Create Interactive Videos with These Storyline 360 Features
Videos are a commonly used learning tool in e-learning because they easily demonstrate how to do physical or web-based tasks. Since Articulate 360 Content Library gives you access to thousands of videos, it’s never been easier to find the one you need for your e-learning project. Here’s the best part: Storyline 360 makes it super-easy to take your videos a step further and make them interactive using a few key features. Let's take a closer look. Cue Points Cue points are useful when it comes to creating interactive videos in Storyline. They are bookmarks you can place anywhere on the timeline to trigger events. Cue points are useful when it comes to creating interactive videos because they can be used to pause the video at certain points on the timeline. Here’s an example of an interactive video that uses cue points to pause the video at key moments to display a question the learner must answer. Medical Training: Interactive Video|Download Learn more about cue points: Get to Know Storyline Cue Points How to Work with Cue Points Layers Layers are another powerful feature e-learning designers frequently use to create interactive video. You can use layers to display additional information appearing on the screen while the video is playing or when it’s paused. Here’s an example of an interactive video that uses layers to display additional pop-up information for each step of the process. Barista Training: Interactive Video|Download Learn more about layers and how to use them: Storyline 360 and Storyline 3: Understanding States, Layers, and Triggers Storyline 360: Working with Layers Hotspots Hotspots allow you to create a clickable area on the screen. They can be used on top of videos to encourage learners to click on parts of the scene. Here’s an example of an interactive video that uses clickable hotspots to display additional information about this piece of heavy equipment. Heavy Equipment Training: Interactive Video|Download Learn more here: Working with Hotspots in Storyline 360 In Sum Hopefully these features and examples get you thinking about ways you can turn your video into something more engaging and interactive. What features do you use to create interactive videos? Let me know in the comments below! Want to try something you learned here, but don’t have Articulate 360? Start a free 30-day trial, and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.Top Tips for Using Text-to-Speech (TTS) in Storyline 360
Adding voiceover to your courses can help bring content to life and make your e-learning materials more engaging. In an ideal world, we could all use professional, high-quality, natural-voice talent. But let’s face it: sometimes that’s unrealistic, in which case you’re going to find Text-to-Speech (TTS) to be a really helpful feature for adding some oomph to your courses. Even if you’re using professional narration, TTS is useful during the up-front storyboarding, to help you nail down the final script and to allow stakeholders to get a better feel for the final content. Another benefit: TTS can make your courses more accessible if you use it to provide audio information for low- or non-sighted learners. There are quite a few advantages to using TTS for your narration. Got changes to your script? Need to tweak a word or term used throughout your audio? With TTS, there’s no need to re-record. Simply pop into the text window to makes script changes. With a few clicks, you’ve updated the audio. Translation is also quick and easy with TTS, because you won’t need to record audio in multiple languages. It’s as simple as copying over the translated text, assigning a voice for that language, and clicking Insert. Writing for TTS voices does come with its own challenges: TTS voices don’t have intonation or tone, and they always pronounce words the same way. Let’s look at some tips you can follow to improve your script and make sure your TTS audio sounds as good as possible. Don’t use abbreviations Spell out words to make sure they're pronounced correctly. Double-check spelling The TTS voice will read the script text exactly as it is written, errors and all, so make sure to double-check your script for spelling mistakes and typos. Adjust the spelling If a correctly spelled word isn't pronounced the way you want, try spelling it phonetically or adding hyphens between syllables. For example, Articulate vs. Articu-late. Use punctuation Make sure to use a generous amount of periods and commas. TTS writing tends to use commas for “breathing room” and clarity. If you would pause momentarily while speaking, insert a comma. If you need longer pauses, convert your text to speech, then open the clip in the built-in audio editor and insert silence where it's needed. Preview audio clips One of the most important things you can do is preview each and every audio clip. Listen carefully to how each one sounds. You might then want to make some tweaks to get a specific sound. These are a few simple tips you can follow to make sure your audio sounds great. Want to learn more about TTS and see examples? Have a look at these resources and articles: 3 Examples That Showcase Text-to-Speech in E-Learning Add Polished Narration to Your Courses with the Text-to-Speech Feature in Storyline Storyline 360: Converting Text to Speech Do you have any tips of your own that you use to improve your TTS? Let me know in the comments below. Want to try something you learned here, but don’t have Articulate 360? Start a free 30-day trial, and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.Follow These 5 Steps to Record Your Screen in Storyline 360
One of the great things about the screen recording feature in Storyline 360 is that you can use it to simulate real-life tasks inside different systems and software apps. It’s a robust feature with lots of customization options and great capabilities—and it’s super easy and intuitive to use! Let’s walk through how to get started. 1.Launch the Recorder You have a few options to launch the screen recorder. One is to start a new project by picking Record Screen. Another option is to go to the Home tab, click New Slide, and select Record Screen: Finally, you can select Record Screen from the Slides tab: It doesn’t matter which way you do it. It just comes down to personal preference. 2. Set the Recording Dimensions When the recording tool launches, start by setting the dimensions for your screen recording. You have two options: 1. Choose a pre-set dimension from the drop-down list. This is helpful because it’s easy to match the size of the course you’re creating and also helps ensure consistency across multiple screen recordings. 2. Adjust the window size using the sizing handles. Not sure what size you should use for recording? Check out this article for some tips on recording high-resolution screencasts. 