinar Design Tips

In this article, I want to share my experience, which was gleaned from watching a large number of video lessons, as well as participating in a considerable number of webinars. Perhaps, for someone this information will not seem useful, but, I believe, there will be those with whom something will be useful. If you treat the latter, then I invite under the cat.

Introductory

When are these tools used? (video tutorials and webinars). I will begin, perhaps, with the last.

Webinars

This type of collective / individual training is often used in three cases:

')

1. In the case of a face-to-face workshop, but to reduce the cost, a remote presence option is also offered;
2. In the case of a physical shortage of seats in the audience (there are more people willing than actually accommodating);
3. In the case of an online seminar, which is several times cheaper (there is no need to hire additional staff, rent a room, perhaps equipment), and is also more convenient for some participants (there is no need to go to another city / get out of the house and go to the other end of the city; there is an opportunity to stay in a familiar setting

Video lessons

Often used for the following purposes:

1. Sale of educational materials;
2. The inability of the participants to attend on the scheduled day of the seminar;
3. Educational video tutorial specially released for software or service.

Let's go to the tips, or: what rake should not tread

I will begin, perhaps with video lessons .

Split video

Each part should be no longer than 30 minutes. According to my own feelings, I noticed that if one and the same material is viewed in one piece (say, 2 hours), then it becomes very boring and you catch yourself thinking that you want to do something else. At the same time, it was much easier to view the same material, but divided into 6 parts for 20 minutes, the material was memorized better. It is easier to find something and reconsider. Between the parts, you can make a short pause (without blaming yourself for being a freeloader), for example, to drink tea.

One part - one topic

You should not try to fit in one video several topics or "one and a half topics." If you feel that in 30 minutes you don’t meet your needs, then break your topic into subtopics and finish the video with an explanation of one of the subtopics. With the rest you end up in the next video. Believe me, this is much better than making one video, but for 2-3 hours.

Progressive slide show

Do not show the entire slide at once. Open to the audience’s eyes only the part you are talking about (this applies not only to video lessons, but also to seminars in general), because the attention of listeners is often focused on reading the entire slide, while you explain only one from the parts of the slide.



Showed a part - explained, showed the following - explained. You do not show the next slide, continuing to explain the previous one, right?

Do not dictate difficult perceived information by voice, but publish it on a slide

Not once met such a phenomenon, when the teacher dictated, for example, your email. It is clear that there was a certain percentage of listeners who incorrectly recorded it.



This kind of information is better to put on a separate slide.

Do not draw graphs and similar information by hand.

Try still not to draw freehand graphics and small tables. Take the trouble and make them all the same in the overall style of the slides. Not all “mouse handwriting” (I call the handwriting, which is obtained by writing with the mouse) is readable, and often there are situations that have a lot of scrawl on the slide and there are no places to put new ones. Yes, you will spend a little longer time preparing these slides, but it's worth it. Show them also should be consistently on the elements (as if you would draw them by hand).







Do you understand something on this slide?



This is probably all of the unacceptable that I noticed. Let's go to the webinars .



For a start, I recommend using some tips that I have described above (not all are suitable for webinars). Of the serious, only one serious flaw was noticed in webinars.

If you have a webinar of the first type, then duplicate questions from the audience to the microphone

Often faced with situations where a very interesting discussion is started at a “live” seminar, and the webinar listeners are left with nothing since even the question has not been heard. Duplicate questions from the audience, and better put another high-quality microphone in the audience (but closer to the audience). Thus, the teacher will not be overloaded with repetitions and webinar participants will be able to participate in discussions.



Perhaps all. If you have any corrections or additions, I will be happy to hear them.