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There's something uniquely powerful about the moving image: the combination of sound and action grips an audience like nothing else can. Today's technology means that this power can reach beyond TV and movie audiences right into the conference room.
Think of how a speaker tells a joke to warm up an audience. A video can do this even better. Say your company is having a big meeting focusing on soft quarterly results. Show a video that highlights the company's real or perceived foibles to begin a discussion about how to improve the company's performance.
Visual metaphors are a great way to motivate or inspire. If teamwork is a theme of your meeting, try playing a short video in which a team of mountain climbers conquers a mountain. Or show a video that demonstrates how an Indy 500 pit crew contributes to the driver's success.
Putting together a compelling video is easier than you might think. What's more, it's quite affordable. Here's how to make video work for you.
Set the stage
Open the meeting with a video program that sets the tone for the rest of the proceedings. This visual and aural medium excels at evoking an emotional response from an audience. After watching the program, everyone will be in the same frame of mind, and the business of the meeting can flow forward from this shared moment.
| Open the meeting with a video program that sets the tone for the rest of the proceedings. |
| — Robert M. Goodman |
Eliminate barriers
Most of us have seen the earth from the moon, penguins on an Antarctic beach, and the colossal figures on Easter Island—on television. Gaining access to a high-tech clean room, seeing your company's secure servers, or having a bird's-eye view of company headquarters is equally beyond the reach of most people. But with video you can take everyone in the meeting to places they couldn't otherwise go.
If it would help everyone understand the situation, show them the inside of the factory or a news report about unrest in a faraway country that will have an impact on your company's performance.
Video also allows you to bring people into your meeting who would be unavailable because of budgetary or time constraints. A brief word or two from an expert, a customer, or someone at your company could present a point of view or deliver a message that would be difficult to do otherwise. This may be the best approach to enhance credibility, deflect anger, or tout an accomplishment. Video provides the advantage of being able to select the right person rather than just whoever happens to be available at the time to make the presentation.
Provide the best view
Video gives everyone at the meeting the best view of the subject at hand. It doesn't matter whether you want to explain how to fill out a form, show how to operate a machine, or detail the benefits of a product. Everyone shares the same view and has equal access to the information. A moving picture is worth more than a thousand words.
A camera can peer into an electron microscope, hover over a vat of molten steel, or go under a car's engine to reveal carefully composed images that convey meaning quickly. It's easy to focus the audience's attention by isolating a particular area on screen to help them see what you want them to see.
Video can demonstrate behaviors you wish others to model. A carefully edited version of a sales call can teach more in minutes than hours of mentoring may accomplish. The demonstration remains consistent no matter how many times the video is played.
An added benefit of video is that copies of the program can be made available to the audience so they can watch it again later for reinforcement.
Make segues
An unbroken procession of speakers can be tiring. Visual aids such as Microsoft's PowerPoint too often merely increase the audience's fatigue.
Break up that succession of speakers with a short video that has movement, color, and music. It's an opportunity to change the mood, switch subjects, or inject some fun. In a minute or two, you can have your audience laughing, speculating on the future, or visiting the plush resort your company has selected as an incentive for its top performers.
Sum everything up
Too many meetings drag to a close; end your meeting with color and action. By closing the meeting with a video, you can motivate the audience to sell more, seek success, or solve challenges. The video can reinforce key points made over a multi-day meeting or leave one or two resonant images in the minds of the audience.
A common way to build camaraderie over multi-day sales meetings is to tape the attendees participating in the different events. Try this with your team.
At the close of your meeting, show the final program and distribute copies. Not only will the video commemorate a shared experience; more importantly, it will further cement the participants' sense of community and their commitment to meeting common goals.
| Break up that succession of speakers with a short video that has movement, color, and music. |
| — Robert M. Goodman |
What does it cost? Plan to spend anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 per minute of finished video depending on how many bells and whistles you want. Let the professionals do it; there are seasoned video production teams in most towns of any size. To find a good one, inquire at local TV stations. Most contract with independent teams on a regular basis, and will know who the reliable ones are.
Five Tips for Video Success
1. Remember that shorter is better. Shorter is nearly always more interesting than longer—and it's usually more effective. Go too long and put too much into the video, and you muddy the message and bore the audience.
2. Never bore the audience! This is the cardinal rule of video. Always look for ways to present the message in an interesting fashion. If the audience is intrigued, they are awake and paying attention.
3. Define an objective—and fulfill it. What should the audience think, feel, know, or do after viewing the program? Put the program together with this objective clearly in mind.
4. Determine the budget. Begin by asking yourself two questions: What's the program's probable shelf life? How many people will see it?
A program that's only going to be used at one meeting for a small group should probably be done inexpensively because it's a throwaway.
But if the small group is composed of decision makers deciding whether to award a contract to your company, weigh the value of this contract in making your decision—it may well be more significant than the size of the audience.
Think about how long the program will be used. Can it or should it be updated periodically? Will it be of future value to your company? Costs can be justified by the number of people likely to see the program.
5. Decide how to quantify the results. There are ways to measure success for nearly every program, whether the objective is to improve morale or increase sales. Determining how the results can be measured will help you refine the objective and allow you to ascertain whether your goal has been accomplished.
Reprinted with permission from "When Video Beats PowerPoint," Harvard Management Communication Letter, Vol. 5, No. 12, December 2002.