reflection on video presentation

Video Presentation and Reflections

At-home activity.

For this assignment, students work in small groups to create and edit short video presentations (flexible in genre) to recast their research for a new audience. Students then reflect on their presentations.

Guide to Oral/Signed Communication in Writing Classrooms

To remediate the findings of a research project into a different genre; to work together in a team to produce and edit a short video; to practice oral communication skills in the context of a video; to reflect on the entire course and the research project.

oral presentations; video editing; multimodality; metacognition; remediation of research into a new genre

Part 1: Video

• Prepare (alone or with 1-2 partners) a recorded video presentation that somehow draws upon your research and what you’ve learned about songs or albums this semester.
• Make sure that your video is at least 1 minute long, but ideally less than 3 minutes long, for every student participating. Each partner should be prominent in the video, though there is no need to divide the time exactly evenly.
• Work together to create a topic; you may draw on some or all of the participants’ major research papers, but your topic does not need to be directly connected to everyone’s papers as long as it clearly reflects what you’ve learned in the course.
• writing and performing an original song
• performing a monologue (as yourself or in character as an author, poet, character, etc. from course/research sources)
• making an original music video for a song
• giving a “TED Talks”-style mini-lecture teaching how to analyze a given exhibit source
• creating a video review of an exhibit source
• making a film “trailer” for a biopic or documentary that you envision of one of the authors you researched/encountered

Part 2: Reflections/Analysis/Explanation

• Write an explanation and analysis of your Video Presentation (at least 200 words; up to half of this may be co-written with your partners), explaining how it was informed by your research and what you learned this semester.
• Mention at least 5 specific sources (background, exhibit, and/or argument) that fed or inspired your project. Point to specific moments in your video.
• Note some things you wanted people to notice or take away from your video.

Student Presentation Reflections

Teachers as Paragons

I struggle with articulating this point, but for the purposes of this post, I think that the most valid student-teacher dynamic is not the Jedi Master and Padawan method, but instead one where a teacher serves as a paragon of a small set of skills/attributes and the student’s role is to assimilate their experiences with all of their teachers into their own paradigm.

While this viewpoint is not revolutionary, I find that hubris often prevents a teacher from maximizing the benefit of this approach. Too often I find myself or my peers trying to be too many things to too many students. I think it is important for a teacher to make explicit commitments about which skill or attribute they wish to be the avatar for.

I chose presentation skills as my niche of instruction because I benefited greatly from the Public Speaking and Speech and Debate classes I took in high school. When I was in college, I saw very clearly those of my peers who did not have those same opportunities. I vowed that my students would be afforded opportunities to develop their presentation skills in my class no matter the other classes offered by my school.

Reflection Process

I plan on creating many posts about the different resources, examples, and assignments that I use to improve my students’ presentation skills. One of the core strategies, and I believe the most powerful, that I use to improve student presentations is a presentation reflection process.

In order to make presentation reflections be a valid assignment, you must film your students as they present—something that my 11th grade Public Speaking teacher Mrs. Shank did for me 15 years ago. Admittedly, being filmed for a presentation was nerve-wracking; however, it was also amazing beneficial. However, instead of recording presentations on VHS cassette like Mrs. Shank did, I record presentations digitally and post them as unlisted YouTube videos .

Recording Presentations

Do yourself a favor and make sure that you use a tripod to record the student presentations. You might think you can cobble together books and tape to hold a camera steady, but this is the wrong call.

• If you plan on using your phone as the camera, you will need a mount to attach it to your tripod , and an improved microphone will certainly help with the audio quality, but it’s not necessary.
• If you plan on using a DSLR or mirrorless camera, then you really need to improve the audio. To improve the quality of the video’s captured sound, I suggest using a shotgun microphone .

Whatever hardware you use, it is important to share with the students the camera’s field of view, so they know where they should stand. The reflection assignment is much harder if the student does not appear on camera.

Reflection Assignment

Recording the presentation is the first step, but students will need to thoughtfully watch their presentations to see areas for improvement. To guide the students’ thoughts while they watch their presentation video, I developed three sequential reflection assignments, one for each of the major presentations in my class.

This reflection process is truly eye-opening. Students are routinely shocked when they watch the video and see the nervous fidgeting or hand-wringing that they swear never happened. The pedagogical impact of a student watching themselves on video is many times more powerful than even the most helpful rubric or feedback.

In addition to reflecting on what happened, an important part of the assignment is also identifying five points on which to improve and coming up with action items for each point. An example of an improvement point and an action item would be:

• I will look up the phonetic pronunciation of the words ahead of time and practice saying them to my teacher.

I always assign this as homework and give students a week to do the assignment after their presentation. I try very hard to make sure the videos get processed, uploaded, and shared with the students as soon as possible to make sure that things are fresh in their mind.

Students sometimes balk at the number of words they have to write. However, since they are writing semi-informally about themselves and have a video to go off, students routinely surpass 1000 words without blinking an eye.

Sometimes when I explain presentation reflections to teachers, they exclaim that it is too much work for them to do or they don’t know how to do the “video stuff” or something else along those lines. The video recording/editing process can be as basic or as advanced as you want it to be. Since video editing is a core part of my multimedia business, there is a lot of stuff that I do to the videos that is unnecessary but a point of pride for me.

In all honesty, a perfectly functional presentation video takes less than 3 minutes more than the presentation itself. Whether you spend 3 minutes or 30 minutes editing a presentation video, that time is returned many-fold by the presentation skill increase of your students.

Hands down, the most consistent piece of feedback I receive from alumni is that they dominate their presentations in college. This makes me very proud. I committed to developing presentation skills in my students since my very first year of teaching. Hearing back from alumni that they are drastically better than their peers at presenting puts a smile on my face every time.

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Seeing the Whole Lesson with Video Reflection

As a teacher, I spend the majority of my planning time trying to find new and insightful ways to engage my students, to give clear instructions, and to relate content to them.

AMY HENDERSON, 11th grade English teacher at the Wonderful College Prep Academy in Delano, California

As a teacher, I spend the majority of my planning time trying to find new and insightful ways to engage my students, to give clear instructions, and to relate content to them. I remember planning one lesson specifically with these things in mind. The material and assignments were rigorous, I differentiated my instruction, and my students laughed at a joke I cracked during class. Based on all of these factors, I considered the lesson a success. But when I graded the work, I found that only a handful of students completed the assignment correctly.

Where did I go wrong? I don’t go out of my way to be boring, give terrible directions, or be condescending. In fact, like most teachers, I try to do the exact opposite. But if teachers are trying so hard not to make these kinds of mistakes, why do we continue to make them? The short answer is that we don’t always see our mistakes exactly as they happened.

How might my attitude and response to my lessons change if I could actually witness them from the perspective of the students?

FROM GOOD PRACTICE TO BEST PRACTICE

Little unnerves a teacher more than having to watch themselves teach. In my first year of teaching, I knew that I had a lot to learn, but I was hesitant to record myself. Surely, my memory of the lesson was enough to learn from and reflect on.

I was wrong. Towards the beginning of the year, I began recording videos of my lessons to share with a mentor using the video coaching platform Edthena. The first time I watched a video of myself teaching, I’m pretty sure my eyes started to bleed a little. My directions were terrible and confusing and my jokes, though funny, were sometimes distracting.

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Watching an entire class’s reaction to my lesson showed me that only a few students were actively engaged. While I admit that realization was a bit of a blow to my ego, it was also an incredible step towards my progression and improvement as a teacher.

By using video reflection in the classroom, teachers are able to engage in a more accurate reflection on lessons and how they relate to student outcomes. For example, consider a math teacher who gives out an assignment on rewriting and graphing equations. During class, all the students are showing patterns of correctly rewriting the equations. However, the teacher notices that, in the actual assignments, the majority of the graphed equations are incorrect. Noticing this pattern can help the teacher see what material he or she might need to re-teach. This is good practice.

But how would that planning change if the math teacher had a video recording of the lesson for that day? By reviewing the actual minutes of the lesson, the teacher can more accurately analyze their instruction to determine the cause of the students’ misunderstanding. Perhaps the teacher needed to provide additional information or try a different approach to explain the concept. With this practice, the teacher is not simply reteaching what students may have missed. Rather, the teacher is evaluating how to reteach so that the same mistakes are not repeated. This is best practice.

NOTICING (AND FIXING) BAD HABITS

Video reflection is incredibly helpful for specific, targeted lessons, as well as for noticing patterns in instruction. For example, when reviewing a series of video recordings in my classroom, I noticed that I favored the right side of the room when teaching and when circling the room to answer questions during independent work time.

In five specific lessons, I taught almost the entire time from the right side of the classroom and directed my focus to those students nearly twice as often. Subsequently, these students participated more and had more questions answered than those on the other side of the room. When I became aware of this completely unintentional pattern, I was able to refocus my teaching and deliberately work around the room so that all students were engaged and had equal opportunity to answer questions and provide comments.

Whether you’re a first-year teacher who needs some honest, sometimes brutal, feedback, or a seasoned teacher who’s stuck in a rut, video reflection helps to expedite progress in an authentic and rigorous way.

Nobody likes to look at their flaws, and yet that’s exactly what precedes improvement: knowing that we need to improve. I’ll admit that video reflection can be a bit awkward and uncomfortable at first; but, as educators, comfort is not our end goal. Our goal is to teach effectively and inspire our students. We ask them to trust us, to be vulnerable. So, what better way to show them our dedication than to hold ourselves to the same standard?

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In her article Digital Portfolios: The Art of Reflection , Beth Holland points out that when students reflect on their learning experiences, “they become more aware of the processes and strategies that make them successful, allowing them to learn from their successes as well as their challenges or failures.” Thus, a reflection journal that also includes video screencasts not only provides students with the opportunity to look back and reflect on their work, but also facilitates a media-rich experience for doing so.

Fortunately, Google Slides offers two great features — the ability to easily create links to outside content and the ability to play YouTube videos in a slide — that can be combined with screencasts to enable students from elementary school through high school to create powerful video reflection journals in just a few steps.

In all, students could create a media-rich screencast after writing an essay, creating a presentation, constructing a drawing, or creating any type of artifact of learning and reflect on their learning using audio and video. In their reflection, they could discuss their process of creation, their feelings of success, or explore the challenges they experienced along the way.

Some reflection questions students might discuss are:

• Is this my best work?
• What could I have done to improve this essay?
• Why was I successful when I created this presentation?
• What will I do differently next time to augment the process?
• What did I learn? How did I learn? Why do I think that I learned the way that I learned?

Step 1: Students create & store a reflection screencast

The Potential Of Video Recording In Student Reflection

Video recording can help students express themselves in a more natural language than the tone they’d use to construct written ideas.

Watching Yourself: The Potential Of Video Recording In Student Reflection

contributed by Jesse Johnson

A basic truth: It’s impossible to reflect on what’s happening if you don’t know what’s happening.

In my freshman composition courses, I had regular one-on-one meetings with students throughout the term, scheduled at crucial points during writing projects.

Well before the final deadline of a research paper, I would ask students to send me a draft so we could meet and discuss their progress, their challenges, and their goals. First, I would always ask students to describe their project aloud to me.

Their responses could include their initial interest in the topic, their writing and research processes, the sources they’ve included, and any conclusions they’ve begun to make. Almost always, students would provide essential information setting up their topic and a line of questioning that translated much clearer than their written draft.

Often I’d say, “Write that down—exactly what you just said.” These moments of affirmation tended to inspire confidence in even the most reserved students.

The Disconnect Between Feedback & Revision

The disparity between students’ ability to speak and their ability to write was a shock to me at first. As I saw this pattern emerge, again and again the ‘tell me about your project’ portion of our meetings became a crucial part of the process. Though the problem with having students describe their projects aloud was that they didn’t have time to transcribe the things they were saying. And if they tried to do this, writing would have interrupted the flow of ideas.

