A production pro's playbook for creating and recording an instructional course
There's no denying it: the creation of online courses involves many hours of laborand can be a very lengthy procedure, particularly when you make a whole lot of instructional videos.
One thing that can assist you in simplifying course design and production? Storytelling
Elise London, our resident video specialist who produces all our marketing and in-house courses, shares that the key for creating interactive virtual courses is using stories for planning and delivering details.
The ability to identify the main story behind the course's problem as well as structuring the content according to the storytelling method of hero's journey is a game changer. The following is what you should be able to do in order to design, organize and create an exciting online video course, including the tools you'll need.
Jump ahead:
- Find the perfect subject to teach online
- Planning and structuring the online courses you offer
- Shooting your course video content
- Ready to design your online course?
Finding the ideal topic for your online course
There's no need for a fresh, out-of-the-box idea to create your online course.
Choose a subject that's already in high demand. An in-depth understanding of the goals of your company and its target market will be helpful. Here's how:
Identify what's already resonating
Utilize data measurement tools such as Google Analytics to find high-performing written pieces. You may find an ebook about a specific topic that did very well? Consider expanding it into a detailed video course.
You can also survey your list of email subscribers to discover the topics that people would love to take a virtual course on. The same survey can be distributed to social media (if there is an active public there) and to communities you're associated with.
Keep in mind that the aim is to find a course topic that your audience has an interest in.
Go deep, not wide
"If you consider the kinds of questions that learners ask around your topic, the feelings they experience as they work through your target concept, you can make your video course the answer.
The concept"live streaming" can be vast, but it can be overwhelming for students to comprehend." Elise London, Senior content production manager
What can you do? Examine the struggles that your audience faces when tackling a topic.
You can ask yourself:
- What difficulties are our readers facing as they attempt to resolve the target problem?
- Are there feelings that are so overwhelming we can help them overcome?
In the case of live streaming for instance, the answers could be feelings of anxiety as folks begin their very first live streaming. An instructional course in this area will then include "How you can easily setup live streams so you're not overwhelmed."
The best tip you can use for the course's name
When you're brainstorming names for your program, take into consideration how your audience feels in relation to the issue you're solving and integrate that into the title.
Designing the structure of your online course
Elise suggests using hero's journey to lay out the online training course. It involves:
- Addressing the issues that students have. Find these by understanding questions folks have about your course's topic.
- Guide them in overcoming obstacles and finding solutions. This is the time to break the topic into modules and video lessons with each lesson answering questions.
- Then they will be able to experience the promise of transformation. Give them additional tools like checklists, templates and other forms to assist students in applying what they've learned.
Here's how to dig out audience questions and desired outcomes to plan and structure your class:
Research questions your audience has
Instead of making assumptions, take these steps:
- Search Reddit as well as Quora for a compilation of commonly asked questions.
- Survey and make one-on-1 calls with learners to ask questions directly.
- Take calls from customers with sales and support teams for answers to common issues.
- Look up bestsellers' index pages on Amazon for a deeper understanding of the issues they address on the subject of study.
If you've hosted webinars on the course topic, you can also review questions attendees ask for information to help you conduct your own investigation.
Divide the topic of the class into buckets
Next, reference the challenges and concerns of your audience to break your topic into narrative sections that build on each other in the next stage to the learning journey.
"Instead of saying, 'We're going to teach you using the interactive studio' (which is a broad and difficult to wrap my mind around) Instead, state 'We're going to teach the beginner, intermediate and advanced features.' This means that the subjects for the course you'll be taking in one of the three categories." Elise London, Senior content production manager
In simple terms, you need to break "disparate concepts" and place them in buckets to ensure that, when you look at the course from a distance, the course appears more manageable."
A tip to help structure your course
Be sure to outline the course structure to meet the students at any point in their journey. It's often easy to overshare and confuse students, thanks to the trap of knowledge (a cognitive bias that presumes your audience knows as much as you are). So remember to review the design of your course to make it simple.
Create video lessons
- Touch on your student's challenges that relate to the issue a video lesson will solve.
- Provide answers to the problems that they're dealing with.
- Recap the video, or give additional resources that can help the students transform.
Video lessons on a script-on-demand
pro tip
Shooting your course video content
You'll require tools
To get a good manufacturing tool kit and set up for a decent production setup, you'll need the following:
- Microphone camera (two at a minimum) and a 3 or 4 point lighting kit
- Learning Management System (LMS). This software houses the video content, making it accessible for students. Examples: Teachable, Podia, and Kajabi.
- . A platform for video that is ad-free to host, record edit and even incorporate interactivity into instructional videos. You can and then upload onto your LMS.
- Teleprompter. Display device that displays scrolling text on the screen, making it simple for people on the screen to record videos.
- Music pedal. An affordable, keyboard that can be operated by a foot which allows you to change the direction of screens.
Making the perfect video set
Elise suggests:
1. Avoid using overhead fluorescent lighting
These can cast harsh shadows upon your face. Sometimes, fluorescent lights flicker creating a green shade and altering the video quality's consistency.
2. Recording in darkness without natural light
The natural light can change throughout the day. If you're recording for a long time consecutively and the quality of light in your video won't look uniform, Elise warns. It's also an issue in the event that you want to change parts of your video from one to a different one.
3. Set your cameras at different angles
The second camera can't "just add spice to the editing (which is helpful even if you are using a script or even if you are able to do it all perfect in one go) however, it also helps to break the monotony of people looking at the face of the instructor."
"More important, a second camera is utilized to conceal cut-outs," Elise adds. "So if whatever you're delivering is not going to come out all at once and you want to hide it, the method by which the edit can be hidden is either using B-roll or you simply cut onto a different camera."
4. Clean free of clutter background
Do not use bright colors like magenta, orange and yellow as they can create reflections in the color and can be distracting for viewers. Use neutral tones for your background including dark blue, grey, and soft white instead. These are great for photography and also feel comfortable on your eyes.
Recording your online video course
Naturally, recording can feel slightly nerve-wracking. If you've put in the time planning and writing your course, filming isn't a big deal.
5. Always make use of a telephone prompter
Teleprompters help you avoid getting stuck on the screen while you attempt to recall which point you need to remember.
This makes recording easy and also reduces editing time "it will also allow you to maintain eye contact with your camera when you are looking into the screen of the teleprompter," adds Elise.
6. Make use of a music pedal change between slides
"Instead of using a keyboard or clicker, which is visible in your hands, try using an electronic music pedal to change the slides you're playing. It's essentially a USB Bluetooth keyboard with a left and a right. Using it means the presenter doesn't need to reach for the keyboard or mouse to advance it."
Editing the videos you have on demand
Try to cut down on the length of your edits and create a memorable watching experience by using these expert tips:
7. Edit ruthlessly
8. Add B-roll content for maximum participation
One way to break boring talk-head video is to switch between cameras on a regular basis.
Additionally, you can include animations, graphics slides, slides as well as stock footage or personalized recordings to provide an engrossing learning experience.
9. Layers of interactivity
- Enjoy a build-your-own-learning path
- Hit the video hotspots below to dig into more learning tools
- Jump between sections relevant to the content (useful for in-house onboarding videos)
Interactive videos increase viewer engagement, improving retention. You can also assess your students' understanding by creating video-based quizzes with Interactive.
Are you ready to create your own online course?
Designing a video course your audience loves can be summarized as:
- Being specific about the problem you wish to resolve
- Converting the information into a coherent story
- Then, organize the information so it's straightforward to follow and digest
Don't forget that the right tools can help ease the burden the process of creating high-quality videos that provide an engaging learning experience.