This guide covers how instructors can:
- Consider how a script is different from a lecture
- Segment content into chunks for better cognition
- Begin writing a video script
- Read the script aloud and find points to edit for increased clarity
Less is more
When it comes to video, less is more (for both length and content). Aim to write a video script significantly shorter than a full-length lecture in order to reduce cognitive load and maintain student engagement. Research shows that the median student engagement time for a video about 6 minutes in length is close to 100%. But the longer a video runs, the more likely it is students will click away.
For videos that extend to 40 minutes or more, the median student engagement time dropped to less than 20%. Main idea: Videos in the 6-12 minute range keep students watching to the final frame.
Following a video script keeps you on track to deliver a concise, clear video lecture. If you delivered a lecture from memory—“winging it,” in other words—it would be much more difficult to deliver the same concise lesson without going off on a tangent, or hesitating a few times, and the video length would increase.
A focused video script generally focuses on one topic, or learning objective, to promote maximum student engagement (intro videos can be shorter, demos and technical concepts can be longer). Don’t try to address multiple topics in one video. If the topic is complex, demanding many explanations or examples, record several sections, or “chapters.” Reducing the amount of content in one video does NOT reduce the amount of learning that happens.
Shorter, concise video scripts actually maximize student learning.
Most people read at a 120-words-per-minute pace. An 800-word script equates to a 7-minute video.
Segment content
Complex topics that require more than 10 minutes need to be segmented and then sequenced into a series of shorter videos. Break down longer lectures or scripts into shorter segments, or chunks, so each video covers a single topic or learning objective. Multiple short videos will allow your students to stay engaged and focused on the key material.
Research behind the Segmenting Principle:
The Segmenting Principle states that students learn better when multimedia information is presented in bite-sized segments rather than as a continuous unit. When students have control over the pace of their learning through shorter chunked content, they perform better on memory / recall tests.
You can apply this principle by planning each video so it’s focused on one important point. Plan to chunk longer, complex concepts into a series of shorter videos.
Conversational and clear
Simple sentences work best in video scripts. As you write the script, aim for less commas and conjunctions, and use more periods! Shorter sentences with adequate pausing between makes it easier for viewers to keep up with your ideas. (As you read aloud, no one will know if there’s a period or comma separating the sentence.)
Think about writing a script in the same way you might have a conversation. This style helps your audience stay engaged with the lesson and feel more socially connected to you. Additionally, placing students in your lessons by using “you” and “I” personalizes the instruction and motivates learners to better understand concepts.
These days students can always find facts and information via Google searches; what you bring to this video, with years of expertise and experience, are the interesting anecdotes, personal insights, and your accumulated knowledge and wisdom to make this topic come alive.
Accessible, consistent experience
In video format, it’s important that the words in the script match the visuals or text visible on screen. In person you can easily refer to material in your slides, rely on context, and pick up on cues from your students. Video requires you to maintain a tight connection between what you show and say in order to prevent confusion.
Any visuals you have should be called out explicitly in the script and you should include audio descriptions and descriptive language as much as possible. This is essential to ensure accessibility and ensure students are following both the visuals and lecture. It’s good practice to consider what visual images can pair with the script, as you create a script. Matching the script with specific visuals is part of the process of creating a storyboard for each video.
Getting started writing
Start with an outline, and add details. Or, start with your lecture notes. This is a script, so it also works well to “talk out” the script, transcribing as you talk.
Google Docs offers a “Type with your Voice” feature that will transcribe speech-to-text as you “talk” out your script.
What comes first? Here are some ways to open a script and hook your viewer:
- A personal vignette: Relate a very brief, personal experience. “Let me tell you about the time I…”
- A question: “Have you ever wondered how…?”
- A short story: “It was a dark and stormy night, but the team was determined to finish the job, and that meant…”
- Set a scene: Describe the location or place of the video topic, using specific visual details.
- A problem: “The response came back resoundingly clear. Clearly a course-shift was necessary.”
- Start at the end: Begin by describing the result/solution, then back up to explain from the start.
Write simple sentences as much as possible.
Avoid using slang. Slang is made up words that not everyone understands.
Do use natural figures of speech, such as grammatical contractions: Say: “We’ll be discussing,” as opposed to “we will be discussing.”
For technical language or jargon, include a plain-language description of the term on first use, so your audience is clear what you’re talking about when you use the term again.
Read it aloud
We’re all familiar with that old proverb: practice makes perfect. When it comes to reading a script aloud on camera, practice really does make a difference!
Practice makes perfect.
The proverb has origins in the 1500s, when its form was “Use makes perfect.”
Reading words aloud from a page is very different compared to reading silently, as you’ll realize very quickly. Most of us just don’t practice reading aloud very often.
So, plan to read the script aloud multiple times in the editing phase. Reading aloud serves two purposes: Your delivery will smooth out, and it will be immediately apparent what words and phrases you “trip over.” Rewrite or restructure the sentence, replace the word/s, or break up a long line into two sentences.
Editing (and reading aloud) leads to a more conversational script that will “roll smoothly off your tongue.”
Format the script
It’s easier to read a script aloud when it’s formatted with multiple breaks between lines or short paragraphs.
Ideally each section is one or two sentences in length, so you can focus on each line of text in your delivery.
CAPITALIZE, bold or indent key words and phrases you want to clearly enunciate and emphasize.
Final thoughts: Someone preparing to read a speech might read aloud and edit/adjust their script as many as 10 times(!) before arriving at the cleanest final version.
Reserve a one-to-one training session with an Instructor Development Specialist on the Continuum College: Training Calendar.
More information about creating Panopto videos.
Updated 09/10/24