4 do’s and don'ts of great video training

When delivering training to your staff or students, it is important to keep in mind that the content has the greatest impact when what is delivered is both timely and relevant to your intended audience. To further the idea of delivering relevant content to your staff, custom content filmed at your venue can be both engaging and fun!

With Typsy, you can upload your own lessons and content using our custom content feature. By uploading custom content, you will be able to personalize training to your venue and explain what makes you unique. Your staff will appreciate being able to learn from both our experts and their peers at your organization.

Filming can be quick and easy - start by filming tasks that you often have to train or re-train staff on. This could be anything from where to report for their first shift, how to use the equipment in your venue, or even notes on how staff can describe new dishes to customers. But, before you get the camera out and click record, let's look at some do and don'ts of filming video content.

Do: Pre-plan what you want to communicate in the video

Most of the success of great content lies with the pre-planning that is put in before actually picking up your mobile to start filming. When designing your lessons, be sure to keep ideas for each video to just two or three points. This will keep your videos in the 2-3 minute range for your viewers to watch. Typsy content is designed this way and this is done so for a few reasons. This time limit enables your learners to go back and review quickly, without searching through a longer video, for the content they wish to review and will also help them retain information by not being overwhelmed with training that is too long. 

Do: Film easy subject matters first

When you first start filming, tackle easy subject matters first. As you start to put your processes on camera, you will learn what works best while filming. So, start with something that you often find yourself training and re-training staff on, that you think would be quick to get on film. This could be anything from, how to properly slice garnish for drinks at the bar, how to describe a new wine on the menu, or how to greet a guest when they first walk in. Remember, larger topics, like standard opening procedures, can be split out into multiple videos. This will keep each video in the 2-3 minute range that will keep your viewers engaged.

Don't: Film at an in-person training

It is highly recommended that you do not film training for upload during an in-person training session. There are a few reasons for this recommendation. The first of which is, you will not be able to control certain aspects of the room that will majorly affect video quality. During group training, things like lighting, noise levels, and information covered can often change and make your video difficult for viewing. When introducing a subject matter that is important to your venue, remember that the viewer’s ability to see and hear everything will be critical to their engagement with the content. It is also important to remember that in-person training sessions often have a long run time. Uploading a video of this length will make it difficult for learners to watch the video in one sitting, or quickly review any points they need to double-check. 

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Don't: Go out and buy the fanciest camera you can find

When filming your custom content, it is not required that you rush out and purchase the best camera on the market. We recommend using your mobile device for easy filming. You will often find that the camera on your smartphone takes great video anyway! It is not even necessary to film in HD, as our platform will discard a lot of the unnecessary HD pieces when playing on a mobile or tablet screens. Keep in mind, our users watch Typsy across many handheld devices. 

Pro tip: Remember to film with your phone on its side, in landscape mode. This will be important when you upload your video to Typsy, as content filmed in portrait will not display well, across most devices. 

Some procedures in the hospitality industry are just standard practice. However, when it comes to standing out from the crowd, each organization has its own unique twists on how to do things. Everything from how to greet a guest, to how banquet tables are set up could be just a little bit different at different venues. These specialty processes are what make your venue… your venue! To train employees on how to do this to your standards, why not capture the process on film. Once you film your first video, you will see just how easy it is to make something that is easy for your audience to engage with.

If you would like to learn more about custom content, check out our Help Hub article, filled with great filming tips. To deep dive into custom videos, Typsy now offers Custom Content Bootcamps for Business and Academic users! Sign up today!

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