I would ask students to take notes about how they could begin the next steps to improve their paper, and I would also generate a list of suggestions. However, the natural rhythm of their spoken language and the uninhibited flow of ideas would disappear later, when they’d return to the computer screen and their draft.

Any ‘aha’ moments would be gone.

One Solution

It wouldn’t be feasible for me to sit with each student during their writing process to allow them to talk out their ideas, record and incorporate them into their draft, then move on to the next issue. Though I could see a solution that provides a version of this sort of interaction.

As technology becomes more accessible to students and teachers, learner-generated videos have become a substantial tool for empowering students, invigorating stale educational methods, and reinforcing content retention. In a composition classroom, videos could serve as a way to help students express themselves in a more natural language than the tone they would use to construct written ideas.

Even in early written brainstorming sessions, the ability to erase and rephrase ideas can easily bog down efforts to approach a writing project.

Similar to the conversations in my one-on-one meetings with students, recording reflections and brainstorming sessions in video form could inspire confidence in students who struggle to organize their thoughts or find their voice when they sit down to write.

Afterward, the ideas are safely stored in a video the student can revisit as many times as needed. To offer a more specific direction, instructors could provide a written guide of questions for each video.

Student Reflection In Practice & Theory

In a study of 9th graders at a STEM summer camp, Rose, Sierschynski, and Bj ö rling found that students who recorded videos of brief, guided reflections at various points during the camp were able to acknowledge and articulate the progress they made over a three-week period. Their ability to revisit past ‘versions’ of themselves and their struggles allowed students to better understand their specific path to success and improved their confidence regarding STEM topics.

If applied to a composition course, this process could help students to acknowledge their progress over a term as well as identify a model for overcoming future challenges related to writing. Here is a basic outline of what this process might look like for a writing assignment.

1. After giving students ample time to review the assignment prompt, ask each student to record a short video including their initial thoughts, their experiences with similar assignments, any foreseeable challenges they might face, and any initial ideas they have.

2. Once students submit their first drafts of this assignment, ask them to review the first video and record another in which they respond to their initial ideas as well as update their progress, express any new challenges, and describe any accomplishments.

3. After receiving feedback about their first draft, ask students to review the previous video and record a new one based on the instructor’s feedback. They should also outline a direction for improving their draft.

4. After submitting their final draft, ask students to record their reactions to finishing the assignment.

5. Once the students have received a final grade and feedback, have them review all past videos for this assignment sequence and record a final video acknowledging their progress overall. You might ask what they would do differently if they could begin again as well as what they have learned that will help them in future writing situations.

In the STEM camp study, the videos were made available to all students so they could learn from each other as well as reflect on their own progress. This adds a social element that could motivate students to take the process more seriously.

Videoing skill-based performances in sports has been used for years. Coaches can revisit plays, techniques, and movements with players, asking them to revisit their own thinking at key moments and how that thinking can be revised for future improvement. The players, too, benefit from seeing themselves ‘outside themselves’ as they perform.

In a writing context, this level of peer-observation and peer teaching  could circulate student insights and provide a variety of models for approaching challenges in their own work throughout the project.

Of course, the ability to take snapshots of student progress and their perceptions of themselves, the assignment, and the instruction will be useful in adapting the course for future groups. And though my background is in composition, this could apply to a variety of subjects in order to benefit students and instructors alike.

TeachThought is an organization dedicated to innovation in education through the growth of outstanding teachers.

Spreading the Practice of Video Reflection

Creating a video-friendly culture, amplifying choice, turning the spotlight on students, room to grow.

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Guiding Questions

› Do teachers in your school commonly use video for self-reflection and professional learning? If not, what obstacles stand in the way and how could they be addressed?

› As a school leader, how could you help initiate or enhance this practice (while ensuring that it's teacher-led)?

› What advantages might video-based reflection have as a form of professional learning? How could it improve instructional practices in your school district?

Garet, M. S., Porter, A. C., Desimone, L., Birman, B. F., & Yoon, K. S. (2001). What makes professional development effective? Results from a national sample of teachers. American Educational Research Journal, 38 (4), 915–945.

Knight, J. (2014). What you learn … when you see yourself teach . Educational Leadership, 71 (8), 18–23.

Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2012). The adult learner (7th ed.). New York: Routledge.

  Todd Nesloney  is the lead learner and principal of Webb Elementary School in Navasota, Texas, best-selling education author, and international speaker.

ASCD is a community dedicated to educators' professional growth and well-being.

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Best foot forward: video observation toolkit.

This toolkit provides practical guidance for education practitioners on using video observations to help teachers accelerate their development. Inside you will find four sections to help you start video observations in your school community. Each section includes a discussion of important lessons from the Best Foot Forward project, a study of digital video in classroom observations, and adaptable tools for implementation.

See also: Teacher Effectiveness , Resource , Best Foot Forward Project , Practictioner Resource

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4 Creative ways students can use animated video to present their work

While there are plenty of different ways that students can present their work, results or learning, video has a number of key advantages that should make it your number one choice...

• Firstly, by creating the video students are learning new digital skills that are beneficial in education and beyond.
• Research has proven that we retain 15% more information from animated videos meaning your class will take more from them, boosting collective knowledge.
• Most importantly, you can watch them from anywhere! This is especially important during the current COVID-19 outbreak where presenting to a class in person just isn't possible. Students can still submit work and show off their knowledge remotely.

When it comes to how students present their work in videos, the options really are endless and it's an opportunity to get super creative. To inspire you, in today's blog we're sharing 4 student video presentation ideas and examples. 

Create a learning reflection video

Firstly, we had to mention this stand out video created by Colette Mazzola-Randles to reflect on learning from her PhD module. We love the design of this video that features visual metaphors and creative animations to reinforce each message.

Sharing information you've learned in a video is a really effective way to solidify that learning further as well as easily share the key points with others so they can benefit too.

Why not try this exercise as Colette has done at the end of a module or block of learning. Or even now during the COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity for students to reflect on how they've found the experience of remote learning.

Build a home learning video diary

With lots of students around the world currently learning from home, creating a diary of everything they've learned is a great project. Not only is this a fun activity to experiment with but it'll also help teachers understand what material has been covered and to what level. 

We have lots of video templates from scrapbooks to play pages in the VideoScribe library that make the perfect starting point for your first learning diary. Or for full freedom start with a blank page and add photos and text like the example above from students at Ysgol Ffordd school in Wales. 

Show off subject knowledge

To demonstrate a depth of subject knowledge, try creating a slightly longer video that in this case is built around a key word. This could be anything from art to cell structure! 

You can let imagery take center stage and add a voice-over on the top to talk through what's happening on screen. Or use a combination of graphics and text to bring your video together. 

This video template is available in the VideoScribe library and as with all our templates, simply start a free 7-day trial or log in to get your hands on it.

Explain an idea with video

Lastly, video is a particularly effective tool for explaining concepts and ideas. The combination of sound, movement and imagery makes communicating even the most complex ideas easy. 

With that in mind, if you're looking to explain everything from an idea to boost mental health during social isolation to how your university research will benefit the academic community then use video. 

Our explainer video collage template is designed to help you do just that! We've built the foundations ready for you to customize. Switch out the images or upload your own, edit the text and hit publish to share with your teacher, professor or class.

If you’re ready to get started making your own video, then  start a 7-day free trial of VideoScribe today , (no credit card required).

Have you created an educational video? We'd love to see it, comment below or tweet us @VideoScribeApp!

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COMM 234: Spring 2018

Digital culture.

Week #15: Video Essay Reflection

For this “penultimate” blog entry, please reflect on the biggest and final project of the semester–the video essay.  Use the following questions to get you started:

• What is your main point or thesis in the video essay?
• What strategies did you use to convince or persuade your viewers?
• What is the general tone or mood of your video?
• What do you believe is the most powerful part of your video?
• What part is least powerful?
• What challenges did you encounter in creating this project, and how did you overcome them?
• Have you carefully and sparingly used outside sources, citing them in MLA format where necessary?
• What did you learn about video production and the technical aspects of film-making and editing through this project?
• Have you enjoyed working on this project?

13 thoughts on “ Week #15: Video Essay Reflection ”

My main point of the video essay is to spread the word about the dangers of hacking and how it will be used in future wars and the damage it can bring. I would persuade by viewers by showing the video of some of the current problems companies and governments deal with. The general tone of my video is dignified of hacking because it is basically a documentary type video. I believe the most powerful part of my video is the portion talking about how cyberterrorism can be used to shut down major parts of our infrastructure. The least powerful part is goofier portion when I am talking about a scene in Live Free or Die Hard and showing a picture/video clip from the movie. Some of the challenges I encountered on the project was just creating the video itself and redoing multiple takes, over and over again. All the sources I have found, are all MLA cited and will be provided at the end of the video. I’ve learned about video production from previous technical classes in middle school, high school, and some friends over the years. This project was fun to work on, but I felt like it would have been a little bit better if we had started working on this project sooner.

The main point of my video project is show the effect Kim Kardashian (reality and social media star) has on social media bloggers and the lengths they’ll go to (plastic surgery to look like her) to create a successful “brand” by utilizing Instagram as their platform. I’ve used numerous pictures (before and after), of some of the girls, videos and text to show the comparison and how drastic they’ve gone to imitate Kardashian and although its borderline creepy, this has helped them gain followers on social media and create successful brands of their own. The most powerful part of the video will be the before and after photos of some of the Instagram girls because a few look identical to Kardashian, so much so that they look like clones, it’s disturbing. It’s also interesting that so many girls claim authenticity, yet they are going to extremes to look like someone else. I may also incorporate a slip screen at the end of my face one side completely bare and the other with full makeup and talk about how long it takes and how unrealistic this lifestyle. I think the least powerful part is using Kardashian as a segway to talk about the real issues. Most people don’t like Kardashian and I’m also not a fan but her social media presence is so strong and she has such an influence on people it was hard for me to ignore. I didn’t encounter any issues because I used imovie in a previous assignment so it was relatively easy. All pictures, videos and information are cited using MLA format.

The main point of my video shows the bad consequences of cyberbullying, appeal to people to pay more attention to cyberbully and the ways to stop it. I use a lot of reliable research sources, facts to show the audiences. These numbers improve the reliability of my video. And help to convince my audiences. In the first part of my video, the tone is sad. I create a sad story about the negative impacts of cyberbullying. The whole mood is quite negative. However, in the other half of the video, I give some tips on how to prevent and stop cyberbullying. So, the mood becomes invigorating. Encouraging people to fight with cyberbullying. The negative mood turns into positive. I think the whole video is quite powerful. The sad story I made can strike audiences’ mind. Also the scientific numbers and facts. The tips I give to the audiences are also very powerful. If I have to say the least powerful one…It might be the story part. The story brings up people’s emotion, but the numbers and tips are really helpful and powerful. The time is a big issue. There is not enough time for me to do this video, and this is my first time making a video. Putting the sound effects and narration into the video is a little difficult. Also, drawing all the pictures and cut them is really hard to do. I try my best to use all my free time on making this project. And I try out a lot of ways to put sounds into it. Finally, I just record my voice over the video. Now, I am still working on this video. I will put the citations at the end of the video. Film-editing is really interesting. It feels like a magic while I’m making them. From these projects, I learned how to cut away the parts I do not like. The way to put music and narration in. And I learned how to use applications like iMovie and Garageband. Yes, I enjoy the process of making this video. It feels so good to make the first video in my life.

My video essay is to spread awareness of the effects of inappropriate media on adolescents. To do this, I incorporate various forms of media and show how easily accessible it is to view this media. The topics I cover fall under internet, music, video games, and television. All of these have become a large part of everyday life for this age group.