3. Choose Your Recording Options Next to the “recording size” drop-down menu, you’ll notice a gear icon. Click this to adjust the settings—like which microphone (for voiceover audio) you want to record. In the Screen Recording window, you’ll also find another cool feature, called Move New Windows into Recording Area. If you plan to switch between apps or windows during your recording, be sure to check this option. This allows you to show multiple windows during your screen recording instead of just one. 4. Record Your Process Once you’ve specified your dimensions and settings, you’re ready to record your screen! Just click the red Record button, wait for the countdown, and then go through the steps you want to record. When you’re done, hit the Escape key on your keyboard or click Done in the recording bar. If you make a mistake and want to start over, click the trash can icon. 5. Choose Your Insert Option After you record your screencast and are ready to include it in your course, it’s time to decide how you want learners to experience it. In Storyline 360 there are four different ways to include your screencast. You can: Insert it as a video demonstration for your learners using View mode. Let your learners practice what you’re teaching them by inserting the screencast using Try mode. Check your learners’ knowledge on the material by inserting the screencast using Test mode. Finally, you can insert the screencast as a video. The first three options break your screencast out into multiple different slides automatically, making it easier to add information to your course, whereas the fourth option allows you to add your screencast as a video to just a single slide. Once you’ve inserted your recording, you can add any information or multimedia you want, just like you can on any other type of slide. For example, you might want to add some contextual information to help learners understand why and when they’ll need to use the features you’re showing on the screen. Wrap-Up And that’s all there is to it! Recording your screen in Storyline 360 is super easy. And once you’ve recorded, it’s easy to customize the recording so it fits your learners’ needs. Want to learn more about creating software training? Check out the articles below. Follow This Process to Create Software Simulations and Systems Training Like a Pro The Difference Between Screencasts and Software Simulations Storyline 360: Inserting Screen Recordings Why Use Storyline for Software Simulations? A Useful Technique for Recording High-Resolution Screencasts in Storyline 360 How to Decide Which Articulate 360 App to Use for Screen Recording Have any Storyline 360 recorder tips of your own? Feel free to share in the comments section below! And, of course, if you have any questions, be sure to leave those there as well. Want to create your own screen recording, but don’t have Articulate 360? Start a free30-day trial, and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning.4 Easy Steps for Creating a How-To Video in Storyline
Am I the only one loving the trend of quick how-to videos in social media feeds? You probably know the ones I’m talking about, like the drool-worthy recipe videos from Tasty, and the brilliant little gems from Tip Hero. In fact, here's one of my favorites from Tip Hero: What’s so great about these videos is not only do I get the occasional new recipe to try out with my family but I find tons of instructional design inspiration. That’s because most of them last less than 90 seconds and are 100 percent performance-oriented. They focus on just what you need to know to solve a single problem or perform a solo task—and that makes them the perfect example of microlearning in action. Short in length, they’re easy to absorb and fun to watch. And because they’re usually just video (no spoken audio) you can watch them anywhere and get the gist of what you need to do. You might be thinking, Great idea, but how do I make these when I’m no video-editing pro? I thought the same thing—until I realized I could use Articulate Storylineto create my own how-to project inspired by videos like the ones shared by Tip Hero and Tasty.Here's my project: View this Storyline 360 project in action View the originalStoryline 2 version of this project in action And here’s how I pulled off this design in four easy steps using Storyline 360. Step 1: Browse and Insert Free Content Library Videos I knew I wanted my project to feature several short videos interspersed with some text, so I opened up Storyline 360 and began inserting blank slides in Story View. On the slides where I wanted text, I quickly dropped in some placeholder verbiage. Then I turned my attention to the video slides. I decided to use free stock video footage from Content Library to save myself some time scouring the web—but you can just as easily insert your own videos. Here’s how I browsed and inserted free videos from Content Library: With the slide selected, click on the Insert tab in Storyline 360 and select Video from Content Library Grouping. This launches the Content Library video browser, where you can type in some keywords to search for just the right video for your project. Type your keywords into the search field and hit “Enter” on your keyboard to search. Then, you can just browse through the results using the scroll bar. You can also preview videos by clicking the Preview button that pops up when you hover your mouse over the video thumbnails. When you’ve found just the right video, click the Insert button to insert it into your project. Step 2:Adjust Slide Timing I wanted to keep the transition from video to text feeling very fluid and, well, video-like. One way to create that feeling is to keep the video slides and the text slides at about the same timing. Most of my video clips were trimmed down to about five seconds. To give my static text screens a similarly short timeline I just went into each slide’s timeline and dragged the end point right or left until it aligned with the 5s mark. Step 3: Adjust Triggers toAdvance Slides Automatically To keep viewers from having to click to advance, I decided to eliminate the previous and next buttons and use Storyline’s timeline trigger to advance the slides automatically. Here’s how: First, remove the next and previous buttons from all your slides by going into the Story View tab and selecting aslide. Then, hit Ctrl-A (or Command A on a Mac) to select all of your slides. With all of your slides selected, you can adjust the slide properties all at once. For this project, I chose “Automatically” from the Slide Advances dropdown. Setting the slides to advance automatically dynamically creates slide triggers for each slide to jump to the next slide when the timeline ends. Finally, I de-selected the Prev and Next checkboxes under the slide navigation controls since they’re not needed. Step 