7 Tips for Creating Effective Videos in eLearning

1. Start with good planning

The message of the video should come across effectively – the best way to do this is to plan. A solid script will outline the important aspects of the video and a storyboard will detail each scene. This planning will cement the message, story and design of the video.

2. Your script

When writing your script, you want to keep it simple, short and conversational. Make sure you don’t overload the user with loads of technical jargon, think about your audience, are they new to the subject matter? Will they understand if you bombard them with technical jargon they might not be familiar with? Knowing your audience is vital when it comes to planning the tone and content of your script. It’s also a good idea to write a first draft and then edit and eliminate.

3. Be creative

Think about how you want the overall video to look and how you can emphasize key points you want to make in a creative way. You don’t want to overshadow the subject matter or confuse the learner with a million things happening at once, but a little background music, tailored visuals or bold text really can enhance the quality of your video.

Here's an example video we created for the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) that demonstrates this.

4. Keep it short

Information is best absorbed in small chunks. Long eLearning videos can overload the brain with information. Ensure you aren’t adding any information you don’t need to, and stick to the topic at hand.

5. Concentrate on complex topics

Video production can be costly, but by concentrating this effort on only the most complex areas of the course, you can keep costs down. This also has the benefit of condensing the most complicated topics, making them much easier for the learner to absorb. Here's a video we created for eNetAuthor showing this in action.

7. Consistency

A badly produced video can do as much harm to a course as a well-produced video can do good. It’s worth investing in decent recording equipment and, if costs allow it, use professional actors and voiceover artists. Little things like making sure your camera is focused, cutting out any bloopers or pauses and that your audio is crisp and clear, make a big difference to the production value.

6. Quality, quality, quality

The design of multiple videos in a course should always have a consistent look and feel. This will ensure the learner can develop a familiarity with the video style.