6.1 Video as a Visual Aid
Video Overview
Video helps you tell a story in the most visually engaging way possible, giving every employee in the company a face-to-face opportunity with the CEO, or allowing for the broadcast of team meetings and gatherings.
Tip
Making a video that features the employees who work at your company can “humanize” the company’s image, a valuable tool when communicating with investors and other external stakeholders.
Videos are an excellent visual media choice when communicating things like,
- The features of a new facility or office the company has opened
- The details of a new product or service the company has introduced
- Instructions for a new company process, like signing up for benefits or a new 401k plan
- The introduction of a new business idea, plan or merger, especially if the subject is complex or the audience is highly emotional about the announcement
- Webinars and meetings that all attendees might not be able to attend in person
Consider: Appropriate Uses for Video
Consider: Appropriate Uses for Video (text version)
In which of the following situations would you NOT use video?
- If several team members won’t be able to attend a meeting held by the CEO
- If information regarding an impending layoff needs to be distributed to those employees remaining at the company
- If your company has opened a new distribution facility and everyone would like to see it
Check your answers in footnote[1]
Activity source: Business Communication Skills for Managers, CC BY 4.0
While videos can be easy and inexpensive to produce these days, it can still be costly to create a professional, polished video. A video made on your camera phone likely won’t be appropriate for any medium besides a short post on social media. Beyond the cost and talent associated with creating more complex videos, there are a few roadblocks you might encounter, even when creating a short clip. You might want to reconsider video as a choice in any of the following scenarios:
- Your human subjects are visibly uncomfortable in front of a camera and cannot deliver a message effectively in that manner
- Your subject requires the display of a lot of data, and the audience will require time to review, contemplate and study the information
- Your video is longer than fifteen minutes and viewers are likely to tune out after a while
- You’re covering a sensitive topic or the topic of discussion shouldn’t be made public in any recorded format, written or visual
Video can be used to accompany text, or it can stand alone as its own communication. Consider where your audience will access the video, what information will accompany that video and in what format, and how they’ll work together when you start to plan the creation of your video.
Watch the video What is the Best Explainer Video Style for Your Business? (2 min) on YouTube
Video source: Yum Yum Videos – Animated Explainer Videos. (2014, July 25). What is the best explainer video style for your business? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp3NK7TMMzw
Attribution & References
Except where otherwise noted, this page is adapted from Video as a Visual Aid In Business Communication Skills for Managers by Freedom Learning Group / Lumen Learning, CC BY 4.0
- Video as a Visual Aid: Overview. Authored by: Freedom Learning Group. Provided by: Lumen Learning. License: CC BY: Attribution
- What is the best explainer video style for your business?. Authored by: Yum Yum Videos – Animated Explainer Videos. Located at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp3NK7TMMzw&feature=youtu.be. License: All Rights Reserved. License Terms: Standard YouTube License
- 1. This is an appropriate use of video. A video isn’t a face-to-face discussion but it can be close—a video of a meeting will help you convey the same message the attendees received to those that couldn’t be there. 2. This is not an appropriate use of video. Sensitive information should be passed along verbally to those who need to know, and certainly not in a medium as easy to share as video. A video may seem like a good option to distribute to remote employees, but a video conference would be more secure, more personal, and more specific. 3. This is an appropriate use of video. A video tour of the new facility will allow team members to see it who might not otherwise travel there. ↵
