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They say knowledge is power.
But it’s a power that can be a challenge to bring to your team, even when they have the talent and enthusiasm you need.
That’s because in today's fast-paced digital world, attention spans are shrinking and information overload is a real challenge.
Fortunately, instructional videos have emerged as a powerful tool for delivering knowledge.
Whether you're a business aiming to train employees, an educator looking to enhance learning experiences, or a brand wanting to explain complex concepts, instructional videos can be your secret weapon.
Among the various forms, animated explainer videos stand out for their ability to simplify complex ideas, captivate audiences, and drive home the message effectively.
Instructional videos aren't just a trend; they're a necessity.
As people increasingly turn to visual content for learning, the demand for high-quality instructional videos continues to rise.
These videos offer a unique blend of audio, visual, and sometimes even interactive elements, making them an incredibly effective medium for teaching and learning.
Animated explainer videos, in particular, leverage creative storytelling and visual metaphors to break down complicated topics into digestible and engaging content.
The power of these videos lies in their ability to transform dull, difficult-to-understand material into something vibrant, accessible, and memorable.
The effectiveness of instructional videos stems from their ability to cater to different learning styles.
Visual learners, auditory learners, and even kinesthetic learners can benefit from the multisensory experience that these videos offer.
Animated explainer videos, with their dynamic visuals and clear narration, ensure that the content is not only seen but also understood and retained.
This is especially crucial in B2B video production, where complex products or services need to be communicated in a way that resonates with diverse audiences.
Animation, especially when combined with storytelling, allows for creative freedom, enabling the representation of abstract concepts, processes, and systems in a way that static images or text simply cannot achieve as easily.
Engagement is key when it comes to instructional content, and videos excel in this area.
Unlike traditional text-based learning, instructional videos combine visuals, sound, and motion to create an immersive learning experience.
Animated explainer videos, in particular, are crafted to hold the viewer’s attention from start to finish.
Through the use of appealing characters, vibrant colors, and smooth transitions, these videos draw viewers in and keep them engaged.
Moreover, they can be designed to include interactive elements such as quizzes or prompts, further enhancing viewer engagement and retention.
By making learning fun and interactive, instructional videos ensure that the audience is not just passive consumers of information but active participants in the learning process.
Understanding the different types of instructional videos is essential for choosing the right format to meet your educational objectives.
Each type serves a specific purpose and offers unique advantages depending on the learning context and audience.
So let’s broadly cover the different kinds of videos:
These are short, focused videos designed to explain a particular concept, product, or service.
Animated explainer videos are particularly effective because they can visualize abstract ideas and processes, making them easier to understand.
They're perfect for onboarding, product overviews, or explaining complex topics in a simple, engaging way.
Animation can be used to create realistic simulations or step-by-step guides that are easy to follow and replicate in real life.
These videos provide detailed instructions on how to complete a task.
Animated tutorials are great for software demonstrations, DIY projects, or any process that benefits from visual guidance.
The animation allows for zooming in on details, highlighting key steps, and presenting information in a clear, logical sequence.
Demo videos showcase a product or service in action.
When animated, these videos can highlight the key features and benefits of a product, even before it physically exists.
This makes them invaluable for marketing new products or services.
These are essentially screen recordings with added animations to highlight or explain certain aspects of what’s being shown.
They are particularly useful for software demo, where users need to see exactly how to perform certain actions on a screen.
Creating a successful instructional video requires careful planning, production, and editing.
But before that, you need to determine which type of instructional video you’re producing.
Is it a live-action one or is it fully animated?
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you through both scenarios:
In our experience, utilizing animation can help you produce your instructional videos in a lean way without the need for a lot of resources to aid video production.
Here’s how you can get started:
The first step in creating an animated instructional video is thorough planning.
Begin by defining your objectives:
What specific knowledge or skills do you want your audience to acquire?
Identify your target audience and tailor your content to suit their learning needs and preferences.
Understanding your audience will also guide the tone and style of the animation.
Next, develop a script that clearly outlines the instructional content.
Since animated videos rely heavily on visuals, this is also the stage where you’ll need a detailed storyboard.
It will help you map out the visual flow of your video, including character movements, scene transitions, and key visual elements.
This is crucial for ensuring that your video is not only informative but also engaging and easy to follow.
Consider the style of animation that best fits your instructional goals.
Our recommendation for instructional videos is to go with simpler and easy to follow animation styles like whiteboard animation or screencast animation.
With your plan and storyboard in place, you can move on to the production phase, where your ideas begin to take shape.
Start by creating the animated graphics and associated visual elements that will be used in your animation.
This includes designing characters, backgrounds, lower-third animations, and other animated assets.
If your video involves complex concepts that require a more broader visualization, design assets for visual analogies to make the content more digestible.
As you animate these elements, pay close attention to the timing and pacing of movements to ensure the animation feels natural and fluid.
Synchronize the animation with your script, matching key actions to the narration or on-screen text.
