Every new job entails that mixture of fear and excitement that lingers in the heart of new employees, especially fresh graduates. They have just started their new jobs and are all eager to prove themselves to the new boss. They are already thinking ahead—how to impress their bosses, which co-workers they can be friends with, what to do with their first salary, etc. And yet every employee has a different experience, depending on how the company conducted its training and first-day seminar—whether through a video production or a manual of rules and regulations.
Some companies, unfortunately, are stuck in the 1990s and they either use a printed manual or a grainy video to brief their new employees about the company and its products and services. There’s nothing more disconcerting for a fresh graduate than seeing an awfully-produced video.
They will instantly lose their interest and they won’t remember much of the film because they instead focused on how bad the quality of the video was. On the other hand, if you used a printed manual to brief your new hires, this can cause a huge problem down the road.
Research has shown that we only remember 10% of what we read and 90% of what we watched. That statistics alone should emphasize the need for video production in the company… a good one means high-quality video and audio, engaging topics, articulate “actors,” and regular updates.
Define who you are
What do you do as a company? What products and services do you offer? How important it is for you that your employees know about the history of the company? Who runs the show? Before doing the video, make sure you have completely defined what you do and who you are as a company.
You need this information to create a video that will speak this message to your employees and eventually, when the time comes to create a marketing video, to your target market as well.
Welcome ideas and suggestions
Gather around the people essential to your personal and professional lives. Ask your own family what they think the video should be about—should you introduce the people behind the company? Do you want it to become personal? Does your family think it’s important that the employees know about them?
Next, meet with your top managers and ask them what they think the video should highlight. Make sure to welcome ideas and suggestions because these people surely just mean well.