4 (Optional): Add Info Buttons to Select Video Slides As I was building this project, it occurred to me that it might be smart tomake some optional related content or resources available to the viewer with a quick click of their mouse. This is easy to do with somebuttons, a layer, and some triggers. First, I added a new layer by clicking on the “New Layer” icon on the slide layers pane and I named it “Info.” On this new layer, I added a black rectangle (with 15 percent transparency) to the top of the screen to serve as a backdrop for the text I’ll be adding later. Then, I added a close button and a trigger to hide this layer when the user clicks on thebutton. Back on the base layer,I inserted an "info"button with atrigger to show my newly created layer when the user clicks this button. Fine-Tuning If you have a few more minutes to polish up your how-to video project, here are some more steps you might want to take. In my project, I made sure that the info buttons on select video slides appeared about 1 second into my base layer timeline. This gives the viewer a moment to absorb what’s being shown on screen before their eye is drawn to the info button. I added a little wipe animation effect to the black rectangle on the info layer just to give it a more seamless effect. I also added an abstract video to act as a motion graphic background for my text slides. I found just what I needed in Content Library (see step 1) by searching for the keyword “abstract.” Once I found that video, I used the color picker tool to pull out shades of blue to use for my text. In the original Storyline 2 version of this project, I added looping background audio following the steps outlined here. (Note: I chose to leave the background audio out of this latest version so you could compare and decide which version you prefer!) More Learning And that’s it! There’s really so much more you can do with video in Storyline. This project is just the tip of the iceberg. For more ideas and inspiration for using video in your Storyline projects, don’t miss these free resources on E-Learning Heroes. The Secret to Creating Great E-Learning Videos E-Book How to Create Interactive Videos Storyline 2: Meet the Team Video Interaction by Montse Posner Anderson What video trends are you inspired by? We’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment below, or feel free to jump into our Building Better Courses forum to hear from your fellow e-learning pros. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning.Use Cue Points to Pause a Video in Three Easy Steps
Videos are often used in e-learning as a way to share information, but they typically don’t require much (if any!) interaction: learners simply sit and watch. In certain cases that’s fine, but in other instances, you want to enrich your videos with additional contextual information or pop-up questions that engage the learner and make them think about what they’re watching. With Storyline 360’s cue points, you can easily pause your videos to add interactivity in a few quick and easy steps. What are cue points? They are small indicators or flags inserted directly on the Storyline timeline, where they allow you to precisely align objects and their timing. Take note of the three cue points on the timeline. Cue points are commonly used to sync animation, but they can be used to trigger just about any type of interactivity—including pausing a video. After you pause the video, you can have just about anything happen, from showing a new layer to displaying a text caption. Let’s explore the steps to pausing (and restarting) a video using cue points. Step 1: Insert Your Video Your first step is to insert a video on your slide. Finding high-quality videos to use in your courses is easier than ever with Content Library. Simply navigate to the Insert tab of the Storyline 360 ribbon and select the Videos button from the Content Library section. Content Library provides stock videos at your fingertips. You can then search for a video and click the Insert button when you’ve selected the one you want. In the screenshot below, you’ll see I’ve inserted a Content Library video on a slide. Note that its duration is 10 seconds on the timeline. By default, learners will be able to click on the video to play and pause it. However, we want to prevent learners from doing that because it can cause our slide timeline and video to get out of sync, which can prevent the interaction from working as desired. So, how to prevent learners from clicking on the video? Overlay a hotspot over the video. Hotspots are also available under the Insert tab of the Storyline ribbon. The hotspot covers the entire video. Once you’ve added the hotspot, right-click on the hotspot and from the menu disable “Show Hand Cursor on Hover.” Disable the Show Hand Cursor on Hover option. You’ve now inserted a video on a slide. The next step is to add the cue points that will be used to pause the video. Step 2: Add a Cue Point Inserting a cue point is quick and easy. Click on the timeline where you want to insert the cue point. This will move the blue playhead to that spot. Place the playhead where you want to insert the cue point. Next, insert a cue point by right-clicking anywhere on the timeline and clicking “Create Cue Point at Playhead.” The cue point is added behind the playhead. In my example, I want to pause the video at the three-second mark. If you need to move the cue point, simply click on it and drag it anywhere on the timeline. Step 3: Add a Trigger Your next step is to add a trigger that will pause the video when the cue point is reached on the timeline. Use the trigger panel on the right-hand side of the application to create a trigger. The wizard should look like this: It’s a good idea to use the “Pause timeline” action (as opposed to “Pause media”) to ensure that your video and slide timeline don’t get out of sync. Now, what you do from here on is totally up to you. One thing you could do is add a second trigger to the cue point that changes a text caption’s state from “Hidden” to “Normal.” Or you can use the cue point to also display a new layer. On this layer you could provide additional information or ask a question about the video content. You could even just skip to a new slide altogether to have them answer a graded quiz question. The options are really endless. When it’s time to restart your video, add a trigger that will resume the timeline, like this: With that trigger, the slide timeline (including the video) will be restarted. Cue points are a quick and easy way to add pauses to your videos where you want to insert interactivity or additional information. Do you have any tips of your own about working with cue points? I’d love to hear your comments below. Want to try something you learned here, but don’t have Articulate 360? Start a free 30-day trial, and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.13 New and Enhanced Features That Will Help You Get the Most From Articulate 360