The tone set is very concerned as this is the future of our culture with each generation. The most challenging aspect for this is that it’s a lot of information to get across in just 6 minutes so cutting and focusing the point within this time frame requires a lot of planning and skill. From this I learned video creating/editing can be very difficult especially without a full plan or well defined layout.

Knowing the audience and having a clear goal helps to focus the material of the video. It’s also a good idea to implement video tools such as picture in picture to add more to the video. This also helps with an appeal to the eye and requires the viewer to pay more attention.

My video covered the ways social media has affected politics. The tone was relaxed and meant to be as informal as possible. There wasn’t as much persuasion as there was relation of facts to the audience. Being that this technically was an essay, the content itself was more important, especially with this topic, than the presentation. Also, it’s difficult to make information like this using a video platform powerful. There was nothing that was more or less powerful as a result. The obvious challenge was how to make an essay entertaining. Some of the topic are about serious subjects, on which it’s not important to be entertaining. The source that I used was included at the end of the video. I tried to follow the MLA format but also wanted it to be informal and not sound like a robot. I personally dislike video production and editing. Considering we only had about 3 weeks to do this project combined with the timing of this assignment being at the end of the semester with final exams and projects looming, it didn’t lend itself to a lot of creativity. I personally didn’t like the assignment at all. I aspire to be a writer, not a filmmaker. If this was strictly an IST course, having an assignment like this would make more sense.

The main point in my video was to bring more awareness to piracy and files-haring, what is it and what are the affects of doing so. I tend to have fun when it comes to making a present like assignment whether it be a powerpoint or a video. Although in my case it’s a powerpoint presentation with some pictures and videos. The overall tone of my video tends to be light hearted and silly most of the time especially when it comes to talking about a serious topic like piracy because piracy is basically stealing with less consequences.

If I had to choose a particular strong point probably the simplicity of my video. It’s something I have been doing since high school because at an early age I have come to realize everyone would always do the same mundane presentation whether it be a powerpoint or just some poster board with their information. A lot of the things I put in my presentation are more for me and less for the view mainly because while presenting I know there are a lot of people who are not really paying attention and if some of the snarky comments and remarks I place in my video makes them laugh then maybe I can get them more interested in the subject being discussed. One of the main reasons why I feel people don’t tend to do their own research and knowledge seeking is because they find it tedious and boring, so if I can convey the information I have in a simple and fun way then that is how I am going to present it. Plus it’s fun knowing how much I can get away with without people noticing. Weak point of my video would also probably be the simplicity of my presentation. It’s a double edged sword. In a class room I feel like that my presentation would be fine, but in the real world presenting this to a board of directors would probably not be okay.

In terms of sources and citation, I just followed the usual format, I made a slide with all my sources in MLA format. In terms of film-making I didn’t really learn anything because I didn’t use a camera, but in production, things I found annoying about doing presentation still persists like finding credible sources and knowing what information to use so I stay concise and don’t use up too much time.

Overall since I can never take anything too seriously, I tend to have fun with these kinds of assignments.

My main point it to show viewers a new form of technology that is advancing today and could be the future and I show examples of how to use it and a demonstration of it being used. I used examples and tried to show all the possible ways you could use Apple Pay, what it is used for and how you use it as well as why it should be used The tone of my video is all meant to be convincing, and more importantly get apple users to set up Apple Pay to make purchases fast and efficient so you can make your purchase and be on your way. I wanted the tone to be laid back and have the viewers feel confident whenever they want to use Apple Pay they know it will be fast and easy from just holding up their phone screen to another screen in just a blink of an eye. The most powerful part of my video is showing how Apple Pay works, that is what my video is about and most powerful part because it is strictly showing you the new piece of technology or in other words, an app that may change your life in someway. The least powerful part would be setting up the Apple Pay, it does have a downside of only being for apple users so thats where I would say it is least powerful and not everyone can have that advantage unless you own something apple based. It was really challenging trying to create persuasive media without sounding like a commercial or I was trying to sell a product but more so sound persuasive at the same time while trying to tell about a product. My editing skills were okay, I had no problems working with iMovie, my camera was my phone so it was not the best quality. It was a little hard with my story board to make the video because for myself its easier to plan inside my head how I would want the video to look like. I over came them by thinking the video through and how the viewers would want to learn about something in a short video. I have used outside sources and cited them in MLA to give credit at the end of my video. I actually took TV in high school so I was familiar with how to use iMovie and the different types of shots so it was not at all hard for me to edit and make a video so it was pretty simple for myself. I did enjoy this project, I am a comm major so am I all about anything media and digital wise. I am strong about technology and love to edit things so I did enjoy this project a lot and was a change for me to get back to making a video and editing it to my best ability to show my desired content.

The main point of the video is to show the digital divide between America, China, India and Asia by focusing on the differences in the usage of social media, specifically Facebook because it is the most popular platform around the world.

I made the video a mix between a sketch and a documentary. The video uses word-of-mouth from students from the aforementioned countries to show what the public generally thinks about Facebook in other countries and accurate statistics to show where people often get misguided about the digital divide.

The general mood is very light. My intent is to be comedic to keep the audience engaged. My intent was to create a dramatic irony where a fake detective is trying to investigate the digital divide by ‘kidnapping’ Facebook. The irony is that if anything, Facebook promotes the decrease of digital divide somewhat unintentionally by being the most popular social media platform.

Well, if people don’t figure out the irony or understand the humor… then the entire video is… is weak. Figuring out how to fix the sound because most of the interviews for I shot were outdoors and it was difficult to work around all the outside noise. Also, trying to export the video to a decent quality is a current challenge. I think the video is good but it looks like it was made in the ‘80s… but worse.

I used a lot of sources to gather statistics. I admit, my research was done mostly after I had shot the video. I didn’t know how my interviewees would respond to the questions I posed but it turns out that the research I had in mind correlated with the responses. It was then a straight forward process to look for sources that backup my claim.

I learnt how to use Adobe Premiere CC Pro from scratch. Aside from just what different options did to my video, I learnt that video production takes a lot of time and attentiveness. Making a list of what you want really helps. Also, having your script/storyboard helps you make sense of the entire project… because editing makes you question the relevance of even important scenes. Just like the textbook said, use equipment that are familiar with. It was for that reason that I didn’t edit with iMovie because while iMovie is user-friendly, I’m a fan of apple products. Therefore, using Adobe Premiere on a Dell was easy for me to understand. Last thing… YouTube knows everything about everything, literally!

I love every second of working on this project. I forced me to meet people and actually notice my campus. Even the two all-nighters I pulled for this video were fun. I got to laugh at my own jokes; and most importantly, I figured out how to use Adobe Premiere Pro… like a Pro.

The main point of my video is to discuss net neutrality and its effects on both businesses and everyday consumers such as myself. To convince/persuade my viewers, I used a lot of informational data and points, while also showing the cause and effect associated with net neutrality. The general tone and mood of my video is more informational and analytical as to what net neutrality is and how it affects basically everyone.

I think the most powerful part of the video is when I discuss other countries that do not have legislation similar to net neutrality, thus showing what the US could become once the repeal begins to take place. On the other hand, I think the least powerful would be the beginning/intro since it is not as eye-catching (and convincing) as I initially had hoped it to be. One of the many challenges I encountered in creating this project was finding the right videos to support the points I was trying to make. To overcome this, I had to do a lot of research and searching for videos that would fit the script and storyboard I created. Another challenge was that of the time constraint since we only had a few weeks to complete the project, and creating good video does take quite a lot of time. I did use a number of outside sources which are also properly cited in MLA format.

The main thing I learned with the technicalitites of video production and editing is just how tedious it can be to edit videos, especially with cutting out footage that was not necessary at certain points. And overall I did enjoy working on this project since it allowed me to explore a topic I was not completely familiar with, while also letting me develop my video production and editing skills.

My video essay is chiefly intended as an introduction to the idea of social credit, and includes some specific examples, one in the realm of fiction, and one in the not too distant future, which should be a terrifying thought. I wasn’t really trying to convince or persuade them of anything, merely trying to present information. The general tone of my video starts out informative, and stays that way for most of the presentation.

The ending is probably the most powerful part, along with the part immediately preceding it, when I explain all the limitations and controls the Chinese government will be able to exercise over the Chinese people. Conversely, the least powerful part is the beginning, where I explain social media in a very basic sense. The biggest challenge I faced was something of a self-imposed one, in that I didn’t want to use iMovie to create this project, since I prefer to use my computer. I went through several pieces of software before I found one that was free, relatively easy to use, accepted common video formats, and didn’t include a watermark. I eventually succeeded with VSDC Free Video Editor. I only used two or three exterior sources, mostly for images and videos, which have been cited as properly as I know how to. The main thing I learned about video creation was how little I actually knew about video creation. The many intermediate steps between scripting and video production were fairly easy to figure out, but the process of completing them was more difficult that I initially anticipated. When I first saw the prompt asking if I enjoyed working on this project, I was fully prepared to say ‘no.’ That has changed. this project gave me a chance to try something new, which I was initially not thrilled about, but the opportunity to try new things in a scholastic environment is a welcome one.

Coming in a little late on this one, but I wanted to have the video complete and submitted before answering.

For my video, I decided to go for a more informative tone. My main point or goal was to educate my viewers on how digital currencies are penetrating society today. Instead of attepting to persuade my viewers to one side or the other, I decided to provide arguments from both sides of the fence and allow the viewers to come to their own conclusion. I think the most powerful point I make in the video is the discussion of the volatility and security of crypto coins as understanding this can be difficult for some. The least powerful argument I think I made is tne segment regarding the effect mining has on the consumer graphics card market, as this is simple supply and demand, and while annoying, is ultimately just how the free market works.

I faced two big challenges while creating this video. The first was the difficulty I faced when trying to decide on a topic for which I held a strong opinion on. I may be a pretty heavy gamer, but outside of that, I don’t spend much time concerning myself with the online culture. I use my facebook mostly for direct messaging between clients and friends, and I don’t use any other social media outlets like twitter or instagram. I thought about discussing how self righteous and pretentious people are in the online world, but I felt it would just end up just being me ranting about how much people online suck. So instead I decided to cover a topic that has roots in the digital world, but has effect on the real world.

The second challenge I faced came when actually trying to create the video. Ispent about 10-12 hours trying to shoot myself talking to the camera about my subject, taking a firm position against the adoption of cryptocurrency, but once I had it edited down and watched it back, I felt like it ended up being the same ranty garbage that I was trying to avoid in the first place. It didn’t feel professional, and it didn’t feel genuine, mostly because I don’t actually feel strongly against the idea of cryptocurrency use. I stand in a middle ground. I think it’s a great concept, but is inherently flawed in several ways that need to be rectified before I can fully support it. So that’s when I scrapped the entire thing and started from scratch, this time taking a more informative approach, leaving my personal feelings(along with my face) out of the discussion. What I ended up with was a much more professional looking and sounding product that I believe has real value for the uninformed viewers who may be looking for some basic and easy to understand explanations of this explosive new online trend.

When it came to information sources, I didn’t really need to do any research beforehan because most of my content was knowledge I already possessed through my own experimentation and discussion with other hardware enthusiasts regarding the subject of cryptocurrency and mining. So at the advice of Dr. Weisser, I sought out sources of articles and statistical charts after the fact to back up the statements I made in my video.

What i learned about film-making and editing is that I have a newfound respect for the guys who spend their days doing full time content creation for YouTube. Planning shots, getting proper lighting, doing takes over and over and over again. Making sure your performance and content are both equally engaging, and on top of all of that, editing gave me a new appreciation for these people who are on the hustle to put out videos every single day to keep their viewers watching and happy.

