I’m often asked how to use video for learning. Video is an expensive resource so it’s no wonder people are cautious. It’s not uncommon to hear, “We’d love to use video in our learning, but where do we start?” There is a way video can slot into most learning that makes sense to most people both in terms of cost and functionality. This is what I think of as the “Battle Speech”.
A video can be like the speech before a battle (the learning). It’s a cry to the heart, but it also an overview of what’s coming up. It’s the learning about the learning. It’s learning why you are learning this, and why it will be good for you and your organisation. High level insights with high impact. Inspire hearts and minds and learners will follow you through hell and high water.
The St. Crispin’s Day speech in Shakespeare’s Henry V gives a taste of the battle to come but more importantly provides the soldiers with meaning and motivation to undertake the monumental task before them. If the learning is the battle, then the short video introducing the learning is the rousing speech that provides the call to arms. Of course, workplace learning is not as Earth shattering as a major battle, but we all find meaning in our work.
What such videos look like varies hugely: Before a fire safety course a firefighter relates their personal experiences of firefighting and how it’s made them passionate about what they do. Before a values workshop a cross section of an organisation talks about what the values mean to them, transforming abstract notions into concrete applications. Before onboarding, see your future colleagues at work and hear them tell you what it’s like to work here.
So, really it’s a no brainer to invest in a Battle Speech video for your learning if you want the rest of your investment to pay off. Why produce a course if you can’t motivate people to engage with it?
To see an example of a Battle Speech type video follow this link.
