Learn how to create great eLearning Videos

If you are knowledgeable in any given field, you can create eLearning videos to share your expertise, best practices, and tips.

Here are some ways you can find value from creating eLearning videos:

1. For the satisfaction of teaching a someone something new.
2. To get noticed by potential new customers or employers.
3. To make money by selling the training through your website or companies like GoSkills.com.
4. To train your colleagues on a particular topic. This type of eLearning is usually for corporate internal training. For example, HR might create onboarding training, and IT might create training to teach you how to use a particular software application.

It may seem daunting at first because creating eLearning training brings to mind having to hire editors, audio engineers, video production staff, write a script, and much more. Certainly, you can do all those things, but believe it or not; most professional eLearning creators do it themselves on a computer.

Before you begin, decide how you want to present your eLearning training course:

• Recording yourself with a camera: In this type of training, you are sharing a topic that is close to you. That might be you just chatting about a particular subject or standing in front of a whiteboard. It could also be you sitting on a mat, teaching yoga.
• Recording your screen and yourself: In this type of training, you have a camera pointing at you while you are sharing your screen. This kind of training is popular in the gaming segments where gamers teach others how to play a game (yes this is a thing). Another reason people use this method is to create a better relationship with their viewers.
• Recording your voice: In this type of training, you are probably creating a podcast.
• Recording your screen: In this kind of training, you are typically showing people how to use a piece of software, like how to use Excel, or creating a particular visual effect in Photoshop. With these types of videos, you may record your voice, have someone else record a voice over, or even just share the screen with captions with no voice at all.

Delivery methods

There are two primary ways you deliver the eLearning courses:

1. On-demand: Your viewers can click a link and watch your eLearning training videos anytime they wish.
2. Live: Your viewers must attend your course at a specific date and time where you will present your topic in a live, virtual event.

Recording your screen and your voice

For purposes of this article, I am going to focus on recording your screen and your voice. For the most part, all the information I share with you is valid for on-demand or live training.

Recently, I created a free series of articles and videos that cover the major topic areas to record a quality eLearning training course successfully. Here are some excerpts and the links (don't worry I am not selling you anything and there are no signup forms to access the content).

Gear Guide

Go over to YouTube and search for [any word] tutorial. Then, click on a few videos and listen to them. Go ahead; I will wait :)

Are you back? Okay, I bet you experienced the following:

• Voice echo.
• Background noises.
• Loud keyboard clicking noises.

All those items (and more) contribute to a distracting experience for the person viewing the training. Distractions equate to their learning less and maybe even leaving your course.

You want to present yourself in the most professional way possible, so you need the right equipment, and don't worry, it does not cost that much.

Click here to read my full article on the gear you should consider purchasing before creating your eLearning courses.

Recording software guide

Just as you need the right equipment, you also need some good recording software. There are plenty of free and paid products on the market, but one of the most popular (and affordable) is Camtasia.

You may also need software to set the recording resolution for your screen, and you will want to know where you can share the videos online.

Click here to read my full article that walks you through modern software for recording and producing your courses.

eLearning best practices: Audio (includes a YouTube video)

When people ask me how to create an eLearning training course, I always tell them the gear I use. For some reason, people feel intimidated by the need to purchase quality audio equipment. That, or they just do not believe me.

Click here for my article and then watch the related video to hear me presenting with various microphone options. You can decide for yourself whether the investment and very short learning curve is worth it :-)

eLearning best practices: The desktop (includes a YouTube video)

There is a lot more to just firing up some software and pressing the record button. Here are just a few things you should do before recording your desktop:

• Use a 16:9 screen resolution.
• Clear up the clutter on your desktop.
• Hide unneeded operating system elements.

Click here for my article and to watch a related video as I walk you through the process of setting up your desktop.

eLearning best practices: Your voice (include a YouTube video)

Earlier in this article, I asked you to watch a few YouTube videos with the word tutorial in the title, and I pointed out some distractions caused by the use of bad audio equipment. Here are some things we humans do that cause distraction:

• Coughing.
• Constant use of the words "ummm" and "ahhh."
• Heavy breathing.
• Changing voice levels.

Click here for this article and related video where I teach you some tips and tricks I use to avoid distracting your viewers.

eLearning best practices: Production effects (includes a YouTube video)

Screen recording software usually includes a feature where the screen can zoom in and out, and even follow the mouse. I think trainers like this feature more than the viewer. Personally, I get a severe headache when a screen is in constant motion.

Most screen recording and production software provide other features like fading in and out, animations, callout bars, and much more. I highly recommend you master all these effects, but then hold yourself back and use what is necessary, not what looks cool.

Click here to read my article and a related video to learn how to use production effects properly.

eLearning best practices: Sharing your training inside your company (includes YouTube videos)

If you create training courses for anyone to view, you have many options. You can put your training videos up on your website, host them on YouTube, secure them on Vimeo, or sell through a training provider. There are endless ways to upload and share your videos for free or at little cost.

Unfortunately, creating eLearning within a company can be a bit more limiting. Some companies are lucky enough to have an LMS (learning management system) in place. Even with an LMS, many companies only allow you to upload certain types of courses and the system is under tight control.

If you do not have access to an LMS, but you have Office 365, I show you how to cobble together a decent system using SharePoint lists and Office 365 Video.

Click here to read my article (and related video) to create the SharePoint list.

Click here to read my article (and related video) to upload the videos.

Are you interested in more?

There is so much more I can share with you, like how to create a curriculum, how to use closed captioning, organizing your files, and much more.

Please comment on this article if there are topics you would like me to cover.

Thank you! -Bill