As far as having fun with the project, I feel that due to the type of video we needed to do, i.e. a research backed essay, a lot of the fun was taken out of it. I understand that part of the reasonfor this is that the project needs to be acedemic in some way, but I also feel that as a project for a class surrounding digital cultures, the options should have been more open. I feel the project should be to create a video that reflects some sort of digital culture, rather than searching for issues within it. I, for example, would have liked to create some sort of PC building guide, others may have created a funny cat video, or a Vlog about their opinions on a certain subject(without needing to back it up, because an opinion doesn’t need to be right). Just something that better reflects the things people generally watch on YouTube, focusing more on creating an online persona for ourselves as a content creator. This would turn the focus more on understanding and implementing the things we learned from reading the final book. For me, that would have been a lot more fun, yet still relevant to the focus of the course.

My main point for this video essay is to see the evolution of digital technology involving vehicles and how it affects us when driving and traveling. Some strategies that I used to persuade my viewers are facts and features that come with this technology and how they keep us connected with social media when we are on the road. I gave keep aspects of cell phones and the car that used to be limited to USB ports for charging and Bluetooth connections for calling and music, but the options today are much more plentiful. Products like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto allow motorists to use nearly all of their mobile’s functions from the driver’s seat, including messaging, music, podcasts, and a variety of applications completely hands-free. The mood of my video is neutral but appealing towards manufactures and industries. The most powerful part of my video is the integration of cell phone use, navigation, and wifi use within the car. Some challenges that I came across is how I’m I going to make something good and professional to my viewers. How am I going to structure it to keep people watching and what makes a video appealing towards others. All of these were answered while I was recording and reading. It was much simpler than I thought and it was like the snowball effect when all things fell into place, for the most part. For my outside sources, I put them in the format of MLA and cited them within my video. It seems hard at first but with the right software and equipment, it could be as simple as taking a picture. For the most part, I enjoyed this project and had a blast with it.

I did my video project on Virtual Reality. Because many people don’t know a whole lot about virtual reality I gave a long explanation as to what exactly virtual reality is and how it came to be. I think it is important for people to really know what it is since VR is kind of a niche topic. Although you cannot fully understand VR without trying it out I just tried to do a good job of explaining it. On top of this I tried to show the viewer that VR can be used for so much more other than video games. Medicine, architecture, and education are all fields that can benefit a lit from VR. I also tried to make the intro fun and conclude the video by speculating about the future of VR. I used a lot of videos from outside sources because especially for the history portion of the video I think it is much better to see exactly how the devices are used with video. I was not able to utilize the MLA format because most if not all of my sources were from YouTube and there are no authors clearly stated on these videos. I didn’t learn a lot about video production because I was already pretty knowledgable on the subject. Overall I enjoyed this project because making videos is something I enjoy doing.

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How to Make a Video Presentation With Audio in 8 Steps

Written by: Orana Velarde

Wondering how to make a video presentation with audio?

You're in the right place.

In this guide, we’ll cover the 8 steps to creating video presentations with voiceovers, pictures and music. We've also included tips for powerful presentations to help you get maximum results.

Here’s a short selection of 8 interactive presentation templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:

Jump to your desired section in the table of contents below.

8 Steps to Creating a Video Presentation

What is a video presentation, what makes a good video presentation, step #1: plan and strategize, step #2: organize your content, step #3: log in to visme and choose a template, step #4: input your content into the slides, step #5: add animations and transitions, step #6: add audio to your presentation, step #7: review and edit, step #8: download and share.

A video presentation is a presentation that can be shared and viewed as a video. Technically, for a presentation to be a video presentation, it must be an MP4 or MOV file type.

A video presentation can be shared online on YouTube, Vimeo and other social media platforms . The best part of a video presentation with audio is that you can share it widely without the need of being there to present the information in person.

Even a live presentation can be improved with a video slideshow. Simply give a live introduction during your webinar or summit, and then play your video presentation to the audience.

A video presentation becomes even more valuable and high-quality when you add audio to it. For example, adding a music clip or a narrated voiceover can do wonders to help you get your message across and leave a lasting impact.

Check out this "2021 Year in Review" video presentation we created at Visme.

Made with Visme Presentation Maker

Make your own video presentation in Visme! Create Now

A good video presentation will capture your audience’s attention until the very end.

When it comes to creating a video presentation, there is no definite checklist as to what constitutes a good video presentation. But there are some things you can do to make sure that yours is good enough to keep the viewer engaged.

For example:

• Think of your presentation as a video from the very beginning.
• Take the time to create an outline or storyboard of your slides.
• Make sure the information flows from one slide, or scene, to another.
• Preview your presentation as you put it together, making sure it flows well.
• Add animations and motion graphics only if they bring visual value.
• Stay balanced with animations and transitions throughout the scenes.
• Tell a story to improve content retention.

Using the tips above, you’re well on your way to creating a video presentation that is sure to make an impact.

Ready? Let’s get started with a step-by-step tutorial!

If you prefer watching over reading, here's a short video tutorial on how to create engaging presentations in Visme.

For any successful project to be a success, including your new video presentation, you must plan and strategize. You and your team need to know the purpose of the video presentation before you even start putting together content or visuals.

Because you need to know the reason, the why, behind the project. That way, the creation process will reflect those goals and take you in the right direction faster.

For example, if you want to create an explainer video about your new product line, do you want the goal to be brand awareness or sales, or both?

If it’s sales, then the messaging and visuals must be created for that purpose. If it’s awareness, then you can take a different approach at how to portray the new product line.

If you want both, then you can do a bit of both and tell a story about the product that explains how it’s made and how it will improve your customers' lives.

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• Transform your visual content with Visme’s easy-to-use content creation platform
• Produce beautiful, effective marketing content quickly even without an extensive design skillset
• Inspire your sales team to create their own content with branded templates for easy customization

Sign up. It’s free.

Questions to ask before you create a video presentation.

Here are the most important questions to ask yourself and your team before you create a video presentation:

• Why do you need a video presentation?
• Who will watch this video presentation and where?
• What are you planning to convey?
• What story are you telling?
• Who do you want to convince, of what?
• How would you like the audience to feel when seeing your video presentation?
• Will it be in-house and private or public for the world to see?
• How can your company or brand sound like an expert in the topic?
• Do you want the audience to engage when they are done watching?
• Do you need a voiceover or maybe a music track will be enough?
• Is it necessary to hire voice talent or maybe a presenter you can film?
• Will you need to write a video script or not?

Write down a list of goals for your video presentation and make sure they are on-hand during every step of the process. Use these goal-setting worksheets and templates to get started.

Every person involved in the creation of the video needs to know about the purpose, goal and plan at all times — from stakeholders and designers to content creators, marketers and social media managers.

Here's a sample plan template you can use to keep up with your project goals, target audience, tactics and more. Share it with your team to help everyone stay on the same page.

Customize this template and make it your own! Edit and Download

Now that your team is on board and you know the purpose of your video presentation, it’s time to get organized.

This is a step with more value than you can imagine. In fact, it should be an un-skippable step to every visual project you create, along with the first step of planning and strategizing.

Start by organizing all the content for the presentation into a folder on your desktop. Include all the graphics, photos, video clips, audio bites and any brand assets. Create a document with all the written content and make notes on what the audio will be.

• For a voiceover, draft a script.
• For music, choose the perfect track.

Altnertiavely you can work smarter by using AI voice generator for your voiceovers or use Visme AI writer to craft a script if you're pressed for time.

With the written content, draft a simple outline or storyboard. For a video presentation, in particular, you should try a storyboard.

This step is especially important if you have stakeholders invested in seeing the final product and want to see the process.

How to create a storyboard in Visme.

It's easy! Use one of the Visme storyboard templates to put one together.

Remember, storyboards don’t need to be too detailed. The purpose of making one is to give an idea of what will be created. Don’t invest too much time in trying to perfect it.

Here are some templates to get you started.

Microwave Lunch TVC Storyboard

Web Development Storyboard

Tree Plantation Program Storyboard

Real Estate Business Customer Journey Storyboard

Art Therapy Storyboard

Mobile App Pros and Cons Storyboard

Create your storyboard View more templates

It’ll be easier to create a storyboard once you’ve already created the outline. The slide layout for a video presentation is much like the layout of a regular presentation.

For example, here is a broad outline for a regular presentation with sections:

• Slide1: Title and Subtitle
• Slide 2: Introduction - Table of Contents
• Slides 3: Section 1 Title
• Slides 4-7: Section 1 content
• Slide 8: Section 2 Title
• Slide 9-11: Section 2 content
• Slide 12: Summary or Review
• Slide 13: Conclusion and Closing

If your presentation doesn’t have defined sections to separate the content in, choose a good flow from one slide to another . For example:

• Chronological Order
• Problem and Solution
• Before and After
• Hero’s Journey progression

Browse presentation templates in Visme! Create Now

Now that you have a good idea of the purpose of your video, an outline or even a storyboard, it’s time to put it all together.

Log in to your Visme account and select a starting point for your video presentation. This could be:

• One of the four presentation themes with hundreds of slides and layouts to mix and match.
• A full-scale pre-designed presentation template with animation effects.
• One of our animated video templates.
• A previously created and imported PowerPoint presentation.
• An existing Visme slideshow without animation, video or audio.

Use your outline or storyboard to set up your slide order in the editor. Make sure you have all the slides you need to fit your content.

Now, it’s time to add the content to your slides. If you are starting with a blank canvas, you can use content blocks to help you layout the content in balanced compositions.

When adding the content to your slides, remember that people don’t want to read slides on videos. Keep the text to a minimum and use more visuals instead.

If you’ll be using a voice over for the online video presentation, then you’ll need hardly any text on the slides apart from titles and section titles.

For complementary visuals like images and backgrounds, look through the library on the left side menu of your editor. It’s also likely that you have a selection of images from your company that you want to use in your slides. Upload them to your library.

Add some uniqueness to your images by placing them inside frames or cropping them to fit next to colored shapes and sections.

For backgrounds, you have lots of choices — from full colors to gradients to animated and video backgrounds. Try photographs with filters for a subtle background that doesn’t compete with the foreground elements.

You can also add videos inside your video presentation, either uploaded or with a link to YouTube, Vimeo or Wistia. We suggest you use short videos in this case so that your final project isn’t excessively long.

Do you know how to make a video presentation that is impactful and fun to watch?

Just add animations and moving elements!

Visme comes with built-in with the following animated assets:

• Animated icons
• Shapes and lines
• Animated illustrations
• Animated characters
• Special effects
• Animated gestures
• Animated charts and data widgets

It’s time to bring it all to life and go from regular static presentation to video presentation.

At this point, you might already have some animated elements in your slides, maybe some animated icons or animated characters. Before you go ahead and animate anything else, review all the transitions between slides.

It’s important to understand that the animated elements, embedded or background videos, and audio you use must all match the transition between slides.

This is the magic sauce for transforming a normal presentation into a video presentation.

Let’s look at all the animation and transition options in your Visme dashboard and how you can use them to your advantage.

Animated characters, icons, illustrations and special effects.

All these elements have options to select the number of repetitions of their action and the speed. The higher number of repetitions you choose, the longer it will take to finish its action. The speed will make the action faster or slower. You can toggle both to find the perfect combination.

The completed action of any of these animated elements will override a timed transition. The transition will wait until the animation is finished to go ahead and start. You can adjust the final length of your animated elements by previewing your slide and taking note of its length.

Additionally, you can customize the poses that the characters portray and also the color of their clothes and skin. These deep customization options will help you stay on brand when creating your video presentations.

Stock videos and video backgrounds.

Videos you add from the editor or import from your computer have the option to trim to a desired length, loop or autoplay.

Alternatively, use video as a background. Stretch it to fit the entire slide and position it behind all the other content. The edit settings are the same as a regular video.

