Video is the communication of information
How do we receive information and learn in the 2020s? Think about the kinds of media, platforms and sources we access our news and information from. Video is an increasingly popular way to share and source information. Video is itself a form of communication, and a very effective one at that.
We consume video in so many ways and on many platforms.
- Vlogs and blogs
- GIFs
- Video shared on social media sites: TikTok, X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram
- Streaming platforms: Netflix, Stan, YouTube
- Websites
- Online news outlets.
With people consuming over 100 million hours of video per day on Facebook1, how can you create a video that will rise above the noise and get noticed?
The challenge of getting good information noticed
We are inundated with information daily. The problem we face is not a lack of information, but rather how to find the information we need: information that is reliable and valuable for our purposes.
With the flood of video content already out there, how do you create content that will get noticed?
The goal of these resources is to help you produce video content that is targeted and has a greater chance of finding its audience. Video doesn’t need to replace any of the kinds of communication you already produce, but video can be a complementary communication tool for sharing your knowledge.
Videos of you build rapport
When you shoot and share videos of yourself presenting to camera, this builds rapport with your audience. When we watch someone on video – even if we don’t know them – we get a sense of who they are. We see their mannerisms, hear the way they speak, and get an idea of what they would be like to meet in person. By producing such videos, people who don’t yet know you will start to feel that they are getting to know you. This effect is known as the parasocial effect2 — where we develop a one-sided “relationship” with a person we see in media.
Why video is an effective communication tool
Video is unique. It engages us through both sight and sound, it can be used to tell a story, and it’s easy to create, access and share. Storytelling itself is an age-old technique that we humans have used very successfully, and according to author and historian Yuval Noah Harari, our success as a species is largely thanks to our ability to tell stories3.
Visual communication can be a very effective way to break down and explain complex information, which is another reason why video is such an effective communication tool. For example, a process can be explained with a diagram, and that diagram can appear in a video to help the audience understand the process. Complex information can be difficult to communicate with words alone.
By conveying information visually, video can cross language and other barriers, too.
Video is therefore a powerful tool for sharing information and spreading knowledge. By learning practical skills to produce your own quality videos, you will be better equipped to use this power to spread your knowledge with more people.