The first attempts at shooting videos can quickly become frustrating. Coach Jörg Reimann remembers this well; he now creates complete online courses with his own videos. In this article, he shares his best practices so that you, as a video beginner, can start with full energy.
Experience exchange with office coach Jörg Reimann
About the person: Jörg Reimann has been showing employees how to streamline processes in the office for over 15 years as a coach and corporate trainer. His goal: to give employees valuable time back in companies. His method: Blended Learning – a perfect combination of in-person and online courses.
💡Learn more about LeanOffice21 at https://buero-coach.de
As a blink.it customer, Jörg Reimann participated a few months ago in a themed webinar with success trainer Claudia Grajek. In it, he shared his experiences regarding video creation with other trainers and coaches. We now summarize the most important tips for you here in the blog.
Tip No. 1: Practice, practice, practice
"For the first three minutes of video, I needed three days. I wanted to make the first video really good and worked on it nonstop – and then re-shot it on the third day." – Jörg Reimann
This first tip seems so obvious yet you should truly take it to heart: Every beginning is difficult. Everyone starts at zero. And while it is very helpful to read a lot of theory on the subject, in the end, you have to try it out yourself.
Jörg Reimann recalls that he spent around 50 hours at the beginning just trying to understand the technology: How should I stand? How should the lighting be? How loud should I speak? How does my editing program work? etc.
Workshop
The rocket day as a launch aid for online courses
.png)
Get practical tips from the professional! At our rocket day, you will learn step by step how to fill your first online course with content – and receive special support in filming and editing videos.
Tip No. 2: Edit instead of perfectionism
"At first, I made the mistake of saying to myself: Jörg, you have to record for 7 minutes, and as much as possible without mistakes. And that always went wrong." – Jörg Reimann
Probably as a trainer you can also speak better than edit. Therefore, the temptation is great to record an entire "take" at once. On the tenth try, it should finally succeed without errors?! But seven minutes is extremely long; even an experienced speaker usually does not succeed perfectly in three minutes.
We build on Jörg Reimann's report and offer you the following tips regarding "perfectionism":
Keep it short!
Seven minutes are way too long. A video in an online course should be a maximum of 3 minutes long – preferably only 2.
Accept that you don’t have to be perfect
Small mistakes can make you seem more relatable – as long as you take them with humor. In the end, your participants do not want to see a machine, but learn from you as a human being. More in the article "High video quality AND easy production – yes, that works!"
Our motto: Use your own smartphone instead of expensive equipment and produce 80% quality with 20% effort!
Tip No. 3: Maintain humor and ease
"It’s important for me to show in all my training: I enjoy this! That’s why I dare to make jokes or do silly things. I wanted to bring that into my videos as well." – Jörg Reimann
Humor is worth its weight in gold: On the one hand, it makes you human and likable as a trainer. On the other hand, participants learn much better when they have fun with the subject. Jörg Reimann's ability to convey fun even in a dry subject like Outlook is certainly a special character strength. Not everyone can do that. Therefore, everyone must find a way here to remain authentic.
Jörg Reimann's self-deprecating humor is also well received by his course participants. At the end of his course, he offers a special view "behind the scenes": funny bloopers that occurred during the video shoot have been compiled into a three-minute "outtakes" video – and simply uploaded to the course.
Simply cool – Taking yourself lightly and remaining authentic in front of the camera. Copyright: Jörg Reimann.
Tip No. 4: Make a plan
"I personally love working with OneNote, and I created a storyboard for my online course through it at the beginning." – Jörg Reimann
When it comes to organization, preferences often differ widely. Some prefer to experiment freely, while others like to plan every step in advance. However, you should be able to answer a few questions before every video shoot:
What do you want to motivate your participants to do?
What is your video about?
Who or what will be seen in the video?
How do you motivate your participants?
Where do you want to shoot your video?
Success trainer Claudia Grajek also recommends the speaker clock: This is a method with which you can structure your speeches and video statements. Within a minute, you convince your counterpart by answering six questions.
Tip No. 5: Choose the right technology
We often tend to choose free programs. But my colleague Christa Beckers advised me back then: Spend money on a professional program instead! That’s how I decided on Camtasia after a trial period.
Jörg Reimann
The technical aspect initially intimidates many trainers: After all, you need not only good content ideas for shooting your own videos but also the right equipment. However, we can reassure you: Good videos can be made with a regular smartphone, a good microphone, and a simple tripod.
As Jörg Reimann mentioned above, it’s also worth spending a few more euros on a suitable editing program. We recommend Camtasia and Filmora. It’s best to try both programs in trial mode and then decide which tool suits you best.
Extra tip for travelers: If you are on the road, you can also shoot high-quality videos on the go with FilmoraGo. This smartphone version is even free.
Get support for your first video shoot!
Jörg Reimann also sought advice from a video-experienced trainer at the beginning – Christa Beckers. Now he shares his experiences with other colleagues. In addition to personal exchanges, articles like this one or additional learning material can help. We at blink.it have also gathered plenty of tips over the years about shooting videos with your smartphone.
Why not take a cozy cup of tea or coffee and read more about video shooting for online courses at: https://www.blink.it/de/videos-fuer-online-kurse
Workshop
Easy video shoot for your online courses
Get very practical support at our rocket day! Currently, there are still free workshop dates in the fall. Or let the support from a professional come to you exclusively as an in-house workshop.
To the blink.it rocket day
Do you have questions about blink.it or this article?
Feel free to write to us if you have questions about the product or specifically about this article. Our marketing team is available by email or will forward your request to a suitable Blinkie 😊
