Storyboarding & Scripting for eLearning Projects
You are probably aware of the fact that storyboarding and scripting are an integral part of the creation of an eLearning course - but do you know how they’re created? This article is going to explain exactly that! You’ll not only find out how to create a storyboard and script, but how to actually do so well, in order to ensure that they are valuable assets to your eLearning course.
Every single storyboard and script is unique, so there isn’t a standardised and rigid procedure when it comes to their creation, but there are common lines of logic that run throughout them all!
Each one should be tailor-made to suit the course, and ultimately optimise the students’ learning experience. We’re going to give you a run-down on the essentials that are needed to create an exceptional storyboard and script, so that you’ll know what to look for when planning your next video!
eLearning TheLearning LAB Content Design and Development Agency.
If you haven’t yet seen our article on the benefits of storyboarding and scripting for video, you can do so right here. It’ll help you further develop your foundation of knowledge on video creation for eLearning and set you up for eLearning success!
Storyboarding: the how-to’s
Make sure to always:
1. Understand Your Learning Objectives
You should always have a clear idea of what the goal and objective of the course is. Essentially, you should be working backwards, ensuring that you are using the learning objective as a guide to include all of the material that is necessary for the course, within your storyboard. It’s also important that you know the target audience and are therefore able to acknowledge their needs, this way, the learning objectives, and therefore the storyboard should be a direct reflection of this. This prevents the possibility of including content that is not relevant to the Learner, which would be a definite barrier to engagement.
2. Design the Course Outline/Sequence with care
The whole purpose of creating a storyboard is to be able to organise the course material systematically. It should be designed in a way that can be understood by the different groups of people to whom it will be shown (i.e. the design team and the clients). Therefore, the storyboard should be outlined in a sequential form that represents how the course will be structured. This is an important step as the order in which the material is organised can determine how the Learner receives the content and whether or not they are able to effectively learn from the structure that has been put in place.
3. Use a Storyboard Template
A storyboard template is a great tool to utilise in the design process, and there are a huge number of storyboard templates available online to inspire you. It will save you time and effort, as basing yourself off of a template means that you will not have to design the entire storyboard from scratch. It’s easy for a storyboard to become either cluttered and disordered (or both!), and a storyboard template will provide a clear way for you to arrange the storyboard content.
Additionally, as the content is added to the template, it becomes easier to identify any excess content, such as a script being too wordy, or a specific scene not having a detailed enough explanation and focussing only on auxiliary knowledge.
4. Plan Every Detail
Of course, a storyboard should not be overloaded, but pay attention that no vital information is left out of the loop either. All your media components, such as video, audio and animation, should be included in the storyboard, and their position should be clearly labelled and flow perfectly with the rest of the storyboard. The script should also be included for each corresponding scene. A detailed storyboard will take time to cultivate but it will allow you to optimise your time present the course outline clearly.
Why does this matter so much? Well, just imagine attempting to collaborate with colleagues on the visuals needed within your video when you aren’t even clear about the script, where what text is said or written, and who should be doing the speaking!
TheLearning LAB Content Development and eLearning Design.
Scripting: the how-to’s
Make sure that you:
Write for the “ear” and not the “eye”
The key to a good script is making it sound personal and organic. If the Learner feels as though the narrator is reading from a script (i.e. robotic-sounding), they will automatically become disengaged. One useful technique to implement when writing for the ear is the use of contractions such as “shouldn’t” or “can’t”. This is because the average person uses contractions in everyday life, so they sound more natural by default.
Additionally, using terms that are simple and not overcomplicated is preferred as the Learner is able to focus on the key content instead of trying to decipher the meaning of a complex word. Also, you should refrain from using local phrases or language that is too idiomatic as these can often be misinterpreted. Overall, the idea is to create a script that will be easy for every Learner to comprehend!
Give prompts to the voice of artist
A prompt includes cues and indications that help to guide the narrator on how to deliver the script. For example, the use of italics on words that need to be emphasised, or indicating how a company name is pronounced are some of the ways in which this can be done. Prompts and cues help aid the narrator, as in some instances, they may be are unfamiliar with the course content, so their delivery may not be as you have intended.
Make the script engaging and enjoyable
This goes hand-in-hand with writing for the ear. As much as you want the content to be informative, the aim is to keep Learner captivated and interested in what is being said. The more enjoyable they find the course, the more likely they are to retain information, and the more successful your course will ultimately be.
Keep it short and sweet
Writing a script is should be a very well thought through process, which means that, in many cases, the script will initially be too long. After careful editing and revisions, it should ultimately be short and present the information as concisely as possible. You should aim to only include information that is pertinent to the course, and not deviate into tangents which should really be a video of their own!
A script that is too long can lose its educational value, as it quickly becomes boring and Learners begin to lose focus. Keep in mind that Learners are only human, and won’t enjoy the course and reap the full benefits of it unless your content actually IS engaging!
TheLearning LAB Geneva, eLearning Content Development and Design.
That’s all for now, but stay tuned!
The process of writing a script and creating a storyboard is often lengthy at the start of your course design, but ultimately, the creation of both has an innumerable amount of benefits. Plus, once you’ve got one script and storyboard figured out, you also have your very own template to base other videos on! You need an agency whose people are experienced in creating quality storyboards and scripts for eLearning courses, and who know how to ensure that it will be an enriching and engaging experience for every Learner!
At the TheLearning LAB Geneva, we’ve come to understand just how important storyboarding and scripting are for eLearning. Storytelling is an art, and engaging Learners isn’t an easy task (unless you know what you’re doing, of course!).