There’s so much we’ve been working on lately that we’re thrilled to share with you. If you want to expand the e-learning experiences you can create, streamline your development processes, and get great training out fast, check out these new and upcoming features that will help you do all that and more. Create exciting and engaging e-learning Rise 360: Linked Padding Speed up your Rise 360 layout formatting with this new option to link the padding on the top and bottom of a block together. When this feature is on, you can quickly change their values at the same time. Need to adjust the top and bottom padding independently? Simply click the Unlink Padding icon. To learn more about all your block padding options, check out this post. Rise 360: Random Block Images Automatically liven up your Rise 360 designs with this enhancement. Instead of seeing the exact same photo every time you insert a block with a background image, Rise 360 now randomly selects background images on a block-by-block basis. Rise 360: Team Folders Enhancements Now working with large numbers of Rise 360 courses is even easier thanks to this set of new Team Folders features. You can quickly view just the courses you created with the Owned by Me filter. Accessing courses that have been shared with you is faster too, as they’re now automatically added to the Shared with Me folder. And if you want to fully reorganize your folders, Move Dialog allows you to move both source files and shortcuts in a jiffy. Want to know more? Check out this post. Rise 360: Women’s History Month Course Celebrate the broad spectrum of ways women have contributed to history, society, and culture with this Rise 360 real-content template. This fully built course covers the history of women’s rights in America and strategies for continuing to move gender equity and equality forward. Share it with learners right away or customize it as much as you like! For more information about this course, give this post a read Storyline 360: Emphasis Animations Grab your learners’ attention with this new selection of Storyline 360 emphasis animations. You can now add effects like pulsing, shaking, and teetering to shapes, images, buttons, characters, markers, textboxes, videos, and more. Learn more in this post. Storyline 360: Global Notes Formatting Adjusting the font color, size, style, or paragraph spacing in the Storyline 360 Notes panel is easier than ever! With this feature, you can now customize the Notes panel formatting across the entire project in one fell swoop. What a timesaver! If you’re excited to know more, check out this post. Storyline 360: Player Tooltips Help learners get to know the modern player controls in Storyline 360 with these accessible tooltips. If someone isn’t sure what a particular player button or control does, all they have to do is mouse or tab over to it to display a bite-size pop-up with more information. Find out more here. Storyline 360: Background Audio Volume Variable Fine-tune your course’s audio with this new Storyline 360 variable. With it, you can raise or drop a slide’s background audio by whatever percentage you choose—adding more precision and customization to an already helpful feature. Collaborate with team members and stakeholders Review 360: Manage Integrated Comments Seeing Review 360 comments directly in Storyline 360 and Rise 360 is a real timesaver. But what about when you need to have separate, independent reviews of the same course? Thanks to this new feature, that’s easy! With it, you’re able to see the comments for multiple Review 360 items in your authoring app workflow. That means you can create multiple copies of your course in Review 360—one for each reviewer segment—but still see everyone’s comments in your original Rise 360 or Storyline 360 file. Curious to know more? Check out our feature posts for both Storyline 360 and Rise 360. Distribute courses to all your learners Reach 360: Starter Plan If you have an Articulate 360 Teams subscription, distributing and tracking training just got easier. That’s because you can now use Reach 360 Starter to share courses with up to 300 learners per year at no additional cost. This new Reach 360 Starter access makes it easy for everyone to try out all the features of our fast, flexible, and frictionless LMS. Check out the details here. Reach 360: Manager Role Give people just the Reach 360 access they need with the new Manager role, which can invite and remove learners, assign training, and view reports for any group assigned to them. It’s perfect for when someone needs more administrative powers than with the Reporter role—but just for one or more specific groups. Need help determining which Reach 360 role is right for a particular user? This article compares the permissions for each role, making it easy to narrow down the option that best meets your needs. Wrap-Up There’s a lot here to be excited about! And since all of these new features are available right now, trying them out is as simple as opening up your Articulate 360 apps. Not only that, but there are lots more exciting features coming this year—including AI capabilities. So keep an eye on our roadmap and E-Learning Heroes to stay in the loop about all the other cool functionality we’ll be adding soon. Feeling left out because you don’t currently have an Articulate 360 subscription? Not to worry—just start a 30-day free trial to try out all these helpful features and more. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest product updates, e-learning examples, and expert advice sent directly to your inbox. If you have questions, please share them in the comments.6 Types of Video You Can Include in E-Learning
In the past, capturing, editing, and publishing videos took expensive software, lots of time, and professional support. But with today’s resources and apps, it’s easier than ever for anyone to create and share videos. From tutorials on YouTube to viral TikTok trends, videos are everywhere. The use of video in e-learning is continuously evolving. Video can serve as stand-alone content, or as a component of an interactive e-learning course. And there are many different options for creatively including video in your e-learning. Let’s take a look at six of the most popular types and when you might use them. 1. Software Tutorials Whether you’re creating training for new hires, launching a new app, or showing learners how to get more out of an existing program, chances are you’ll need to teach people the ins and outs of software or web apps. Enter software tutorials, a type of video most commonly created via screencast. Screencasts are helpful for teaching learners because they allow you to demonstrate instructions rather than listing them in writing. To create a screencast, you’ll need an app that can record your screen and microphone for walking learners through each step of the process. Peek 360 is a great app for doing this quickly and easily. And if you’d like to record a screencast while also recording your computer’s webcam—adding a personal touch to your screencast—you could try using Replay 360. Want to see an example of a screencast recorded in Peek 360? Check out the one below. 