Seven steps to the perfect Instructional video

When producing an instructional video, you’ll run into a great many things. Therefore we give you a short description detailing how you arrive at your perfect Instructional video in seven steps

Step 1 – Determine what it is you want to convey.
Give serious thought as to what information you wish to communicate. What kind of instructions are we dealing with? Safety-instructions, work-related instructions, instructions detailing how to set-up or maintain a machine or device, how to apply a certain technique, etc. Some instructional videos are fit for do vs. don’t situations, for other videos merely explaining how to do something suffices.

Step 2 – Look at things from the viewers point-of-view.
Keep in mind, when describing your instructions, who you’re dealing with. What should your viewer remember after having seen this tutorial? Try to become your viewer. Which information is truly valuable, and what could be left out, altogether. Don’t repeat yourself.

Step 3 – Describe your instructions briefly and to-the-point.
Is the instructional video a surrogate for a big, fat book of instructions no-one ever even looks at? Then it’s a great idea to use images, instead. Just try to let your film look as different from that big, fat book as you possibly can. Have the voice-over tell all the instructions briefly and directly. Show the actions on screen. Keep it simple, short, and to-the-point.

Step 4 – Try to create chapters.
In case your instructional video is a long one, it might be useful to create small chapters. These cause the film to be chopped up into piecemeal, bite-sized chunks that are easy to digest. It is also useful to put those chapters separately on a DVD or the internet. In this way, the viewer is able to skip directly to the information they need and is not obliged to sit through the entire film.

Step 5 – Choose your video production company.
Pick a production company with which you feel comfortable. One that has experience in producing training flicks and tutorial videos. Get in a meeting with them, find out if there’s a connection, and make your choice. Follow your instincts, they tend to be correct.

Step 6 – Initiate the production.
The production starts with the first stage: pre-production. In this stage, all preparations are made for the actual filming of the images. Next is the production stage in which the film-crew drops by to shoot the footage. After this, in the post-production stage, they edit all footage into a crude draft of the film, insert the voice-over and possibly music, and after your approval, they deliver the film.

Step 7 – Show the film to your target audience.
Perhaps you intend to sell the DVD alongside your product, that makes sense. But in case it’s intended for your employees, organise a gathering in which you introduce the training-video, stress its importance, show it, and distribute it amongst the viewers on DVD afterwards. Or make sure they are able to view the film on the intranet. In short, use it intensively!

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