Everyone has had to sit through a boring corporate video or two, many of them inducing the desire to nap rather than take in the information they are trying to convey. Corporate video production is a difficult task, because often the subject matter is not that inherently interesting or is presented in a bland way that doesn’t pique the interest of employees who are expected to take it in. Getting it right requires a few key techniques, but once you do apply these techniques, you will see a much greater interest in the subject matter.
First thing is you need to know your audience. Large corporations employ a wide variety of skilled labour, that means that your message is dependent on whom is the expected recipient. If you are releasing a new product or service for example, your sales staff will want to know more about how you plan on marketing it, whereas your technical staff will want to know the inner workings of the service or product. A mismatch in audience to content is a sure-fire way to create an ineffective corporate video.
Corporate videos are inherently a serious matter. Often, it’s about a new product or procedure that is being implemented. This means you should have a serious undertone for the video, but it doesn’t mean video needs to be completely devoid of fun. Too many videos simply try to rattle off the facts in a boring monotone fashion without any thought on how it is being received. By adding in lighter moments, maybe even a well-placed joke here and there, you greatly increase the viewability of the video. These lighter moments give the viewers some rest and time to absorb the information you are trying to convey.
Everyone is busy, no one wants to sit through an hour-long video on a subject that could be explained in five minutes. So create videos that concisely convey the information in a short, but coherent manner. Be careful of making it to short, because then it can feel like an overload of information. Although in general a shorter video is more effective at conveying a concept. If the concept requires a longer video, then maybe a video isn’t the best option, for explanation you need. Remember that complex concepts often require engagement from the audience to be fully understood, therefore videos should only be used for relatively simplistic ideas or information.
A video adds another dimension to your information. If you simply have a person explaining the concept in front of a plain background, you might as well have used an audio recording. The aim of a video is to use visual techniques to better explain the subject. Have some fun adding in any form of visual aid which may seem relevant. Show data in a graph with good contrasting colours – this gives the audience something to latch on to. If you are explaining a process, show an animation of it. These types of visual aids increase your audience’s interest in the subject and they are less likely to glaze over.
Using these techniques, you should be well on your way to creating solid, entertaining, and informative corporate videos. Remember that a boring video is an ineffective video, so make sure that you are not just conveying the information, but that you are using the full advantages of the visual space.
