The Playbook for Designing an instructional video course
The truth is that creating online courses takes a ton of work -which can turn into a painfully long process, especially as you make a whole lot of educational videos.
One thing that can help you simplify the course creation and design process? Stories.
Elise London, the resident expert in video who produces all our internal and marketing classes She explains that the secret to creating engaging virtual classes is using stories in order to organize and present the information.
Finding the narrative in the course's problem and structuring content using the storytelling method of hero's journey is a game changer. Here's everything you need to accomplish to effectively organize, plan and produce an effective online course that includes the equipment you'll require.
Jump ahead:
- Find the perfect subject to teach online
- The process of planning and structuring the online courses you offer
- Shooting your course video content
- Ready to design your own online course?
Find the perfect subject for your online training
There's no need for a fresh, out-of-the-box idea for your virtual course.
Choose a subject that's already in high demand. An in-depth understanding of the goals of your company and its target public will assist. Here's how:
Find out what's already resonated
Make use of data measurement tools like Google Analytics to find high-performing publications. Spot an ebook on one particular subject that performs particularly well? Consider expanding it into a detailed video course.
You can also survey your email list to unearth the topics that people would love to take to take a course in virtual reality on. You can also distribute the survey via social media (if you have an engaged audience on those platforms) as well as to the communities you're associated with.
Remember: the goal is to find a course subject that the audience has an interest in.
Do it deep and not wide.
"If you look at the questions learners have around their topic and the emotions they experience as they work through your subject could be a good way to present your course's video as the answer.
The concept of 'live streaming' is wide, yet it is a challenge for novices to wrap their heads around." Elise London, Senior content production manager
What can you do? Examine the struggles that your audience faces when tackling a topic.
You can ask yourself:
- What confusion is our audience facing as they attempt to resolve the problem?
- What feelings are overwhelming that they need help to conquer?
For live streaming, for example there could be anxious feelings as you set up their very first live streaming. A course on this topic could be "How to set up live streams so you aren't overwhelmed."
Pro tip for your course name
While you're brainstorming names to name your class, consider the way your public thinks about the specific problem you're trying to solve and incorporate this into the name.
Planning and structuring your online class
Elise recommends using the hero's story to outline your online course. This involves:
- The challenge that target students are facing. Find these by answering the questions people ask about your course's topic.
- Guide them in overcoming difficulties and identifying solutions. This is where you divide the subject into modules and video lessons that each answer a question.
- leaving them with the promised change. Give them additional tools like checklists and templates to assist students in applying what they've learned.
Learn how to identify your audience's needs and questions to structure and plan your course:
Ask your audience members questions about research
Instead of thinking about it, try these actions:
- Explore Reddit as well as Quora for a compilation of commonly asked questions.
- Survey and hold one-on-one calls with learners to ask questions directly.
- listen to calls from customers by sales and support representatives to answer common queries.
- Visit bestseller book's index pages on Amazon for a deeper understanding of the questions they answer on the topic of instruction.
If you've been hosting webinars on the course topic, you can also look over questions the attendees asked in order to inform your investigation.
The course's topic can be broken down into buckets

In the next step, consider your audience's challenges and questions for breaking your subject into narrative modules that build on each other in the next stage in the learner's journey.
"Instead of saying, 'We're going to teach you to use Interactive Studio' (which is a broad and difficult to wrap my mind around), say 'We're going to teach beginners, intermediate and advanced capabilities. That way, the topics [for the course you'll be taking into one of those three buckets." Elise London, Senior content production manager
In simple terms, you need to break "disparate concepts" and place them in buckets to ensure that when you're looking over the course from afar, it all seems more doable."
Pro tip for course structure
Make sure you lay out your course's structure in order to meet the students at any point in their learning journey. It's not uncommon to overload and cause confusion for students due to the curse of knowledge (a mental bias which assumes that the audience is as knowledgeable as you are). Make sure to check the course's design to ensure it is simple.
Create video lessons
- Bring your student's problems to the forefront that relate to the issue a video class can solve.
- Answer the questions by giving solutions to the issue that they're dealing with.
- Recap the video, or give supplementary resources to help them to change.
Videos on demand with scripts
pro tip

Shooting your course video content
Tools you'll need
For a decent set-up and production tool kit You'll require:
- Microphone, cameras (two at a minimum) and a 3 or 4-point lighting kit
- Learning Management System (LMS). It will host the course's video which makes it easily accessible to students. Examples include: Teachable, Podia, and Kajabi.
- . A free video platform that allows you for hosting, recording, edit, and include interactivity elements to educational videos which you could and then upload to your LMS.
- Teleprompter. Display device that displays moving text on screen, making it simple for people on the screen to record video.
- Music pedal. A foot-operated, budget-friendly keyboard that allows you to alter the course of slides on the screen.
Building an ideal video production set
Elise suggests:
1. Do not use fluorescent overhead lights.
They can create harsh shadows on your face. Fluorescent lights also flicker sometimes creating a green color and affecting your video quality's consistency.
2. Record without natural light
The natural light can change throughout the day, and should you're filming for several hours consecutively and the quality of light will not appear uniform, Elise warns. It's also an issue when you choose to transfer parts of your video from one into a different video.
3. Set your cameras at different angles
The second camera isn't "just spice up the editing (which can be helpful regardless of whether you're working with a script or even if you do get it all done in a single take) however, it also helps to break the monotony of people looking at the face of the instructor."
"More important, a second camera can be used to hide the cuts" Elise adds. "So if whatever you're delivering will not come out in one take The way you hide that edit is to use B-roll, or cutting to another camera."
4. Create a clean free of clutter background
Do not use bright colors like orange, magenta, and yellow since these can cause color reflections and be distracting to viewers. Use neutral tones for your background including dark blue, grey, and soft white instead. They look stunning on the camera and are also comfortable on your eyes.
Recording your online video course
Naturally, recording can feel somewhat nerve-wracking. If you devote enough time in planning and drafting your course, filming should not be a problem.
5. Always use a Teleprompter
A teleprompter saves you from getting stuck on the screen while you struggle to figure out which point you need to remember.
It makes recording simple and helps with editing, however "it will also allow you to maintain eye contact with your camera when you are looking into the screen of the teleprompter," says Elise.
6. Make use of a music pedal switch between slides
"Instead of a keyboard or clicker, which is visible in your hand, use the music pedal in order to switch the slides you're playing. It's really an USB Bluetooth keyboard with a left and a right. The person presenting doesn't have to look for either the mouse or keyboard to move it."
Editing your on-demand videos
Try to cut down on the length of your edits and provide an engaging viewing experience using these professional suggestions:
7. Refine your edits ruthlessly
8. Incorporate B-roll to increase engagement
One way to break boring talking-head video is switching between cameras on a regular basis.
Additionally, you can incorporate graphics, animations slide, stock footage, or customized recordings to create an immersive learning experience.
9. Interactivity layer that is layered
- Enjoy a build-your-own-learning path
- Click on hotspots for video to explore more educational resources
- Jump between sections relevant to them (useful to create in-house videos onboarding)
Interactive videos improve viewer engagement and increasing retention. It is also possible to test your students' knowledge through conducting video quizzes through Interactive.
Do you have the skills to develop your online course?
The process of creating a video course that your audience loves is as simple as:
- It is important to be specific in the problem you wish to resolve
- Converting the information into a cohesive story
- Organizing the content so it's easy to read and understand
Also, don't forget to use with the right equipment, you can take the stress out the process of creating high-quality videos that provide an engaging learning experience.