Incorporate your brand’s color schemes, fonts, and other design elements to maintain consistency with your overall visual identity. This helps reinforce brand recognition and ensures a professional appearance.
The final step is editing, where all the components of your animated video come together.
During editing, sequence the animated scenes according to your storyboard, ensuring smooth transitions between them.
Add any necessary voiceovers syncing them precisely with the animations.
Sound effects and background music, preferably royalty-free music, should also be added at this stage to enhance the viewer's experience and maintain engagement.
Editing is also the time to fine-tune the timing of animations and audio to ensure a cohesive and polished final product.
Pay attention to details like the clarity of the visuals and the pacing of the instructional content.
Once editing is complete, export your video in the appropriate format for its intended platform. Consider the resolution and file size to ensure optimal playback quality on different devices.
When it comes to live-action, there’s a lot of moving components that need to work coherently to get your desired instructional video.
To help you make your job easier, we’ve broken down the process into the following steps:
This step mostly remains the same, regardless of whether your instructional video is animated or live-action.
Start by defining your goals: What do you want your audience to learn or do after watching the video? Identify your target audience and tailor the content to their needs and level of understanding.
This is the stage where you’ll brainstorm creative ideas, develop a script, and sketch out a storyboard.
The storyboard is crucial as it lays out the visual flow of the video, scene by scene, ensuring that the content is both logical and engaging.
The shooting stage is where you’ll capture the necessary visuals for your live-action instructional video.
Use your video script and storyboard to set your environment for capturing footage.
Make sure the lighting and background are finely tuned so as to look professional.
Plan your shots and sequences carefully and shoot them by strictly following that sequence.
Retake shots that don't feel useful and take multiple shots of the same sequences if need be in order to aid during the editing process.
Editing is where all the pieces come together.
This means sequencing your shots and visual elements, adding transitions, syncing voiceovers, and incorporating sound effects or background music.
The editing process is critical in maintaining the flow and pacing of your live-action video, ensuring that it holds the viewer's attention and effectively communicates the intended message.
Pay close attention to the timing of visual and audio elements, as this can make or break the engagement factor.
When it comes to crafting instructional videos, the possibilities are nearly endless. Here are some ideas to help you get started:
These ideas can serve as a starting point to explore the full potential of instructional videos in your business or educational endeavors.
It's now time to look at some instructional video ideas and examples in action in this section.
Starting with...
When it comes to animated videos for popular science education, there’s no bigger name than Kurzgesagt.
If we needed to showcase just one video that demonstrates the power of animation for explaining complex topics easily, it would be any of theirs.
This is their explanation of Coronavirus, first launched at the height of the pandemic.
The animation is stunningly beautiful and engrossing. Combined with the expertly scripted story, you’re drawn into this journey of discovery and knowledge.
Even if you’re not interested, in just a few seconds you’re curious and watching till the end. These guys have set the standard the rest of us aspire to!
Firefighters are a noble and fearless breed, putting their very lives on the line to save others.
But of all the risks and dangers they face, cancer is probably not the first thing that comes to their minds.
That’s where this beautifully made employee training video by DemoDuck comes in.
It points out the substances they inhale in their line of work are often carcinogenic in nature.
The use of clever 2D infographic-style animation helps visually explain what they need to do to stay safe and healthy.
They say knowledge is power. And you don’t get a better example of this than with CPR training.
This corporate training video explains the key steps in how to perform CPR properly and safely, should the need arise.
It uses the power of animation to explain visually and clearly how to save a life. It’s easy to understand and remember.
Hopefully, you’ll never need to use it. But if you do, you’ll be glad you had this knowledge!
This is what we’re talking about when we say “don’t be afraid to use humor.”
This training video for the LDS church warns employees about the dangers of lightning.
But it cleverly flips the script, doing an “interview” with a cloud.
He brags about his skill with lightning strikes.
It immediately teases your curiosity and grabs your interest.
And while making you laugh, it educates you on how to be safe outdoors.
The message is the same as with any other internal communication video.
But it’s the way that it delivers the message that makes all the difference.
This is another great example of how B2B storytelling can be used in your corporate training videos, to great effect.
The medical field is no different.
By depicting hypothetical situations, the viewer is able to easily understand how things can go wrong when it comes to confidential patient information and sharing data without consent.
Quite often, employees violate these rules without even realizing it, and no malice is involved.
So these scenarios are all innocent and commonplace, but reveal how these rules can be broken so easily without even realizing it.
So by using these scenarios, it’s much easier for the viewers to understand and remember what not to do.
Another example of what we meant by “don’t be afraid to use humor.”
Your employees are only human, and even the most driven and enthusiastic team can get frustrated and stressed out.
It’s perfectly understandable that any team can use some inside humor to blow off steam and commiserate together.
But in today’s completely interconnected world, even an innocent joke said in private can easily leak out and go public in the worst ways.
Your employees need to be mindful of internal communications spreading to people who were never intended to see it.
So rather than being a downer, this video went the route of using humor and storytelling.
It demonstrates the consequences of careless email conversations that get a little too honest.
