Too long, too impersonal, too poor sound – a learning video can go wrong in many ways. We present to you 7 typical mistakes in creating learning videos and give tips on how to easily avoid them!
Whether it’s a “selfie” video, screencast, or recording a scene – when shooting learning videos, you can make quite a few mistakes. But don’t worry! Most mistakes are very easy to avoid. Today, we present to you 7 typical mistakes that can happen in learning videos – and how to easily avoid them:
7 Typical Mistakes When Creating Learning Videos
You are too perfectionistic.
Your video is too impersonal.
Your video is too long.
You do not engage your audience.
The sound of your video is too poor.
You use too many special effects.
Your video has no call to action.
Making mistakes when creating learning videos is not a reason to panic! We give you tips to easily avoid the 7 typical mistakes.
How to Avoid the Typical Mistakes
1. Mistake: You are too perfectionistic.
Stumbled a bit? Just keep talking! You can always delete the recording later. Perhaps the little slip goes unnoticed in the entire video – and seems rather authentic instead of unprofessional.
Also, when planning your video, you can spend as much time as you want. Focus on the important things to save time and not fall into perfectionism! A quiet background, stable camera position, and good sound are really important – everything else often consumes unnecessary time.
Tip to Avoid: Create a very brief concept before your shoot – we have prepared a template for free download. And also allow small mistakes that make you and your video likeable!
2. Mistake: Your video is too impersonal.
This mistake is particularly to be avoided by coaches and trainers for whom personal contact is important in training. If this applies to you, your learning video should also show your personal touch.
Tip to Avoid: Speak as naturally as possible, dress as you would for your training or coaching sessions, and use your normal facial expressions and gestures. And: At the end, show your video to a friend or a good colleague – they can best tell you if you seem as natural as always.
3. Mistake: Your video is too long.
If you research “good length for learning videos,” you will find, among other things, sites that recommend 5-10 minutes. But that’s already too long! Ideally, it’s 2 minutes. The reason is simple: after 3-4 minutes, most viewers lose their attention. And even in a 2-minute video, you can convey content succinctly.
Tip to Avoid: Limit yourself to one central statement per video. Your participants cannot process more in the long run anyway. To stay “on track,” a cheat sheet in A5 format helps. Anything that doesn’t fit on that is too much! We have also prepared a template for free download for that.
By the way: Our name – blink.it – also comes from the brevity of content! Every piece of content (“Blink”) should be manageable in two minutes, so as not to overwhelm or bore the viewer.
4. Mistake: You do not engage your audience.
Diving right into the topic can sometimes be a good stylistic device. But generally, you should briefly “pick up” your viewers at the beginning. This means: In one or two sentences, explain why they should watch your video now.
Tip to Avoid: If your video is part of an online course, you can briefly refer to the previous content. Also, mention the goal of the video, for example:
“In the last video, I explained why time management is so important for managers. Now you will receive three tips on how you can better manage your time starting today.”
5. Mistake: The sound of your video is too poor.
Your viewers will forgive you for a slightly blurry image – but never for poor sound! If you are not clearly audible or if your video has disturbing background noises, participants will likely quickly tune out.
Tip to Avoid: Good sound quality does not have to be expensive or complicated – we recommend the Rode SmartLav Lavalier Microphone for about 50 euros.
6. Mistake: You use too many special effects.
This mistake often occurs in combination with mistake 1 – too much perfection. Usually, a simple video in which you speak to your participants is sufficient. Too many overlays and effects distract from the content, so use them sparingly.
Tip to Avoid: Think in advance about what you want to convey – and which effects are really useful for that. For example, displaying a model can help to visually support your words. As a guideline, you should try to use only one type of effect per learning video.
7. Mistake: Your video has no call to action.
If you have already read a few articles from us, this point will sound familiar. The call-to-action is a prompt from you to your participants. It is an essential part of every learning content and tells the participant what to do with the new knowledge afterwards to reinforce what they have learned. In videos, the call-to-action is often forgotten quickly, especially because inexperienced speakers tend to focus on many things at once.
Tip to Avoid: What a call-to-action looks like and what you should avoid, is explained to you by blink.it founder Konstantin in this blog post: Increase the value of your training in 4 steps – formulate clear calls to action!
Do you want to take your first video steps under professional guidance? Then our workshop rocketday is perfect for you. Find out about available dates in your area now!
One last, extremely important tip: Like with everything else, practice is the key to success. In your first learning video, you will definitely make some mistakes, but with a little time, practice – and patience, you will soon become a “video pro”!
