Guides
Turn a training topic into a useful lesson
Choose what someone should be able to do afterward, then build the example and practice question around it.
Capri Video · Updated · 2 min read
Start by finishing this sentence: “After watching, someone should be able to…” The answer gives your lesson a direction. Use it to choose the example, decide which details matter and plan a question that checks understanding.
Define a task you can check
“Learn the system” is broad. “Route a request to the correct team” is a task that can be assessed. The video can then demonstrate a typical case and a carefully chosen exception, using the organization's real rules and workflow.
In a fictional training example, a team receives two kinds of requests. The lesson explains the decision rule, applies it to those cases, and asks the learner to classify another example. The connection between explanation and understanding becomes visible.
Separate explanation from application
Introduce terms before asking learners to use them. Then show those terms in the task. You don’t need a new picture for every sentence. Keep the relevant detail visible while you explain it.
Keep details that matter to the objective and provide supplementary information as readable reference material. Do not omit an important exception when doing so would make the demonstrated choice misleading.
Design the assessment alongside the lesson
If the objective is making a decision, repeating a definition is not enough. Ask learners to explain how they would handle a new case. A practical skill may also need an appropriate application check beyond the video itself.
Viewing, completing, and understanding are different states. Plays alone do not establish learning. Questions about confusing examples can help the team revise the lesson where it matters.
Prepare a useful production brief
In the brief, name the objective, audience, approved source material and subject specialist. Define where the lesson will be used, how captions and text support will work, and what check follows it.
Industry examples
- A course introduction isn't a lesson
- Help prospective students picture the program
- Help families understand how tutoring begins