Guidelines for Writing Successful Business Video Presentations
- Preproduction and Video Treatment Development

Successful presentations directly create a bridge between your client’s purpose and the audience’s motivation. As writers and producers, we search for ideas to help us make that match. We find those ideas–by asking the right questions.

Communications and training presentations support a problem-solving process initiated by our clients. Our challenge is to relate our client’s goal to the needs and desires of the audience. While our clients focus on how the goal benefits the organization, our focus is how it benefits the audience. There must always be a benefit for the audience.

Audience expectations

What does an audience want from a corporate or educational video presentation? Learning theory tells us:

·People learn what they need and want to know right now.

·They are most interested in information and skills that give them greater control over their life experience.

·They see themselves as experts in their own lives and want to be treated as such.
Responding to audience expectations

As video professionals, we need to support these needs and desires, build on them and never diminish them. We satisfy the audience’s needs in the following ways:

·The presentation neither over nor underwhelms by presenting too much or too little information.

·The information is immediately usable.

·The pacing allows the audience to feel they have control over the experience by going neither too fast nor too slow.

·The format or creative treatment engages their imagination in ways that allow them to identify with the problem presented and see themselves taking control and succeeding at the solution.

The video environment provides an opportunity for the audience to reevaluate and adjust their viewpoint, and try out new behaviors. They rehearse new behaviors and skills in their mind’s eye. By the end of the presentation, they decide whether change is worth the risk.

Waiting for answers

Screenwriter Syd Field says, “Writing is the process of asking the right questions then waiting for the answers.” This also is an excellent description of the preproduction process. During its early stages, we focus on left brain, logical analysis concerning our client’s goal and the audience’s motivation. In the later stages, we begin the right brain work of trying out various treatment ideas–ways we can use the medium to convey our message. The essential questions are:

·What creative vehicle will work best? Do we need drama, parody, comedy, documentary, an interview or panel discussion?
·What’s the right answer, how can we determine that answer–and then be sure of our professional recommendation?

Visualization and the creative concept

We now look for answers. It’s time to visualize. Go to your imagination and become a member of the audience. Block out the censors and critics, and delight yourself with images, sounds and music.

·What do you want to see, hear and feel?

·What interests you?

·What would move you from complacency and comfort to risking something new?

Allow time for images and ideas to come to you. Never reject an idea. And don’t miss those bits and pieces of ideas that present themselves as vague, ill-formed, or too avant-garde. Welcome them. Let them grow and identify themselves.

Reexamine your ideas in light of your client’s goal, the audience’s motivation, the budget and resources). Look for the best fit and select your creative concept.

Structure

Now you have one more consideration–structure. Surprisingly, our audiences don’t care as much about creative concept as they do about structure. Their perceptions are carefully developed by commercial television and Hollywood films.

Their first perception concerns “seat time.” Seat time refers to the amount of time the audience is willing to sit before taking a break. They are conditioned by commercial television to 10-minute (or less) segments separated by commercial breaks.

The second perception concerns storytelling. Hollywood films (and other forms of storytelling) influence audiences to expect a journey. They hope for a structure built on a series of twists and turns that leads to a new awareness where significant problems are resolved. This doesn’t mean structure depends on character-based stories. It does mean we need to structure even a straightforward presentation of information according to the principles of good storytelling. Information is always meted out in ways that build, pique, and then satisfy our audience’s interest.

The treatment

Finally, it’s time to write the video treatment. This includes your goal and audience analysis, and the structured creative concept.

Every successful treatment solution is unique. It results from the time, thought and care you put into asking the right questions then waiting, searching, and being available to the right answers. It begins with a solid relationship with your client and ends with a solid relationship with your audience.

The treatment now is your vehicle for communicating with the client and the guide for developing a successful presentation.

Whether you are using whiteboard to get new ideas, run office brainstorms or give client pitches, one thing is certain. Poor presentation skills will cost you A LOT of money.

Presenting with a whiteboard is the fast and easy way to dramatically improve your ideas, process and results. Use this simple step-by-step whiteboard workout to boost your skills to a new level.

Step 1. Use A Storyboard To Plan For Impact
Organize the creative and logical flow of your story for your whiteboard presentation. A storyboard is a frame-by-frame blueprint of the sequence of ideas, as well as the details of each part of your presentation.

Benefit: Feel confident in front of a big group! Just imagine. You won’t have to wrack your brain trying to figure out what to do next.

Step 2. Write And Draw Your Ideas
Instead of being a ‘text-only’ presenter, use pictures and words to stimulate fresh ideas and innovative thinking. If you are hopeless at drawing, don’t worry. There are now easy reference guides teaching you exactly how to look like a pro, using a marker. One of the most valuable resources is a video tutorial showing how to draw on flipcharts and whiteboards.

Hint: Simple drawings have a high impact on flipcharts and whiteboards.

Benefit: You will connect with any audience. According to academic research from Stanford and Wharton, 60% of people are visual learners. Plus, kinesthetic learners account for an additional 25%. People with this learning style prefer to see the big picture before they take action.

Now, do the math. That’s 85% of the population that prefers to see information visually. With pictures and words, you’ll connect precisely with how 85% of participants learn – and make decisions.

Step 3. Connect With Hot Issues
The best presentations have a strong emotional connection with issues, problems and concerns of your audience. Do the extra legwork to find out what’s really top of mind for your participants. Informational interviews, informal conversations, and research are your best bets.

Benefit: Your audience listens. Instead of looking out at a sea of glazed stares, people are more likely to sit on the edge of their seats

Step 4. Write, Draw and Move
Naturally, you must stand in front of a traditional whiteboard or dry- erase board. It’s essential to write and draw. This means your back is briefly to the audience. While most presentation experts warn you: “Never turn your back to the audience,” it’s impossible at a whiteboard.

The solution: write, draw and move out of the way. Stay light on your feet. Step to the side so people can see what is on the board.

Benefit: Your audience sees what the story as it develops. Rather than staring at your backside, they watch an organic flow of words, pictures and story.

Step 5. Ignite Interaction
Get your audience involved. Ask questions and record answers. Use the whiteboard to promote, encourage and invite interaction.

While interactive whiteboards use electronic features to encourage interaction, you can achieve great results using a standard dry-erase board. Interaction is an attitude and commitment. As your comfort grows in guiding and facilitating interaction, your whiteboard presentations will be much more lively – and effective.

Benefit: Your audience participates. This is exactly why you’re using a whiteboard in the first place.

Step 6. Focus on Specific Action
Plan your entire whiteboard presentation to inspire, motivate and create a magnetic call to action. While this is true in every business presentation, with whiteboard presentations specific selling instructions are easier to deliver.

For instance, write the call to action. Draw icons to represent the benefits of action. Focus arrows on the action. Define the value of taking action in dollars, time and effort.

Benefit: Selling with whiteboard presentations inspires action. Your confused, overworked and stressed-out clients and prospects know exactly what to do.

Bottom line: Stop losing money with poor presentation skills. With the right whiteboard selling skills, you’ll win results. In fact, you’re most likely to be unstoppable.