Videos are a great medium to present any kind of content. Even the verbose articles, research papers and journals are better presented as documentaries or nonfictional videos. However, videos too can be bland. Given the fact that people are barely a few seconds into something and they would turn their attention away if what they are experiencing is not worthwhile, videos need to be more interactive and engaging.

Engagement stems from interaction these days. You cannot presume to have an audience captivated just because they have something they can relate to being presented to them in the form of video. The people need to feel invested. A video presentation cannot go on without factoring in the response of the audience or the fact that they may want to know something in an order contrary to what you have prepared for them.

Let us explore some simple tricks to make video learning more interactive and engaging.

• Truth is stranger than fiction. When it comes to fiction, no industry can trump Hollywood. It has often been said that just as reel gets inspired from real, reel too has inspired reality at times. This has happened in our society, in various industries, politics, science and technology among others. Have you observed how some studios have come up with trailers of their new releases and have actually weaved in a teaser of the trailer at the start? Not all studios have done this and it has not become a norm. However, there are many people who like the fact that they can have a sneak peek of what will be shown in a few moments. Such teasing can make video learning interactive and engaging. More importantly, if there is even a frame or a piece of information that the audience knows they would be interested in sometime though the video, they would wait through the parts which may not interest them that much.

• You must have seen most long videos on YouTube being uploaded with sections clearly segregating different issues, contexts, plots or subplots. You can do the same. You will obviously transition from one issue to another, just like chapters in a book. If you can allow the audience to pick and choose the specific part they want to watch and you can skip to that part, then video learning can be truly interactive and engaging. You can always get back to where you were once you have satiated the quest of your audience. Also, you may just skip sections that you know are not proving to be effective.

HOW DO YOU MAKE YOUR VIDEO MORE INTERACTIVE AND ENGAGING?