Visme offers a large selection of quality video clips to use as backgrounds or as complementary visuals. it's also easy to upload your own video to the library.

Animated backgrounds.

These loop on their own and are ruled by the transition settings. Animated backgrounds stand out so make sure you are keeping a balance with the elements in the foreground.

Manual animations.

Animations can be added to everything on your slide, including the videos and animated icons. You can tweak the settings to control when elements enter and exit the slide.

There are lots of options for these animations and you can time them using the animation settings. Try to keep animations on the same slide to a minimum so they're not distracting.

Smooth transitions.

Transitions can be added slide by slide or to the entire presentation at once. If you don’t go into the transitions menu at all, Visme will apply a staggered enter from the side that already looks great for presentations that you have to click on to continue to the next slide.

For video presentations, you’ll need to edit your transitions to happen automatically according to what is going on in your slide.

In general, you can make the transition happen after a specific number of seconds but if you have an animated element or audio clip that lasts longer, the transition won’t happen until the longest one has finished its action.

For slides with added video, make the transition happen either when the video ends or at a calculated time after the video has ended. Both are available options in the transition settings.

Transitions can be set in different styles, slide from the side top or bottom, or a simple fade or zoom. For a balanced composition, use the same style of transition throughout.

But if you want to get creative, use different transitions to design a more creative flow. Just make sure you don’t go overboard.

In the section above, we already talked a little about how audio works together with the transitions for a seamless video experience.

Now, let’s take a look at how to add audio inside Visme.

As you work on your video presentation, you might feel the need to work on animations, transitions and audio at the same time so that it all fits together in the best way possible.

To add audio to your presentation in Visme, you have several options:

Adding audio in the background.

Adding audio to each slide., tweaking the audio inside video clips., adding a voice over or narration..

To add a background sound clip, click on the top-left hamburger menu and select “Publish Settings”. This is where you can tweak your project's main settings. Click on the third tab "Sound."

Toggle background music on to release a dropdown that shows the options inside the editor or any .mp3 file you’ve added to your library.

Adjust the volume of this clip and choose if it will loop, fade in or fade out. You can also choose if the background audio will play at a specific point in time.

Any background audio will play under all other audio or video you add to the presentation. So make sure these are balanced and make sense together.

Inside the editor, you have the option of adding individual audio clips to each slide.

Choose from any inside the editor or upload your own. You’ll have the option to trim the length of the audio, its volume and if it loops or fades in and out.

Similar to the background audio, you can choose to start at a specific time during that slide’s progression.

When you add a video file that has audio in it, you can choose to keep the audio or turn it off. The option is inside the video settings in the “muted” tab.

You can add voiceovers to your video presentation in three different ways;

• A track in the background
• An imported clip to each slide
• Recorded over every slide using the Visme voiceover recording feature

Whichever you choose, remember to calculate all the play lengths along with the transitions so that everything flows well.

Now it’s time to review everything and make sure it’s perfect.

First up, do some proofreading of your text to fix any typos or grammatical issues. Make sure all the text is in the correct font and size to stay on brand and maintain a visual hierarchy.

Use the Present button and watch the entire video presentation from start to finish. Take notes along the way of things you notice that need a fix or edit.

If you want to see what the final project will look like to your audience, download a video version and watch it on your video player. Once again, take note of any necessary edits.

You’re done! That was easy, wasn’t it?

It’s time to share your video presentation with its intended audience. Click on the download button and select the MP4 file option.

If your video is especially long or full of features, it will take a bit longer to download. We’ll send you an email when it’s ready so you don’t have to watch the progress bar.

Go get a coffee or take a break for a job well done!

Once downloaded, upload your video to YouTube, Facebook or any of your favorite social media platforms.

If you created the video as part of a larger Visme project, upload it back into your editor. Use your video as part of an interactive report, or for your website, landing pages or email campaigns.

Ready to Create Your Video Presentation with Audio?

Are you ready to create your video presentation with audio? Visme offers all you need to create professional-looking video presentations with audio for any purpose and industry.

With plenty of ready-made presentation templates , you don't need video editing experience. And, since Visme is a web-based app, it doesn't matter if you use a Mac or PC computer.

Video presentations with audio are great for projects like:

• Annual reports
• Explainer videos
• Sales pitches
• E-learning courses
• Pitch decks
• Informational reports
• Advertising
• Explanations
• School reports
• Medical reports

If you’re still doubting if you know how to make a video presentation, just remember to follow the steps in this guide and use the tips in the first section to guide you through the process.

Don’t forget that the ultimate goal for your video presentation with audio is to leave a powerful, lasting impact on your audience.

Sign up for our presentation software and get started right away. Make simple video presentations or rich, interactive and memorable video presentations with audio, animations, characters, links, embedded content and other exclusive features.

Create beautiful presentations faster with Visme.

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Self Reflection on 1st Presentation

Self-Critique of my first presentation                                             Presenter: Drilona Aliu

Description of Experience 

Since I was the last one to present in class, I had the advantage of seeing everyone else presenting and catching on their strategies. It seemed that all the previous presenters were very comfortable on presenting and they rarely showed any sign on nervousness. Usually, I am able to control my nervousness by giving a “talk” to myself and I imagine myself as the subject matter expert. By having these positive thoughts in my mind, I am able to control nervousness that may be created as a result of the fear of talking in front of people and sharing something very personal such as part of my childhood.

The most challenging aspect of this presentation was creating a meaningful story through an effective framework that would transmit my emotions as a child and my journey to learn English. I find it very challenging when I have a lot to share but do not know how to properly deliver my message in a logical order. While watching the DVD, I was able to identify that this challenge was evident although I tried to hide it as I was speaking. The most surprising aspect of my speech was that I used a lot of facial expressions. This might have always been the case but because I never watched myself presenting I have not been able to identify this habit. I could have done better in certain areas such as volume and speech rate, but I believe that I gave a good overall impression.

I believe that my first speech was effective and kept the audience interested. There is more room to improve upon the introduction and conclusion such as engaging the audience in my opening question: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Such questions are always a good way to start the speech as it keeps the audience interested. I also think that due to time management constraints, I could have done a better job on the conclusion such as ending my speech how this journey affected the path I chose in life. This would “justify” how English has played a role in my life and how he has influenced my personal and professional growth.

I believe that my delivery was generally clear and organized;  however, while watching the DVD I noticed that I need to work more on the speech flow and find effective ways to engage the audience. My posture and eye contact were good but I definitely need to work on my speech rate, such as making more pauses so the audience is able to “digest” the information provided and not feel overwhelmed with the amount of the information at a fast pace. I also think I “overdid” my hand gestures and this is something that I need to improve. Being from the Balkan region, it is part of our culture to excessively use hands when we talk. We are very expressive that way and that may be distracting for many people in the audience. There is also room for eliminating fillers such as um as I tend to use them quite a bit, especially in the beginning of my speech.

Overall, I believe that I have many strengths such as the ability to speak without feeling overwhelmed or very nervous,  to quickly think and avoid mistakes without getting frustrated (mistakes are for human beings), and to deliver my speech with  effective voice projection and eye contact. The main areas for improvement would be to engage the audience as they may relate more to my speech, use fewer facial and hand gestures, speak at a slower pace and make appropriate pauses, and use fewer fillers throughout the speech.

As a result, my goals to improve in public speaking are:

• Effectively organize and clearly deliver my main points. Each main point should be backed up with effective supporting points and examples to make it more illustrative for the audience. The steps I would take to improve on this goal are to develop  a detailed speech outline and rehearse it several times while timing itso I do not run out of time.
• Improve my speech rate. I tend to talk too fast and make very few or short pauses. It is my goal to improve my speaking pace so the audience will be able to follow it better. This can be achieved through multiple rehearsals and ability to select only worthy arguments (quantity vs quality).
• Last but not least is hand gesture control. Watching myself on the DVD made me realize that I use my hands a lot when I speak and sometimes that can be distracting for the audience. I need to work on using my hand gestures appropriately and a way to improve that is through recording myself every time I deliver a speech and reviewing it as that is something I do unconsciously.

There are many other things to improve and I am confident that I will be able to incorporate these changes in my next presentation!

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Best Practices for Recording Instructional Videos

In the ever-evolving landscape of higher education, instructional videos have become powerful tools for engaging students and enhancing learning experiences. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a curious novice, the journey of creating impactful videos can be both exhilarating and daunting. Fear not! With the right blend of technology, pedagogy, and creativity, you can transform your teaching and leave a lasting impression on your students .

The Ohio State University offers video recording tools, production methods, and additional resources for educators seeking further exploration. This guide explores these options and the basic steps for creating effective instructional videos from start to finish, including: 

• Preparation and recording
• Trimming and editing
• Captioning and sharing

This guide also outlines various types of videos that can be created for your course, such as course intros, instructor bios, weekly announcement videos and feedback, online lectures, and more. Finally, you’ll learn to personalize videos and practice effective communication while recording.

Options for creating instructional videos 

Below are three basic options for creating instructional videos, organized from the simplest to the most complex. Consider which option will work best for meeting your students’ needs and fulfilling your instructional goals and objectives. You should also consider what constraints might impact the option you select. 

Slideshow with audio

Combining audio and video communication channels can be a great way to engage students and improve their learning experience. This  has the lowest entry barrier as the university  provides Microsoft 365 and screen recording technology . You may already have presentation slides you've used before, so all you need to do is capture a screen recording of your slides while delivering your presentation verbally. 

Slideshow with instructor video

This option incorporates both a video recording of you and a screen recording of your slides. Your visual presence adds a personal touch, enhancing online instructor presence and increasing student engagement. Additionally, students benefit from seeing your facial expressions and gestures as you deliver the content.

Multimedia lecture or presentation

This engaging video type involves a higher level of planning and preparation but offers numerous benefits to your students. Well-produced demonstrations and visual representations can increase student understanding of important or complex concepts. Additionally, students tend to enjoy learning opportunities that deviate from the usual format, which can increase their engagement in course material.

Multimedia videos enable you to provide:   

• Demonstrations   
• Illustrations   
• Dynamic graphic information   
• Animations  

Putting the extra time and effort into developing media-rich presentations can be the highlight of a course for both you and your students—something they will remember long after taking your class.   

Advanced technology and equipment, such as lightboards or virtual whiteboards , can be used to develop multimedia videos. Ohio State provides access to lightboards and recording studios at the Denney Digital Union .  

Learn more about virtual whiteboarding tools:   

• Zoom whiteboard    
• Denney Digital Union Lightboard  

Different types of instructional videos  

Your course videos can serve a wide variety of purposes, including introductions, personalized feedback, routine updates, and class-wide lectures. Think flexibly and creatively as you produce instructional multimedia, selecting content that best aligns with your instructional goals and objectives. 

Outlined below are some common types of instructional videos that you might consider including in your online courses.   

In a course intro video, provide students with an overview of the course and share with them what to expect in the course:   

• Explain how they’ll be able to apply what they learn in the course in the “real world.”   
• Tell them about how your background and research interests intersect with the course topic and materials.   
• Consider answering the following questions: What makes you excited about teaching this course? What does learning look like?   

Even though you’ll want to share some information about assessments and assignments, you don’t want to get too specific to avoid updating the video every semester.   

Your instructor bio video helps students get to know you. In addition to telling students about your impressive academic biography/career, this video is an ideal place to explain your teaching style, what gets you excited about teaching, and even how you got into teaching in the first place. Keep this video focused on you in general so that you can use it in all the online courses you teach (and even in some in-person ones too!).  

Flower Darby’s book, Small Teaching Online , suggests enhancing your online instructor presence with short, informal videos for various purposes, such as weekly announcements or addressing common student questions. She recommends using the learning management system (LMS) video recording feature to send announcements or quick messages to students.   

