Welcome to the video age. The spread of high speed internet access and simple video editing software makes the creation and delivery of online educational videos easier than ever. YouTube videos provide an excellent mechanism for Extension specialists to share information and reach a large potential audience. Putting a Power Point presentation in video format does not make the most of this medium. The creation of good video content requires careful planning and practice. The average attention span of most adults is 15 minutes and students approximately 7-10 minutes. Most lecture presentations, however, last 30 minutes to an hour. How can you get your point across as quickly as possible? We must learn to provide entertainment in addition to education. YouTube suggests that the first 15 seconds of a video are critical for engagement and retention of the audience.
A central figure or “hero” and a story with a beginning, middle and end will go a long way towards retaining the attention of the audience. Join us for a discussion these and other simple tips and techniques that can improve your ability to create watchable or perhaps even enjoyable educational Extension videos.