2. How-To’s & Demonstrations Have you ever started a home improvement project and turned to YouTube for a how-to video? In the case of this video on how to paint cabinets, over 5 million people have! That’s because it’s easier to learn how to do something by watching someone demonstrate the task than it is to listen to someone explain the steps to you. And this type of learning isn’t exclusive to home improvement—it’s also perfect for workplace training. How-to videos are simple but effective because when teaching a new task or process it’s a lot easier—and faster—to show it through video than to write out each step. Using how-to videos also allows learners to jump to a specific point and rewatch important steps. And demonstrating the steps in a process gives visual cues and context to instructions, which helps avoid misunderstanding. 3. Lectures Lecture videos are often created when a presenter—such as a subject matter expert—delivers live training that learners might not be able to attend. Lecture videos are also a great option for storytelling or presenting lengthy content in a more personable format, like Ted Talks. With lecture videos, you can record content once and make it available to all learners on their own time. Simply record your presenter and add the video to your course, or upload it to your Learning Management System on its own. (Learn how to do that in this article: The Secret to Simplifying Your Video Training Workflow.) This Rise 360 example shows how to combine lecture videos with interactive elements to reinforce the talking points. View example 4. Interactive Videos Speaking of interactivity, let’s talk about interactive videos. Want to share video content but also make sure your learners aren’t tuning out? Or would you like to let learners check their understanding as they watch? With apps like Storyline 360, you can take any video you’ve created and make it interactive by adding quiz questions or additional information. This keeps your learners engaged in the content and encourages them to pay attention to what they’re watching. To learn exactly how this is done, check out this article: Create Interactive Videos with These Storyline 360 Features. Want to see an interactive video in action? Check out this example. View example 5. Animated Videos Using animated videos or motion graphics is a fun way to deliver content in a playful manner—think cartoons for e-learning! They’re also great to use when you don’t have the ability to record in a specific setting or with a live person. Because you can illustrate and animate your video instead, you have a lot more options. For example, this course was created during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since most people were quarantining at home, filming live video wasn’t an easy option. This made a motion graphic video perfect for this course on how to succeed while working remotely. View example 6. Whiteboard Videos Whiteboard videos—which are a subset of explainer videos—allow the presenter to tell a story or discuss a topic while “hand drawing” accompanying visuals. This style of training might take you back to your school days, when a teacher might explain a concept to you while drawing on the whiteboard or chalkboard. Another use for this style of video is in storytelling. Drawing while sharing a story can make the content more personal and emotional, which helps hold learners’ attention. This style of video became increasingly popular a few years ago on YouTube by creators who participated in the “Draw My Life” trend. Want to see a whiteboard video in action? Take a look at this example: More Resources Now that you’ve seen different ways to use video in e-learning, hopefully you’re inspired to incorporate video in your future projects. In the meantime, check out these helpful resources and practice your video-creating skills. 4 Examples of Courses with Video That Reel Learners In Record and Edit Videos Like a Pro with Peek 360 and Replay 360 4 Easy Tips for Writing Great Training Video Scripts Follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.Audio Basics for Online Course Design
A great way to create an engaging learning experience for your audience is to include audio narration with your explanatory text and visuals. You could narrate the entire course, use audio just for character scenarios, or include first-person accounts from learners or Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). And now it’s easier than ever to add audio to your online courses. High-quality microphones and recording software are readily available to everyone. In fact, both Windows and Mac computers ship with studio-quality recording apps preloaded. And if you don’t want to record audio in a third-party software suite, many content creation apps include their own audio recording tools. But even with easy access to high-quality microphones and recording apps, it can be tricky to make professional-quality audio if you’ve never done it before. Don’t worry, though; we’ve got you covered! By following these tips and tricks, you’ll be creating audio like the pros in no time. Write a Narration Script The first step to recording high-quality audio has nothing to do with audio equipment or software at all. Good narration starts with a script. To create a narration script, move the note text out of your course file, or wherever you’ve been compiling it, and into a table-formatted document. This way you can quickly see and read the text that needs to be recorded as well as make any changes on the fly (without losing your place). A narration script can take many forms, as long as it has these three main components: Slide number: Slide numbers let you know which text goes with which slide. It’s also helpful for naming your audio files after recording. Narration script: This is the actual text you’re recording. Narration notes: These notes provide direction for the narrator on how to read the script, including pronunciation guides, tips for emphasis, and narration pacing. Here’s an example of what that might look like: Slide # Script Notes Slide 1 Sooner or later, everyone gets a flat tire. And chances are it won’t happen at a good time. I can hear some of you saying, “Why should I learn to change my tire? I have roadside assistance.” Use a firm but friendly tone here. Pitch your voice a bit for the quote but avoid making it sound whiny. For more tips on writing effective audio narration scripts, check out this article: More Than a Dozen Tips for Writing Awesome Audio Narration Scripts. Choose the Right Microphone Now that you have your narration script, it’s time to take a look at your microphone. Whenever possible, you want to avoid using the microphone that’s built into your computer. Not only is it not made for capturing audio narration, but it can pick up mechanical noise from your computer. The same goes for microphones embedded in your earphones. They’re fine for phone calls and meetings, but shouldn't be relied on for professional recordings. For crisp, clear narration, invest in an external microphone. You don’t have to buy the most expensive one on the shelf, but with audio equipment, you really do get what you pay for. If you’re recording audio on a regular basis and want high-quality results, be prepared to invest at least $100. There are many different types of microphones out there, but the two most common are omnidirectional and unidirectional. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Deciding which one is right for you depends on what you’re looking to record. Omnidirectional Unidirectional An omnidirectional microphone picks up sound from all directions. It’s great for capturing: Ambient sounds Outdoor sounds On-the-scene sounds People speaking in a large room It works best for situations where you don’t have a specific or target audio source or when you need to capture a scene or an environment’s audio profile. A unidirectional microphone records audio sounds only from one direction (typically, the front), so it's usually the best type to use for audio narration. These do a better job of minimizing ambient or background sounds that might distract from the actual spoken words. The best ones come with enhanced pick-up algorithms that focus specifically on the narrator’s voice. Keeping all this in mind, many popular USB microphones can do double duty as omnidirectional and unidirectional microphones. Some let you control the mode manually with software, while others will automatically shift between modes if they detect multiple speakers. Consider Buying a Windscreen or a Pop Filter With omnidirectional and unidirectional microphones, you have two main options to sharpen the quality of sound you capture. Let’s take a quick look at these helpful accessories. Windscreens Pop Filters Windscreens filter the most sound and can reduce background ambient noise. You can generally find a windscreen for $20 or less. Pop filters reduce popping sounds on “p” and “b” sounds by adding a layer of protection to the microphone. They also minimize unwanted breath sounds that happen when you exhale too close to the microphone. Most pop filters cost less than $20, though you can easily make your own. Just wrap nylon stockings around a clothes hanger and place it in front of the microphone before you start recording. Again, if you're using a software-enhanced microphone, there may be virtual options for improving your sound and reducing unwanted noise. Check the settings before you begin recording and play with the different options to make sure they deliver the kind of audio output you’re looking for. Reduce Ambient Noise While a good microphone and clever software can make your audio sound great, the direct audio input is only half the story. The other part of the equation is ambient noise. Build a Portable Studio Box When you’re recording in a professional studio, the walls, floors, and overall room acoustics are specially insulated to cancel unwanted ambient noises. Since this type of setup is neither affordable nor portable for the average e-learning designer, many users build their own recording studio boxes. With something as simple as foam seat cushions, you can put together a portable recording box that encases your microphone. It cancels out a large portion of ambient noise and gives you a quick bump in audio quality. Don’t have seat cushions or you’re stuck recording narration away from home? Use pillows! For more information about portable studio boxes, check out this article: Record Better Audio with an Affordable Do-It-Yourself Sound Booth. Silence Your Recording Space It’s not possible to remove all sounds, but there are some things you can do to minimize ambient sounds. When possible, designate a particular room as your recording room and use it for your entire recording project. Your room’s layout, wall treatment, and furniture all affect the quality of your recordings. A carpeted room with furniture sounds different from an empty room with wood flooring. Here are some common ambient noises and tips for minimizing them: Air conditioning: While it might not be ideal if it’s summer, you should still consider turning it off. Air conditioning is responsible for most of the noise in your office. Computer: Computer fans and hard drives produce a lot of noise, so place your computer under your desk. The more distance you can put between your computer and your microphone, the quieter the room will be. External devices: Disconnect unused computers, printers, and external hard drives.You’d be surprised at how much ambient noise idle electronics produce. The fewer devices you have running the better. Hard surfaces:Even if you don’t have sound-dampening material on the walls like in a professional studio, you can make a big dent in ambient noise with carpet, window treatments, furniture, and any other materials that absorb sound. If you can’t make a portable studio box as described above, placing pillows around your laptop and microphone makes a huge impact. In fact, that’s what NPR correspondents do when they have to file reports from their hotel rooms! Create a Consistent Environment Even if you don’t have access to a professional recording studio, you can improve the quality of your narration by creating a consistent recording environment. Here are some tips that’ll help you do just that: Microphones:Use the same microphone each time you record. Microphones have personalities, and even if you always use a high-quality mic, you’ll notice a difference in the audio when listened to back-to-back if you don’t use the same one. Capture your recording settings: Whether you’re sharing a recording setup with co-workers or going solo, you should always capture the important settings you use for your recordings for consistency. This includes input levels, microphone settings, and any other audio settings you’ve tweaked during recording. Take a screenshot or a picture of your settings before you close out of your project. Microphone stands: Microphone stands come in both desktop and floor models. They help capture clean and consistent audio recordings by normalizing the distance between you and your microphone. Find the ideal distance by placing the mic stand in different positions, then note that in your recording