If you’re receiving repetitive emails from students, consider a video announcement to address common questions. If themes have emerged on the week’s discussion board that you’d like to highlight for the whole class, consider making a video announcement where you respond to the discussion board. This can replace individual responses on the discussion board. These videos don’t need to be polished or heavily produced; authenticity is key. Don’t worry about minor mistakes; just pause and resume. This approach helps students see you as a person.  

In addition to weekly video announcements, Speedgrader in CarmenCanvas allows you to record your feedback . Research shows students appreciate audio and video feedback more than written feedback because it feels more personal and often includes more explanation and suggestions for improvement (Darby and Lang, 2019; Voelkel and Mello, 2014). You’ll be able to produce, on average, 34 words per minute when recording your spoken feedback compared to only 4 words per minute writing your feedback (Voelkel and Mello, 2014). While the time it takes to use the recording technology may take longer, you will produce more robust feedback for your students, improving their experience in your course.  

Online lectures are an effective and immediate way to share your knowledge and expertise with students. You can record, upload, and share lectures regularly to deliver the same kind of didactic instruction commonly found in traditional face-to-face classrooms. Online lectures can be used to set weekly objectives, review module-level learning materials, share professional insights, or introduce upcoming activities and assignments. Additionally, these videos can initiate important conversations about course content that can be further explored in other parts of the LMS such as discussion boards, reflection activities, and synchronous meeting spaces.   

In short, these videos can be as dynamic and multifunctional as their intended purpose. Use them to transmit knowledge, ask critical questions, and prompt a wide-ranging conversation with your students. Don’t presume that the conversation initiated by these videos must remain didactic or unidirectional. On the contrary, online lectures can prompt students to begin their own critical inquiries and intellectual discoveries.   

Recording online lectures requires significant upfront planning, especially compared to the relative ease and spontaneity of producing weekly video announcements. You should treat the online lecture as you would an in-person lecture and plan accordingly. Regardless of how much preparation you pour into the production of these lectures, you should adopt a conversational tone when speaking to your students. Avoid reading directly from the slides or a script as it can make your delivery seem robotic and disengaging. Research suggests that speaking to your students in a cordial, informal, and conversational manner can bolster their engagement and help you build a stronger rapport with them (Darby, Mayer). 

To keep your students engaged, break up the lecture into smaller, more manageable sections, and only use visual aids that directly relate to the course content (Darby). Effective lecture videos should be clear, concise, and thoughtfully constructed, designed in a way that fosters engagement while avoiding the ever-present threat of cognitive overload (Darby). In sum, plan, structure, and deliver your lecture in a manner suitable for online delivery, adopting a presentation style that will leverage its medium to maintain and maximize student engagement (Guo).  

While you can record videos in whichever tool you choose, to maintain accessibility and sidestep Carmen’s limited storage capacity , you should host lectures on the university-supported media platform, Mediasite . Using Mediasit e to host your lectures will also give you access to numerous features that can help you gauge and increase student engagement including viewing analytic s , captions , chapter stops , and quiz questions .  

Expert interviews and panel discussions offer convenient methods for including outside perspectives in your course. By recording these structured conversations with scholars, experts, and professionals within the field, you can expand the breadth, scope, and depth of understanding of a particular course topic. 

These videos can also introduce students to a diverse and multidisciplinary array of perspectives, enriching and enhancing their learning experience. From an inclusive teaching standpoint, expert interviews can help promote, recenter, and highlight marginalized perspectives that might not be adequately represented in preexisting course materials.

For lessons that benefit from a larger, more robust cross-section of voices, you might consider recording a panel discussion with a group of peers and experts. These can take the form of structured conversations, debates, or case-based “thought experiments.”   

When teaching students complex tasks or processes that require more hands-on instruction, use demonstration videos to show them step-by-step instructions. These videos can be used to demonstrate the best methods for initiating and completing tasks that students might have difficulty understanding through traditional teaching methods. These videos can illustrate skills that will help students progress in the class or tasks that they will be assigned in their chosen professions. For computer-based tasks and processes like using learning management systems (LMS), third-party platforms, or other software, use screen-share videos with full narration to guide students through each phase of the process. For more physical or hands-on tasks such as lab work or using equipment specific to the field, record yourself performing each stage of the process and narrating your progress.  

Recording virtual tours can be a great way to guide students through on- and off-campus spaces that are directly related to their course content or future professions. Think of these as the online equivalent of in-person “field trips,” with the instructor taking on the role of tour guide. To make the tours engaging and informative, they should be well-structured, curated, and narrated by either the instructor or a guest speaker. You can record with a professional camera or in a stripped-down, DIY fashion using your computer or phone.  

Choosing tools for recording your video  

There is no one tool or process for creating instructional videos. When considering the right tool for creating your video, think about your comfort level, knowledge, and expertise using available resources and technologies . Additionally, consider the overall purpose of your instructional content and what you’d like to accomplish or include in your video. Some tools are easier to use and master, while others offer more options, higher-quality recordings, and greater flexibility. 

Below are three options for recording video content that many instructors find useful and attainable.  

• CarmenZoom  

Most instructors have become familiar with CarmenZoom , so it's often a first choice for recording simple instructional videos. This is one of the easier, more versatile options for producing video content. Simply start a meeting with yourself and select Record .  

There are numerous ways to approach your Zoom video lectures, including:  

• Direct address : If you wish to record a direct first-person address to your students, select  Record  from the bottom toolbar and record yourself speaking directly to students.   
• Slideshow lectures : If you wish to record narration with a slideshow lecture, select Share Screen.    
• Whiteboard lectures : If you wish to record a Zoom whiteboard lecture, from the bottom toolbar select Share Screen and click  Whiteboard .    

However you approach your video in Zoom, you will need to select a recording option by clicking the More drop-down list of options. We recommend the Record to the Cloud option. This option allows you to record and store your video directly into the Zoom cloud and  automatically transcribe cloud recordings . Zoom cloud recordings are automatically deleted after 120 days . The recording can be downloaded, then uploaded to Mediasite for long-term storage, and shared with your students. 

Learn more about recording videos in CarmenZoom .    

• PowerPoint  

Instructional videos can be recorded in PowerPoint, either with or without an accompanying video of you delivering the presentation. This method is the lowest barrier to entry and offers a surprising number of options. You can record your entire slide deck in one go or record each slide individually. Once exported to an .mp4 file, you'll have a polished recording. Because Carmen has a limited storage capacity , we recommend hosting your video on the university-supported media platform, Mediasite .  

Learn more about recording in PowerPoint .

Mediasite Mosiac   

Mediasite Mosaic is a simple tool that allows you to record your desktop’s display, webcam, and microphone to create engaging lecture content. This tool may take more time to master than CarmenZoom or PowerPoint, but it allows for greater versatility and higher quality. You can easily upload lectures to Mediasite manually or create an auto-upload that will seamlessly link any Zoom recordings to your Mediasite account. Once uploaded to Mediasite, you can trim your recordings and utilize the robust backend features of Mediasite including analytics , polls and Q&A, and quizzes .

Learn more about Mediasite Mosaic.      

Planning and creating your video  

Producing an instructional video involves several steps. Preparation tasks typically account for about half of the total production time. The actual recording takes about one-third of the total time. The remainder involves post-production tasks such as tweaking the recorded video, adding captions, uploading it, and sharing it with your students.    

Before you record  

Preparation is essential to creating quality instructional videos. The following recommendations will help ensure you are equipped to record your lecture.    

First and foremost, you need a quality outline, script, or storyboard for each lecture recording. Keep your learning outcomes at the forefront as you decide what you will and won't include in your video. Ideally, a video is short (6-9 minutes) and focused on a specific learning outcome. Research shows that as videos get longer than six minutes, student engagement drops off significantly (Brame, 2015). Therefore, it is a good idea to break down longer lectures into smaller chunks to maintain students' interest as they progress through the course content. A brief video can be followed by knowledge checks, reflection questions, discussion, or other activities that engage students and monitor their understanding. You can also embed these engagement opportunities within your video, as explained below. 

Preparing engaging slides, and ensuring they are accessible , is a crucial step in prerecording.    

Keep the following suggestions in mind as you make your slides:   

• Simple and concise . Don’t overcrowd slides with text. Use keywords or phrases, expanding on each item verbally in your lecture. Organize ideas using bulleted or numbered lists.   
• Media-rich. As they say, sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Incorporate a variety of media to convey your message. Including relevant photos, graphs, charts, audio, and video will add interest and variety and make your video more engaging for students.   
• Accessible to all learners. Use a design template that incorporates white space and has a high-contrast background and font color. Always use the built-in slide layouts in the template for titles and content; this ensures that screen readers will read each slide's elements in a logical order. Learn more about making PowerPoint slides accessible . 

You might be surprised to learn that expensive equipment does not necessarily translate into a quality instructional video. More important is the placement of the microphone and cameras, and, if the lecture includes a video of you, the lighting. Before recording a lecture, test your setup to ensure you have quality sound without any distracting audio feedback. Also, make sure the camera is positioned close enough to capture your facial expressions and pay attention to the background of your video. If there are any distractions or personal items that you don't want to be seen, you can reposition the camera or use a background filter.  

Lastly, make sure your lighting doesn't cast harsh shadows on your face; it should be neither too dark nor too bright. Even minor adjustments in lighting can greatly impact the effectiveness of your video.  

Recording tips  

Keep in mind the recording best practices outlined below to make your instructional videos clear and engaging. 

As noted above, best practices suggest that instructional videos should be no more than 6-9 minutes in length and focused on a manageable amount of content to reduce cognitive overload (Mayer & Moreno, 2003). If you have "nice to know" content or additional examples you'd like to share that aren't integral to your learning outcome(s), consider including this information in a supplemental reading or video.  

Begin each instructional video by providing an explicit agenda for your students, noting the importance of the topic as well as the video's scope and organization. Clearly call out your introduction, transitions, and conclusion. Throughout the recording, use your normal speaking pace as if students are present. Research shows that it's important to vary your vocal and facial expressions and maintain eye contact more than you typically might to heighten student engagement throughout the instructional video (Guo et al., 2014).   

Online learners do not have the benefit of asking questions in real-time when they don't understand a concept. Additionally, it can be difficult to gauge whether or not students are comprehending the material without visual cues. To address this, you should include comprehension or knowledge checks at the end of a video or module. Comprehension checks can include:    

• Low-stakes quiz questions   
• Answering questions about a case or scenario   
• Completing a worksheet on a specific topic   

To help students test their comprehension during the video, reflection questions or example quiz questions can be built into the slide deck.  

Editing your video  

Even the most seasoned can find it challenging to record a video without making any mistakes or experiencing moments of silence. Recording instructional videos – even casual or unscripted videos – requires a considerable amount of precision and patience. Therefore, it's natural to encounter mistakes, such as stutters, misstatements, blown takes, and long pauses. Attempting to record a video in one continuous, perfect take is virtually impossible.   

If you come across some minor errors while creating your instructional content that does not significantly affect the learning experience, it is okay to leave them in the final product. Though such mistakes may appear obvious or distracting to you, students usually don't notice or care. On the contrary, what we consider “errors” might help humanize you and make your instructional content more engaging ( Darby; Guo et al.).    

However, if you believe these mistakes will detract from the overall learning experience, you may want to consider using one of the tools outlined below to edit your video. These tools not only allow you to correct mistakes but also offer basic editing features that can enhance the overall quality of your instructional content, including the following:  

• Cutting and trimming: Trim out some of the “dead air” at the beginning or end of the recording or cut out any “bad takes” that might have occurred during your recording session.   
• Splitting clips: Split long clips or videos into smaller, more discreet segments, exerting better control over the pacing and flow of your material.  
• Adding visual elements: Incorporate visuals like slides, images, or intertitles to further inform or clarify your argument. Please make sure that any elements used in your video directly align with the content.   
• Controlling audio and video quality: Edit and refine your video and audio, using tools such as noise reduction, equalization, and visual enhancements to make your recordings clearer, bolder, and more polished.   

