If you want to start making your own learning videos … then this post is for you!
The VFL Way
- Done is better than perfect!
- Meaning is more important than visual quality.
- Follow the process.
So, how did I start making my own videos? I love movies and shows. From Saturday morning cartoons up to every streaming service on the planet – I love the medium. Once I became a teacher, I quickly learned the instructional power of video! I got so into it that I studied to become a video production manager for an agency that makes instructional learning videos for companies!
Now, it took a long time for me to learn how to master the skills because there was not a clear process to follow. So I created one!
I call it the Video for Learning program. If you have said, “I want to make videos but I don’t know where to start” or “Video making seems like it will be so complicated,” then read on, dear reader! This post will dive into how to start making your own instructional learning videos.
Want more info on my live course? Click here to learn more.
How to Start Making Your Own Videos
Now that I have made hundreds of professional training or instructional videos, I want to share my journey so you don’t have to struggle to find your way as slowly as I did! I want to empower you to grow your video skills to the point where it becomes like a new language you possess. This begins with a mindset – or as I call it: the VFL Way!
At the top of this post, you may have noticed the VFL Way. These are the three mantras: Done is better than perfect, meaning is more important than visual quality, and follow the process.
These three parts of the program are essential to your success. Write them down on post-it notes or note cards and hang them in a place that you will see regularly. To get the most out of the program you have to give yourself over to completing every lesson and mastering every task. This does not mean you have to be perfect.
The best way to learn something new is to, “Talk to someone who’s already learned it.”
Here I am! Let’s do this!
Pre-work: Know Your KSB
I love a good acronym. I created KSB because I love teaching people fun ways to remember things.
Try it: Say this out loud while holding one hand up next to your mouth: K-S-B!
Chant it.
K
S
B
KSB = Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviors!
Watch me: KSB Knowledge, Skills & Behaviors
KSB is my way of putting the fun into training. KSB stands for the Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviors that should be present in every learning (training) video! I’d even go so far as to say that the promise of every learning video is delivering the KSB.
Challenge: Identify the knowledge, skills, and/or behaviors that you want to deliver in your video! Do you want to teach your learning audience about a topic or concept (KNOWLEDGE)? Do you want to show someone how to do something (SKILLS)? Or maybe you need to model or demonstrate how someone should act (BEHAVIORS)?
Step 1: Get Fundamental
You are here because you know how powerful video can be as an instructional tool. First, you need the fundamentals:
- The power of learning video
- Marketing vs. Instructional Video
- Phases of Video Production
- 6 Types of Learning Videos
I know it feels overwhelming. You may be thinking, “Whoa! Chris, this is what I meant when I said, ‘I don’t know where to start.’”
Here is where you start, read, and watch:
The Video for Learning Fundamentals (2 videos)
Step 2: Set Your Goal
Setting a goal will help you with your KSB: knowledge, skills, and behaviors. Goal setting gives you focus and helps you recognize when you’ve reached mastery. Jump on the meta train with me. The purpose of all learning video is to improve the knowledge, skills, and behaviors of your learning audience. In order to become a creator of learning video, we focus on the KSB that YOU need in order to master video production for learning purposes.
You can set your VFL goal now that you:
- Are aware of what makes video an ideal tool for learning, aka, the case for learning video
- Learn the fundamentals of VFL (video for learning)
- Know the difference between a marketing video and a learning video
- Discover the phases of learning video production become familiar with the 6 types of learning video
Try it: Write down the goal you want your video to accomplish. Pick a type of video, write your goal, and send it to me for some feedback! If you are like me, it’s helpful to see how others accomplished something.
Here are some examples of goals from past students of the VFL program:
- Create a video that teaches my students how to use the lab equipment properly.
- Learn how to record me so that my courses are more engaging for my audience.
- Make a how-to video that I am proud to share with my clients.
- Use a screencast video to demonstrate various software concepts for my database software client.
Challenge: Make 3 takes of a video where you deliver on the promise, the KSB. Send me the best take and I’ll offer feedback on the presentation and your KSB.
Delete all of the versions you don’t like and keep the best one.
DM me your version of this video on LinkedIn, Tik Tok, or Instagram. I’d love to see them and I’ll give you one tip on how to make them better!
Did you do it? If you answered yes, then skip the next exercise and jump to this post’s summary. If you answered no, I got you.
Here’s my Selfie Knowledge Video, because I walk the walk y’all!
This is a Knowledge Selfie Video
If you want to join me on TikTok – here’s the link to this challenge on TikTok
Jumpstart your Video Language Skills
I teach a live course that holds you accountable, gives you deadlines, and offers you a proven process that you will customize and MAKE YOUR own in the end. Check out the Video For Learning Course Overview to learn more or contact me directly if you want to sign up for an upcoming cohort – chris@learningcarton.com
Summary
Making your own videos starts with a three-part mindset: Done is better than perfect, meaning is more important than visual quality, and follow the process. If you want to make video your new language, then consider signing up for my Video For Learning course. To get started, you need to immerse yourself in the fundamentals: The Power of Learning Video, Marketing vs. Instructional Video, Phases of Video Production, and the 6 Types of Learning Videos. Once you have the fundamentals, you can set your goal to deliver on the promise of learning video (which is to teach the KSB, knowledge, skills, and/or behaviors). KSB is my way of putting the fun back into training. Now go and make your own video and share it with me!