settings. Record Your Audio Your room is set up and you’re ready to record, right? Almost! There are still a few things you should do before you jump into your first official take. 1. Check Your Mic Input Levels This is one of the most important things you can do when recording. If the levels are too high, you’ll pick up cracks, pops, and other digital artifacts. If the levels are too low,it’ll be difficult to hear in the published course. A general rule of thumb is to keep your input levels between -12db and -6db. Since you’re recording digitally, you’ll find all audio recording programs make it easy to identify the ideal levels. Here’s what good input levels look like: Notice how the levels are between -12 and -6? That leaves enough room for louder sounds without the risk of clipping. Here’s an example of audio that’s too “hot” and likely producing unwanted distortion: 2. Test Your Recordings After you’ve verified your input levels, record a short piece of test audio. Even with perfected settings, other recording issues can unexpectedly occur, such as a problem with hardware, an accidental audio setting change, or your voice not projecting as loudly as expected. It happens. Always take the time to record at least 30 seconds of test audio before you jump into your actual script recording. 3. Listen to Your Audio with Headphones Headphones isolate ambient noise and help you hear your recorded audio clearly. Because they’re worn over the ears, you get the closest, most realistic playback of your audio. Also, most users will listen to your courses with headphones—especially those in corporate or academic settings—so you’ll want to hear exactly what they hear. 4. Record in One Session For optimal consistency in your recording, it’s best to record your script in a single session. Even when you control your recording environment, your voice can sound different from one session to another. When you record in a single session, you’ll have more control over small but noticeable recording variables that occur. If you do have to rerecord some of your audio, record the full paragraph or slide rather than a single word or phrase. Differences in your voice are less obvious when you rerecord larger sections of audio. Summary Now that you have a basic understanding of audio recording for e-learning, you’re well-equipped to record your next project like a pro. Looking to take the next step and do even more with audio? Check out these articles: 3 Steps for Recording Microphone and System Sounds Simultaneously How to Use Audio in E-Learning More Than a Dozen Tips for Writing Awesome Audio Narration Scripts Want some hands-on audio experience? Jump into one of these e-learning challenges and share your audio examples: E-Learning Podcasts: Audio Interviews with Course Designers #266 Using Interactive Audio Soundboards in E-Learning #317 Using Audio and Sound Effects in E-Learning #242 And remember to follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any comments, please share them below.7 Ways to Make Your Webinars More Interactive
Have you ever attended an online webinar that required zero participation from you? If yes, how long was it before you stopped paying attention and got distracted by emails or social media? Probably not long. It’s hard enough to keep people interested in training when they’re right in front of you—never mind when they’re out of your sight, with access to a bevy of distractions. So when you’re hosting a webinar or a virtual classroom session, what’s the trick to keeping learners involved and engaged? Here are some ideas and suggestions. Poll your participants Polling your learners on things like typical challenges encountered in the workplace can be a good way to get them involved. If you want to take this a step further, you could give learners control and let them decide what content gets covered, or in what order, through polls. If you’re not sure what to ask your learners in your poll, try asking how comfortable they are with the content or why they are attending the training. Ask questions Asking questions is a straightforward but effective way of getting learners involved. As a general rule, it’s a good idea not to go over more than two or three slides without asking questions. When learners answer, ask them to share their name first. This creates a more intimate feel and helps learners get to know each other. Answer questions proactively Asking questions is a two-way street! Keep in mind that your learners likely have questions for you as well. Proactively answering questions as they come through (as opposed to waiting until the end of a session) can help learners feel heard and engaged. But answering incoming questions can be difficult when you’re presenting a webinar solo, which is when the next point comes in handy. Enlist a producer’s help It can be helpful to enlist the help of another person, often referred to as a producer, when giving a webinar. That way, when the presenter becomes inundated by chat comments or questions, the producer can respond so learners don’t feel left out or ignored. If the learners are all on webcam, the producer can also scan the group while you’re presenting and identify if anyone needs help or has questions. Pick on participants Some presenters also like to pick on specific participants and ask them direct questions during the webinar. While this can be an effective way to increase participation, it also has the potential to make people feel uncomfortable and singled out. For this reason, you might want to warn learners ahead of time if you plan to go this route. Picking on participants also tends to be more well received in groups where learners know each other and the presenter. All that to say, use this particular strategy with caution! Use social media Using social media, for example Twitter, is a great way to encourage people to stay in touch after the webinar and ask follow-up questions. You could create a hashtag for your webinar, to make it even easier for people to track tweets related to your training session. Encourage chatting Many webinar tools have a chat feature, which can be a great way to get people to engage with each other. It opens up another channel of communication between participants and the presenter and/or producer. At the beginning of the webinar, you could mention that learners are free to chat amongst themselves during the presentation—provided it’s not off topic, of course! Other Tips Before we wrap up, I want to share a couple more tips for pulling off great webinars: Use a placeholder slide with music and a countdown timer during breaks. It’s fun, lighthearted, and lets your learners know exactly when they need to be back from their break! Provide helpful downloads to your learners after the fact, to help transfer the new skills to the job. If all webinars adopted the tips outlined above, learners would be much less likely to be distracted and much more likely to participate. Do you have any other ideas we didn’t mention for adding engagement to webinars? Please leave a comment below. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and come back to E-learning Heroes regularly for more e-learning tips and tricks.5 Most Common Elements of E-Learning