Editing tools

There are several tools you can use to edit your video. Here are some of our recommendations:  

CarmenZoom has limited editing power but does allow you to trim added space that might be at the beginning or conclusion of your video. As mentioned before, Zoom cloud recordings are automatically deleted after 120 days , so be sure to upload your cloud recordings to Mediasite for long-term storage. 

Learn more about editing Zoom cloud recordings .

Recording your video in PowerPoint also gives you access to the program’s integrated video editing features. These provide a convenient, user-friendly method for trimming, cutting, or formatting your video directly within the presentation software. After recording, you can easily:  

• Trim out unwanted content  
• Remove audio clips  
• Rearrange your slides  
• Resize the video itself  

You can also delete your audio recordings on individual slides and re-record it. PowerPoint also allows for the insertion of annotations, captions, and transitions. This streamlined process simplifies video editing, making it accessible even to those without an extensive background in video editing.  

Learn more about editing in PowerPoint.

Uploading your video to Mediasite gives you access to the platform’s integrated web editor . The web editor provides a wide range of editing options, granting you the opportunity to fully customize your video in an accessible, user-friendly fashion including:   

• Easily trim out segments from the beginning, middle, or end of your video  
• Add transitions (fades to black, cross dissolves, etc.) to make edits less noticeable or distracting  
• Break videos down into briefer, more manageable segments by adding chapter stops or chunking them down into a linear sequence of shorter videos  
• Edit preexisting slides, cut them out, or add new ones  

Unlike other third-party editing software, Mediasite allows you to edit your video as many times as you would like without re-uploading the entire video multiple times. This is another great and easy-to-master option for those without an extensive background in video editing.  

Learn more about using Mediasite’s web editor .  

Adobe Express includes basic video editing tools and the features of Premiere Rush . Using the video tools in Express allows you to trim, merge, crop, resize, and convert to other file formats. Express is available for free to all Ohio State faculty, staff, and students. 

For more advanced features, you can also consider Premiere Pro , available via a Creative Cloud license. Premiere Pro provides a wider selection of tools for conducting post-production work on the video and audio itself. It is perhaps the most versatile and advanced tool available to you but also comes with a steep learning curve. For this reason, you should only consider this option if you have already mastered the basics and want a more dynamic and advanced tool for editing your videos.    

Learn more about Adobe options.

Captioning your video  

In compliance with the Ohio State Digital Accessibility Policy  and  Minimum Web Accessibility Standards , all instructional videos must provide captioning for those with an auditory disability. Adding captions will benefit all your students, including those for whom English is a second language, those new to your discipline and its terminology, and those who may simply be watching your lecture in a crowded or loud environment.   

Below are recommendations for adding captions by tool: 

Zoom automatically creates transcripts for your cloud recordings . Transcriptions are downloadable in . vtt format and can create closed captions when uploaded to Mediasite along with your Zoom recording.

Learn more about uploading your CarmenZoom recording and transcriptions to Mediasite .  

PowerPoint does not provide closed captioning of recorded videos. One method of adding closed captioning is to upload your video to YouTube, which will add closed captioning to your video within 24 hours. 

Learn more about adding captions using YouTube .    

By hosting your video on Mediasite, Ohio State's supported option for storing and sharing instructional videos, you can upload caption files to videos. Additionally, Mediasite is ad-free and offers additional analytic and interactivity options for your instructional videos.

Learn more about captioning your Mediasite presentation .  

Uploading and sharing your video  

Once you’ve finished recording, editing, and captioning your video, it is time to complete the final steps of this process: uploading and sharing your video with students. Videos should be uploaded to a streaming platform rather than into Carmen itself as videos are quite large and can quickly max out your storage quota . The easiest, most secure, and most accessible option for storing your instructional videos is Mediasite, Ohio State’s supported platform for storing and sharing multimedia content.   

If you used Mediasite to record and edit your video, the recording itself should already be available on the platform. However, if you opt to record your video via PowerPoint, CarmenZoom , or another tool, you will need to export or download the finished video as an .mp4 file and upload it to Mediasite. There are many resources available for doing this in CarmenZoom and PowerPoint .  

After uploading a video to Medasite , you can share the video with students. Videos should be embedded into a Carmen page via the Mediasite integration in the rich content editor. To maximize accessibility and ensure easy access, you should share each video via a clickable embed with a direct link included somewhere on the page.     

Learn more about adding Mediasite presentations to Carmen .   

Course Introduction Video

Instructional videos play a pivotal role in engaging students and enhancing learning experiences in online courses. You can create various types of videos for your course, such as:  

• Course intros and instructor bios  
• Weekly announcement videos and feedback  
• Online lectures   
• Expert interviews and panel discussions  
• Demonstrations and virtual tours  

Whether you have years of experience or are just starting out, the process of making videos that have a significant impact can be exciting yet nerve-wracking. With the right preparation including technology, teaching techniques, and creative skills, you can transform your teaching style and make a lasting impression on your students.  

Explore university technology tools that can be used to create, edit, store, and share course videos including:   

• Mediasite  
• Adobe Express and Premiere Pro  

Review recommendations for preparation, recording tips, and post-recording tasks including trimming, editing, and adding captions to ensure accessibility for all students.   

• Recording Lecture Videos: Best practices and tools workshop recording
• Mediasite Mosaic article
• Record lectures in CarmenZoom article
• Using PowerPoint to record lecture videos help article
• Question list for instructor bios and course intros
• OTDI recommended video equipment article
• Digital Union: Recording studio updates video

Learning Opportunities

Brame, C.J. (2015). Effective educational videos .  http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/effective-educational-videos/  

Darby, F., & Lang, J.M. (2019). Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes . Jossey-Bass. 

Guo, P.J., Kim, J., & Rubin, R. (2014, March).  How video production affects student engagement: An empirical study of MOOC videos  [Paper Presentation]. L@S ’14: Proceedings of the first ACM conference on Learning @ scale conference, Atlanta, Georgia,  http://up.csail.mit.edu/other-pubs/las2014-pguo-engagement.pdf  

Mayer, R.E. & Moreno, R. (2003). Nine ways to reduce cognitive load in multimedia learning.  Educational Psychologist , 38 (1), 43-52.  https://www.uky.edu/~gmswan3/544/9_ways_to_reduce_CL.pdf  

Voelkel, S., & Mello, L.V. (2014). Audio Feedback — Better Feedback? Bioscience Education , 22 (1), 16-30. https://doi.org/10.11120/beej.2014.00022   

Related Teaching Topics

Online instructor presence, understanding learning technologies at ohio state, integrating technology into your course, related toolsets, carmencanvas, search for resources.

Michaelkhan's Blog

• Reflection on presentation

As I look back on my presentation and the preparation that when into it I am amazed by the amount I’ve leaned from this one small exercise. This was my first proper presentation in a long time therefore I didn’t have much practice presenting in the last few years and had to do a lot of work preparing for it. Although there was a lot of work in preparing for this exercise, improvements can always be made.

Before I started this exercise I really didn’t know the amount of work that would go into a presentation. I thought I could put together a presentation in 20 minutes and look over it once and be ready to present it. I now know that this isn’t realistic if you want to make a good presentation. My slide show alone took nearly an hour to decide what was going to go into it and make it. I then had to look over it and look into things I was going to say during each slide as the slides contained only small bullet points that needed to be further explained. Usually a lot more time would have to go into researching the topic of the presentation as I was very familiar with the topic and only had to research some small parts concerning the history of the sport and a how big the NFL is in the world.

In the rest of this reflection I am going to write reflecting on different parts of my presentation and how I could have done it better and improve it for the next time.

I definitely found that to make a presentation on a topic the presenter must have an interest and a great knowledge of the topic. I didn’t think this was a problem with my presentation as we were allowed to make the presentation on any topic we wished so I could pick a topic I was very interested and had a good knowledge of. For future presentations I believe more research must go into the topic if I am not so familiar with it.

I also found that if visual aid is going to be used for the presentation, like a power point presentation a lot of work has to go into developing and making sure that the visual aid isn’t the whole presentation and that you have other notes to help with it. It is also important that if visual aid is going to be used you make sure that it will work at the time of the presentation. I didn’t think this was a big problem with my presentation as I tried to have more things to say than just what was on the slides and after witnessing a power point presentation that didn’t work on the computer I made sure to test mine before the presentation to make sure that everything was working fine.

I found that structure of the presentation is very important so that the audience can follow it and understand the presentation. I had a problem with this in my presentation. My presentation was poorly structured and therefore hard to follow.  For future presentations I will try to pick a structure that will suit my topic.

Finding what information is relevant to a presentation is key so that you make sure that you present all important parts of the topic and don’t make it tedious for the addressees. I had a small problem with this in my presentation. I expanded too much into the structures of the NFL and left out key information about the rules and pitch markings and sizes. For future presentations I will try to make the information in the presentation more relevant to the audience.

Nervousness is a major problem for many people during public speaking. I was a bit nervous during my presentation and I thought that it may have resulted in me leaving out parts of what I was going to say. I think that nervousness is a problem that can only be solved with experience and every presentation I believe that I will get better at dealing with it.

The delivery of the presentation is crucial for its success.  The delivery of my presentation could have been better.  My voice could have been louder and more variant. I think the solution to this problem is to practice more when getting ready for the presentation.

I would like to thank my fellow classmates and lecturer for the feedback I was given for this presentation which helped me write this reflection and improve my presenting skills.

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17 fun presentation ideas (with video!) to wow your audience

• 30 Mar 2023

So you want to be the next Steve Jobs. Or Martin Luther King. Or any other dazzling orator you look up to. But you need a little something to add to your presentation ideas – you don’t want to bore people to death with Powerpoint.

Whether you’re creating a sales presentation, an event presentation, or just showing your travel video to Uncle Ron, we’ve compiled some of the best ways to get your audience seriously hyped up about your message.

Biteable offers online video presentation software, so we know a thing or two about making engaging presentation videos. In this guide, we share some of our favorite video presentation inspiration and show you some of the different types of presentations you might consider.

When you’re ready to make your own video presentation, head over to  Biteable  for hundreds of brandable templates, video scenes, and workplace-ready animations. With Biteable, making a video presentation is as easy as making a PowerPoint – only a whole lot more fun.

Create videos that drive action

Activate your audience with impactful, on-brand videos. Create them simply and collaboratively with Biteable.

Types of video presentations

If you’re looking to win over your audience with a presentation, videos are the best way to do it. According to Insivia, viewers retain  95% of a message  when they see it in a video, but only 10% if they have to read on-screen text.

When you’re making your presentation, you could either make your video the whole presentation, or just a part of the whole. Did you know, for example, that you can  embed a video in a Powerpoint document?  Either is possible with our video templates and it can be interesting to mix things up once in a while.

There are four main types of presentations:

• Informative
• Demonstrative
• Inspirational

Picking the right one will ensure you’re onto a winner with your video presentation. For example, if you’re onboarding some new employees, you might choose a video template that’s an informative presentation like this one:

Or, if you want to show off how something works, a demonstration presentation might be what you want to create:

A persuasive presentation would involve creating a video more like this charity infographic example:

And if you want something a little more inspirational, try something like this positive quote video template.

But that’s not all, folks! If you’d like to check out more awesome Biteable video templates, visit our  templates page here .

Creative (and fun!) video presentation ideas

You’ve now picked the type of presentation you need. But how do you get creative with your video?

First of all, it’s important your video is top-notch. Without high-quality graphics and production value, your message may fall by the wayside. Choose online  video presentation software  that’s easy to use and makes great-looking videos. That’s where Biteable comes in.

