Death, taxes and compliance.  We can’t avoid them.  And while people can get very creative with the first two, it’s usually compliance where the interest flies out the window.

“We’re doing this because we have to” is probably the least inspiring reason to do anything (even if it’s true).  And we’ve all seen the compliance videos – how to lift something, how to follow keyboard procedures, how to stay safe at work.  You know – sit down, watch this, sign the form at the end.

Some end up like a kind of gruel: cheap, flavourless and with almost no nourishment at all, often served up as with a slight grudge and quickly forgotten.  Which is strange when they can be made on the same budget and still manage to satisfy.

Any message can be crafted to have a hook – the thing that makes us want to see more.  A manual handling video, for instance, doesn’t have to just show how to lift things correctly.  You can tell a story.  You can mix the learning with some lighter moments.  You can illustrate how the spine works using jam doughnuts (surprisingly well).

And even if that video is remembered as ‘that doughnut video’, the point is they remember it.

So don’t assume that next video explaining ‘How to Use the New Pricing Gun’ or ‘Rostering – It’s Your Call’ have to be bland. There’s always to way to make them just that bit tastier.