When it comes to e-learning, almost all courses are made up of the same basic components. Whether you’re creating a simple micro-learning or a complex branching course, you’ll probably have text, images, other forms of multimedia, and buttons that help learners interact with your content. In this article, we’ll tackle the five most common elements of e-learning along with best practices for using each one. Text The text content of your course is arguably the most important, as in most cases it’s the primary way you’ll share information with learners. But if you’ve ever taken e-learning that was too text-heavy, you know firsthand it can be a real turnoff! That’s why it’s best to use text in moderation. Write clearly and concisely and only include information learners absolutely need to know. It’s also superimportant to check your course for spelling, grammar, and punctuation before you finalize and publish it. Having someone else review your project with a fresh set of eyes is helpful because they’ll see details that you might skip over out of familiarity. The last thing you want is for a misspelling or incorrect usage of a word to confuse your learners and distract them from focusing on what’s most important: your content. Get your e-learning writing in tip-top shape with these helpful resources: Top Tips for Writing for E-Learning Personalization Principle: Speaking to Instead of at Your Learners 4 Impactful Ways to Boost Your E-Learning Writing Skills 5 Tips to Improve Your Technical Writing Skills 7 Tips for Writing Effective E-Learning Scenarios Images In some cases, replacing text with images can help you streamline your course content and enhance the learning experience. That’s because a well-chosen image can often communicate key messages more quickly and effectively than text. On top of that, visually appealing courses help boost learner engagement. To ensure your images are making an impact, take time to choose quality images that are both relevant and meaningful. Avoid using images just for the sake of having them in your course. Only use images if there’s a real instructional value. For every graphic or image you insert, think about the purpose it serves for the learner. If it’s not boosting learner engagement or reinforcing the key skills you’re trying to teach, reconsider whether you should include it in your course. Start curating the perfect graphics for your e-learning with these helpful articles: Your Ultimate Guide to Choosing Graphics for E-Learning How to Choose a Background for Your E-Learning Course The Art of Combining Illustrations and Photos in E-Learning Guide to Creating Illustrations in PowerPoint for People Who Don’t Know How to Draw Video Similar to images, videos are a handy way to capture attention and present information visually. However, their combination of imagery, motion, and audio can add clarity to some concepts and help capture stories and nuances in a more exciting way. Videos are also useful if you want to demonstrate a complicated process. Sometimes it’s easier to learn a new system or job assignment by watching someone perform the task rather than simply reading a list of steps. You can even take your e-learning up a notch with interactive videos. By incorporating quiz questions or providing additional information, you can engage learners and make sure they’re paying close attention to your video. Explore more ways to incorporate video into your e-learning with these handy resources: 6 Types of Video You Can Include in E-Learning 4 Fun Video Examples to Help You Keep Learners Engaged A Complete Guide to Creating Videos for E-Learning 4 Easy Tips for Writing Great Training Video Scripts Audio Another way to enhance the learning experience is by adding audio to your courses. Audio in e-learning can take many forms. It could be as simple as subtle sound effects or as extensive as complete course narration. Used effectively, audio can draw learners in and help focus their attention on the course content. But be careful not to overdo it. Too many sound effects can be distracting—or, worse, overwhelming—to learners. And if your course narration simply repeats the text that’s already included on-screen, you could lose learners’ attention quickly. Similar to the approach you take with course text and imagery, always evaluate whether the audio you’re adding to your course enhances the learning experience. If it doesn’t, you might be better off skipping it. Get expert advice on how to intentionally use audio in e-learning with these essential articles: Audio Basics for Online Course Design 5 Ways to Use Audio in E-Learning 6 Things to Consider When Using Audio in E-Learning Our Top Resources for Using Audio in E-Learning Buttons Whether it’s a “Prev” and “Next” button or a menu that lets learners click through the various sections of the course, you need to give learners a way to interact with your content. While often neglected, the way you design your buttons and other navigational elements can be just as important as the information you present. That’s because if learners don’t know how to move forward, they’ll waste time and energy trying to figure out how to interact with your content instead of trying to understand it. For this reason, it’s important to ensure that course navigation is clear and obvious to learners. They shouldn’t have to click around to find the right way forward or wonder what they need to do next. Clearly label and identify all navigation items in your course, and include callouts or instructions for anything that isn’t inherently intuitive. Find best practices for making e-learning course navigation simple and straightforward: Best Practices for Clear and Simple E-Learning Navigation 3 Tips to Create User-Friendly E-Learning Navigation 3 Subtle Ways to Integrate Navigation Instructions Tips for Designing Buttons That Scream “Click Me!” Wrap-Up If you follow the guidance outlined in the helpful resources included above, you’ll be well on your way to creating engaging, effective e-learning courses in no time at all. And next time you’re taking an online course, keep your eyes peeled for these five basic elements of e-learning. Chances are, you’ll spot them in just about every course you take. Do you know of any additional e-learning elements that we forgot to include in this list? If you do, please leave a comment below—we love to hear your feedback! Follow us on Twitter and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments.
