Almost everyone makes videos today. You might be making live videos on Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams; OR making videos for your employees to teach them how to do something, OR maybe you even make videos for your family or your Tik Tok audience. Video has become the number one medium for training and learning. So I whimsically ask: what kind of learning video creator are you?
This playful post is designed to start conversations and have fun with the demand for video in our daily lives. Check out the creator types and comment down below to answer my question, what kind of learning video creator are you?
The 6 Types of Learning Video Creators
The Garden Hoser – This creator lives by the spray-and-pray method of home video recording. They will pull out their video hoping to capture the moment without any plan to map the content before sharing it. They want to capture the moments that matter, but don’t understand that training or learning video requires planning and measurement to be effective.
Recognizable by phrases for this type are: “Go!” along with “It’s recording already.” and “It’s a video.”
The Filmmaker – The Filmmaker thinks training videos need Hollywood artistry. Carefully planned artistic shots outshine to the point statements. The filmmaker thinks they can help give the audience a reason to think that Harriet in HR is contemplating how to respond to that customer. They overspend on the budget to make it cinematic. They value entertainment over learning.
Recognizable phrases for this type are: “Lights, Camera, Action!” and “We need to hurry this up, we are losing the light!” or “This is going to win awards.”
The PowerPointer – The PowerPointer dutifully plans out their live presentation video, but is focused entirely on the content on the slides. They are adept at advancing slides forward and backward, writing on the screen, asking questions, and cramming too much information onto a slide. They think their delivery method is good enough for everyone.
Recognizable phrases for this type are: “Thanks for being here today.” or “Does anyone have any questions?” and “This one and a half-hour video will be available to watch later.”
The Tutorialist – The Tutorialsist is an excellent technical writer. No words are extra in their careful directions. The tutorialist can create a video that shows you how to do anything. They understand visual support and examples to demonstrate complex processes.
Recognizable phrases for this type are: “Refer to the Job Aid to learn more,” and “You can learn how to fix your toilet on YouTube.” or “Hey guys, it’s me again. Today, I’m going to show you how to do…”
The SME – The SME (smee) is knowledgeable about their job role but unable to be a video creator. They are a subject matter expert who relies on someone else to create a video. Burdened with the curse of knowledge, the SME is unable to see how to design a learning video to help others less knowledgeable.
Recognizable phrases for this type are: “I don’t know how to make a video, but I know a lot about my job.” or “Here’s a script I wrote, it’s only 15 pages” and “Let me know if there is anything I can help you with.”
The Zoomer – The zoomer is attentive, well-dressed from the waist up, and very honest about their internet connection. The Zoomer is a live video only – creator. They are only making videos because the pandemic forced them to. They would rather meet in person.
Recognizable phrases for this type are: “I’m not a cat.” or “I don’t know why it’s echoey (echoey, echoey).” or “Can everyone hear and see me?”
The Vendor – It’s me! Breaking the 4th wall here: I’m a video creator, a video for learning expert. I help you learn how to make your own videos or I manage a team of writers and visual creatives to make it for you. A good vendor focuses on making video only if it is warranted from a needs analysis and learning strategy.
Recognizable phrases for this type are: “What are you trying to accomplish with video?” and “Maybe a micro-course would be a better form of instruction.” or “Do you have a budget?” along with“What is your timeline?”
Conclusion
So, what is the point of all this nonsense about video creator labeling? To have fun and talk about video as our new training and learning medium. If you want to learn more about creating your own videos check out the helpful links below. Also, please tell me what kind of video creator you are and why?
And remember the purpose of learning videos is to improve the knowledge, skills, and behaviors of our learning audience.
Peace.