Brilliantly acted and sharply written, this clever story entertains while still making its point clearly.
Graduating college is a big moment in life. But getting out into the real world can be quite a challenge.
If only there was a network of people you could connect with and help you land the perfect first job.
Well, that’s what the creators of Network RMIT came up with.
And to announce their offering to new graduates, they commissioned this beautifully animated explainer video.
The lively visuals and smooth transitions really speak the intended audience’s language in a way that connects.
And this demo video does a great job of explaining the portal’s features and benefits.
If only we had it this easy when we were starting out in our careers!
Your team can be made of the best talent in the industry, but it’s all for nothing if your workplace environment is hostile and toxic.
They say prevention is the best cure. That’s why corporate training videos are so important, like this one by ReachOut.
Issues like harassment and bullying are tricky because they’re not always so obvious when they’re happening.
So this video illustrates scenarios that are examples of unacceptable workplace behavior. And it also teaches employees how to deal with them.
This is also a great example of how storytelling can be employed to demonstrate these kinds of scenarios, rather than just describe them in vague terms.
It’s more memorable and easy to understand, so when the need arises, they’ll easily recall this information and know what to do.
Here’s another video on the same topic of workplace harassment and inappropriate behavior.
This one goes with a more serious take on things, but the cartoon animation is on point. With lively and engaging visuals, the viewer is drawn into the script.
It’s also quite a short video. But makes its points efficiently and neatly, proving that you don’t need to do a long lecture on a topic to cover it well.
In our bustling modern lives, we don’t really spare much thought to the many systems in place to keep us safe.
But for those in the food and drug industries, it’s vital knowledge to keep things safe and healthy for consumers.
However, it can get annoying and tedious for employees subject to relevant training.
So it’s important to keep things interesting and lively.
SafetyCulture’s video on food safety uses the power of animated storytelling.
Their corporate training video really brings the ideas to life and holds the viewer’s attention and interest.
It does this using beautiful animation, lively transitions, and friendly bright graphics.
The proof of how well this works is that even if you’re not in the food manufacturing industry, you’ll find yourself paying attention from start to finish!
This one gets pretty technical, but then it’s aimed at professionals who don’t need their hand-held (a good example of this is the SaaS industry).
However, just because it’s a more professional-level corporate explainer video, doesn’t mean it has to be boring.
Once again we see how good creative animation can really bring any script to life, visualizing abstract concepts using clever and artistic graphics.
It’s not easy to take something this complex and explain it so clearly!
Here’s a video we made for UICC.
Antibiotic resistance is a serious problem emerging in the medical field.
But what is it, how does it affect patients and hospitals, and what can be done about it?
To explain, we used the power of animated storytelling to take the viewer on a journey, starting with understanding the problem at hand, the risks and threats, and then working through practical solutions the viewer can follow to keep safe.
Probably the greatest thing about the internet is how it gives everyone free access to an ocean of information on any topic they could possibly think of.
And this is true for the video format too, which has become ubiquitous online with increasing computing power and internet speeds.
Freely sharing your knowledge is also a great subtle way to advertise your competency and expertise in your field/industry!
Here’s a video we made for Health Monitor Network on COPD, where the viewer is informed about the nature of the disease, symptoms to watch out for, and how to avoid it.
There’s no typical aggressive sales pitch or call-to-action– just knowledge, shared freely for the viewer’s benefit.
Like a chain, your team is only as strong as its weakest link. Some of the biggest threats faced by any company of any size, is from within.
If prevention is the best cure, then how do you spot and stop unethical behavior right at its source?
Most employees conduct themselves well and are happy to simply do their part for their team.
But the average person is put into a difficult position when seeing unethical behavior taking place right in front of them.
That’s where our hotlist of best training videos come in, explaining how to spot it and what to do about it safely.
Storytelling plays as big a role here in this video for Grafton Group, depicting scenarios and situations that your employees might face someday. Download storytelling eBook now!
While making it feel real, the video also explains what to do when you see fraud happening.
This way, your employees are ready and armed with the knowledge they need to keep your company safe, ethical, and productive.
It’s important to speak your employees’ language and connect with them naturally.
But it’s just as important that your team also understands what their customers are going through.
This corporate training video for Deloitte Digital Bank takes employees by the hand and shows them the world their customers live in, their hassles, and issues.
This way, customer service becomes less a list of dos and don’t dos.
And instead is more about understanding customers with empathy and clarity.
This video stands out because of how it manages to do all this in just three minutes.
This way, the viewers won’t get bored or inattentive. The information is delivered cleanly and efficiently, making the training especially effective.
Instructional videos, especially animated explainer videos, are powerful tools that can transform how you educate and engage your audience.
By combining clear messaging, creative visuals, and a well-thought-out production process, these videos can turn complex information into compelling and accessible content.
So whether you’re looking to train employees, teach students, or explain a product or service, following this guide will help you craft instructional videos that not only inform but also inspire action.
In a world where video content is king, investing in high-quality instructional videos is a smart move that will pay off in the long run!
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