Whatever the topic of your presentation, your video format and design need to match the overall tone and message.

Delivering a corporate presentation on climate change? A fast-paced, wildly colorful template with upbeat music is going to feel a little off-message.

To identify how to design your presentation, think about the feelings you want to evoke in your audience. Want them to be crying with laughter? Moved to tears? Motivated into taking action? Pinpointing the emotions behind your presentation will help you choose the right template and make the best video possible.

17 great video presentation ideas

Now you’ve nailed down the type of video presentation you want to make, it’s time to master the finer details. Here’s just some of the ways you can make your message sing.

1. Start with a bold statement

A bold statement can capture your audience’s attention right from the get-go. Your statement should offer something slightly unusual and maybe even a little controversial. Something to make people sit up and take notice.

2. Tell a story

One of the best ways to get your audience’s attention is to tell a story – it’ll hit them right in the feels.

A personal, human story works because it the audience can relate to it on a personal level. Think about some stand-out examples of human stories that relate to your business or idea, and tell that story so people will connect with the central character. The bigger the emotion the better: love, longing, overcoming obstacles, things we’ve all had to deal with at some point in our lives.

Think about the  ‘story arc’  – how will you frame your message so the audience immediately empathizes?

If you’re selling trainers, perhaps you’ll talk about someone who’s training for a marathon. If you’re lobbying for women’s rights, perhaps you’ll tell a story of when a passing comment affected you deeply. Maybe you should think back to the decision that started your business, and start your presentation with that.

Here’s a great example of storytelling from one of the world’s top brands:

3. Use music

Music has great power to support and enhance the emotion in a video presentation, and has been proven to sustain an audience’s attention and aid in information retention. Music is used in movies to suggest an emotional state to the viewer, so why not in a video presentation?

Modern, up-tempo music will snap people to attention at the right moment, while slow, minor-key sounds relax the brain, which is useful for reviewing content so it can slip more easily into long-term memory.

It can be a struggle to find good quality  royalty free music , but here at Biteable we have a selection of great royalty free tracks (or you can upload your own if you’re that way inclined).

Music is one of the most critical (and often overlooked) aspects of any presentation. Here’s a good example of a Biteable template where the music does a great job of supporting the message.

4. Visual metaphor

Research has shown that combining pictures and text is one of the best ways to help people engage with and retain information. There’s something about how our brain works that makes text by itself far less memorable, so if you can combine something visual with your message, you’ll keep people’s attention longer and they’ll remember more of your presentation.

Talking to a group of people about taking action on something that scares them? A picture of someone diving or bungee jumping could work. Telling your boss how important that company retreat is next year? Show them an image of happy, relaxed people with their toes in the sand.

It doesn’t have to be obvious and clichéd, either. Closed doors, wide open roads, and lighting a candle all have subconscious messages that you don’t really need to explain. (Whatever you do, just don’t use the ultimate cliche: the overused  ‘water ripple’ .)

5. Use questions

Questions can be a great way to open a presentation, because they encourage the audience to think for themselves. It opens them up to a realm of critical thinking, which is perfect when you’re gonna sock it to them with your impactful message.

‘Did you know 15 billion trees are cut down each year?’

‘Have you ever considered what life would be like if you didn’t have to save money?’

The art of asking questions in a presentation means you can incorporate them into your video as a great lead-in. Combined with some appropriate music, it can really get your audience thinking about the issue, and then you’ll go on to explain exactly what your solution is.

Having a laugh can really do a lot to win over an audience. There’s no need to be too serious, and even if you’re dealing with a heavy topic, lightening the mood can work wonders.

Whether you’re looking to create a funny sales video, an event presentation, or a presentation for an interview — one thing’s for sure, you can’t go wrong by including humor.

7. Repetition

Simple. Effective. Powerful.

Repetition can be used in several ways: by offering several one-word sentences in a row (the repetition is in the rhythm), or by repeating a word or a key phrase several time throughout your presentation.

In his famous Stanford speech in 2005, for example, Steve Jobs concluded by saying  “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”

Repetition is powerful. It drives home your key message and strengthens your position.

8. Motion Graphics

Motion graphics  are basically animation with text as a major component, and is a staple of what we do at Biteable.

When you use moving graphics in a presentation, it instantly captures attention. If your audience is just taking their seats, or are halfway through hearing your story, there’s no doubt they’ll sit up and take notice if you introduce some cool motion graphics, like this Meeting Tips example.

Although they can sometimes feel clichéd, quotes are a great way to impart a message in a presentation. Want your audience to understand something complex? A quote from Einstein should do it. Or would you like to say something meaningful and poetic? A couple of lines of Shakespeare should convey some wisdom.

10. Audio narration

Narration can give a different mood to your presentation, especially if the voice is powerful and the words are heartfelt. Use it to change the tone or pace of your presentation and it will certainly keep your audience hooked if there’s a danger of them losing interest.

11. Go bright with color

Color can have a huge effect on how your video comes across. Don’t be afraid to experiment. The contrasts of black and white can be extremely effective, but you can also grab people’s attention with some carefully-chosen primary and secondary colors, like in our Motion Graphics template.

12. Use illustrations

Illustrations are a great way to communicate information, especially if you’ve got lots to say. Whether you want to create a crowd of people or a cool depiction of some new fancy gadget, illustrations can draw the eye and make your presentation more interesting.

13. Infographics

When you utilize infographics, you can pack in a huge amount of data and information without confusing your audience. Think pie charts, digital numbers, and ascending animated graphs. These can show your audience boring data in an exciting way.

14. Create interesting transitions

The one advantage of video over a standard presentation is that you can do all types of funky things with transitions, like a whip pan transition, when the camera quickly pans between scenes. It’s a bit like a wipe, but much faster. Check out our full article on transitions  here .

15. Make it look cinematic

Adding a cinematic touch can help your audience feel receptive to your message because subconsciously, they will associate these elements with being at the cinema, eating popcorn, and generally having a good time.

16. Go retro

A cool, retro look for your presentation will make it hard to ignore. By going retro, you add a little bit of cheeky style to your message. You don’t need to go  quite as retro as the template below, but taking a step back in time is a sure way to add a little bit of zing to things.

17. End on a meaningful note

Your presentation will only give your audience a lasting impression if you end it right.

It’s important to let the audience know what you want them to do next: to visit a website for more information, to ponder an idea or new direction, or to take action toward a particular goal.

An attention-grabbing visual will work really well here, along with a meaningful end to the music – a change of pace, volume, or pitch.

What’s the takeaway message? A strong CTA (call to action) will ensure your presentation is memorable and much more likely to be talked about.

Video brings your presentation alive

Of course, we’re a little biased here at Biteable, but we’ve also sat through enough mind-numbingly dull presentations to know that video offers a delightful treat for your audience. It brings your message to life in a way no other medium can.

Ready to start crafting your presentation? Check out our range of templates  here .

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Teaching Entrepreneurship

Experiences teach skills..

Video Assignments: More Reflection (and Less Grading)

March 1, 2021 doan winkel comments 0 comment.

Quizzes have no place in an entrepreneurship class. Video assignments do!

Entrepreneurship is about developing a mindset and a set of skills ; quizzes cannot assess either of those. Instead, the recommended tools for assessing entrepreneurship students are reflective assignments .

Of course, quizzes are faster to grade than traditional written reflections, so quizzes are still common. Fortunately, there’s a better way. There’s a way for students to quickly reflect on the experiences they’ve had in class, multiple times throughout the course, that will take you minutes , not hours to grade.

Structured video reflections : a fast, and rigorous way to assess entrepreneurship students.

Video Reflections Take Less Time

Traditional written reflections take a long time to grade because they require you to read lengthy responses from every student in your class, and then grade what you’ve read.

Video reflections take less of your time because:

• Students are required to keep them short . Typically 1 – 3 minutes
• You can play them back at double-speed
• You can grade while you’re watching

You can literally…

Grade video reflections in 30 – 90 seconds .

Example Reflection Video & Rubric

Enter your teaching email address below to see:

• A sample video reflection
• Rubric for grading one
• Demo of what it looks like to grade in your LMS
• Keys for successful video reflections

The Experiential Entrepreneurship Curriculum we produce uses video reflections extensively to help students document the evolution of their business models . For example, in the first iteration of their business model canvas, they hypothesize their:

• Customer segment
• Value proposition and

They also demonstrate how they developed those hypotheses, and reflect on why they are important entrepreneurial steps to take. Below is a sample video reflection submission.

Demo of Grading in Canvas

Below you can see how efficient it is to grade a submission in Canvas. With just a few clicks you are already providing feedback, both quantitative and qualitative. Our professors appreciate how quickly they can digest and assess students’ work. Students appreciate getting feedback quickly, so they can move forward before they lose momentum.

Tips for Successful Reflection Videos

Video reflections will save you a lot of time in the long run, but they require some prep work upfront:

Provide a lot of structure .

You’ll want to tell students exactly the questions you want them to answer in their reflections, and how much time you’d recommend they spend answering each question. Here’s an example of some of the guidance we give to ExEC students on the submission above:

• “You have a time limit of 2 minutes for this video presentation.
• About  15 seconds  to summarize your  Customer Segment  and  Problem (i.e. Value Proposition)  hypotheses.
• About  45 seconds  (or less) to describe how you believe your  Early Adopters  behave and the  Channels  where you assume you can find them. You can present using this mental model:

“I think our Early Adopters  (describe their behaviors) , and as a result, I should be able to see them  (describe their Externally Observable Behaviors) , so I assume I can find and interview them  (describe your channels). ”

• About  30 seconds  to share your thoughts and  learnings  about the entrepreneurial steps you’ve taken so far.
• About  30 seconds to explain why an entrepreneur would/should take the following steps.”

Provide examples .

Your students likely won’t have done this kind of assignment before so you’ll want to show them an example video of precisely what they should be shooting for.

Teach them how to use Loom .

Loom is an amazing tool, a Google Chrome extension that is super simple to use. Thousands of ExEC students have used it on Mac and PC to present their process, and hundreds of faculty use it to quickly provide feedback to those students (because it allows you to play videos back at double speed!). Loom offers an expanded educational version that allows for longer feedback videos for those times when you want to go really deep with your feedback.

Keep them short .

As mentioned before, you want to keep them short (1 – 3 minutes). Short videos require students to practice presenting concisely (an extremely important skill for entrepreneurs), and it means you’ll spend less time grading.

Create an objective rubric .

Allow students to share additional materials.

When students submit a video reflection, they should include a link to any written work that provides more details on their experiences. For instance, as they are iterating on their business model canvas, they provide a link to slides of their multiple canvases in addition to their video link.

Video Reflection Bonuses

In addition to the time savings, there are several added benefits to using video reflections:

• Students generally prefer them . Students naturally consume and create video content and we often get comments from students asking why they can’t do this in all of their classes. Offering them the opportunity to explain their process by talking to their phone will result in happier (i.e., more engaged) students.
• Students get to practice speaking concisely . Communicating efficiently is an incredibly important skill, no matter whether students become entrepreneurs or not. These 1 -3 minute videos help students develop more effective communication skills.
• Students can’t get a “free-ride” on video assignments . Students share quiz questions and written assignments can be “inspired” by other students, but it’s nearly impossible for a student to fake their way through a video recording. Just the act of speaking their reflections out loud helps them internalize their experiences and lesson learned along the way.

Want Faster Assessment Next Semester?

If you’re interested in using video reflections without having to design them yourself, check out the Experiential Entrepreneurship Curriculum .

Students complete a set of video reflections through the ExEC exercises, each of which has a detailed rubric and can be easily integrated into your LMS.

What’s Next?

In upcoming posts, we will share tips for a better pitch class, and how to own a class if/when you inherit one!

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