Some Tips for Creating Effective Videos

Say you've been asked to create a series of videos for your organization. Before you start, there are some things you might want to consider.

• How much is your organization willing to invest in the project?

• What videos will be needed? You can conduct focus groups with the intended audience to figure out what they will need.

• What tools do your organization have to facilitate an effective and efficient video making process?

Say you figure all that out, here are some tips I like to keep in mind when I create videos:

1. Choose the right video creating and editing tool

2. Keep videos short

3. Always have a blurb prefacing each video

4. Always include links discussed in videos

5. Keep title descriptive and clear

6. Use absorb [show], do, connect [connect to everyday life] themes when applicable

7. Use jump menu at the beginning of page – people should be able to skip what they already know without having to scroll e.g. creating a jump back to content menu (“back to page”) after each video

8. Write scripts – Scripts were used for captions

9. Have visual cues in the video e.g. labels, cue boxes, cue arrows etc.

10. Provide links in video and under the video so it’s clickable

11. Make sure the video has a matching aesthetic with the page or organization themes

12. Text your videos early and often: Always test your videos on the intended audience, and always be ready to make changes

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