How Do YOU Feel About Long-Winded, Slow Talking Videos, Time Taking Videos?

The formula seems to be: take 10-15 minutes of content, debase it with a lot of fluff and BS to expand to 45 minutes to an hour, then tack on a 30-45 minute sales pitch.

And the only part that gets any attention, any preparation, any rehearsal is the sale pitch.

The only ones I've seen that were well worth the time came from the 8-figure guys who understand and appreciate the value of professionalism.

Otherwise, it's more like a couple of juvenile delinquents broke into a media production studio and are experimenting with "alien" technology for their own amusement.

It's painful. It's embarrassing. It's a complete waste of time and bandwidth.

One of my friends, not given to hyperbole, swears she has to take a Dramamine before watching one of these - what she calls the "flying cursors and flipping screenshots."

Frankly, I don't have 90 minutes to waste. I will skim through the transcript. That only takes a few seconds. If it looks "good" I might invest another 12-15 minutes to read the whole thing. That means I can knock out at least six of these in 90 minutes, all exceptional quality, not hype, while others are playing craps with just one.

This is great technology that truly has the potential be the next best thing to being there live and in person. It's also wide open to flagrant abuse - which is where 99% of appeal is for those who treat this as a lottery ticket.

So far, I haven't seen many that I would call awesome, but way too many I do call awful.

On a happier note, many colleges and high schools have added public speaking and presentations, media production technology, and the like to their curriculum! So it's not all "dumbed-down" or "indoctrination!"

You're definitely on the right course, Jeff!

I've done corporate training long enough to know that there is no 'one size fits all.'

Some people learn faster and retain more through a series of short videos than the equivalent time in one long video or lecture/demo; ten minutes, give or take, is what the research consistently says is optimal.

I also know from experience that they will watch a 10 minute video over and over to really master the topic or technique; but rarely will watch an hour presentation the second time.

Others like to listen to audio in their daily commute to/from work. It seems to be safer than the idiots with cell-phones glued to the side of their heads.

Once they've "got it" through their learning preference, the PDFs aren't dreaded chores and re-inforce what they've learned.

...and also the sales video that doesn't have a fast forward or pause button.

Give me a well written, informative .pdf anytime - but that's just me.

Karen

I've done two different sets of training videos and I constantly struggled in my mind with this.

Do I slow my role for the newbies?

or

Do I just go through it like I naturally would?

I chose the faster, more natural way. So far though I've found that even newbs on Warrior Forum are more technologically advanced than your average 8-5 worker.

Anyway, I abhor .pdf's and love a GOOD video tutorial.

I avoid videos whenever I can. Life is just too short. I want to get my work done in the shortest amount of time possible so that I can spend most of my time doing something else. That is not going to happen if I have to use up half my day listening to some clown drivel on about something that I could have read in two minutes.

I'm also much more of a pdf person and don't like to buy any product unless there are pdfs. I sometimes am glad if there are videos that have clarifications I need, but I generally still prefer just seeing screenshots within a pdf. I rarely am watching the minutes on a video, so often forget a part of it I want to review again anyway. I prefer to not have to sit through fillers and things I already know so a pdf is much better for this.

Debbie

I like videos that are to the point, but I am also happy for them to be long.

I have recently really got into just watching free webinars (slightly different to tuition guides though) and they are often 1hr - 1hr 30mins long and they are keeping my attention.

I feel more part of things listening to a video and as though there is some kind of relationship there with the product creator. Is also nice just to sit on my sofa and not on my desk to take in the information.

But yeah, depends on what the aim of the video is, but as long as it is not full of fluff, I am happy to sit through long videos.

You'll never make everyone happy, but surely appealing to the majority of people's learning styles is better than aiming at just 1.

Why would anyone choose to limit their market just to those who have one particular learning style when they could cater for everyone by creating audio, video and pdf?

How is it a loaded question? Care to explain in simple terms?

Isn't asking...

Kind of a loaded question, no? ... itself a loaded question predetermining the answer/s and/or possible outcome/s to your way of thinking?

Has all market research to be labeled in such a manner?

The OP is merely asking a very simple question.

In reply to Zara Marie: It's not one video in particular - I have a slew of them on my PC.

Do these people watch their own videos?? LOL.

This is what I was referring to in my comment.

If the video sales letter is pretty much the seller reading a sales page to me (and most of these videos sales letters are just that), then I don't see the point of the video. It does nothing more than waste my time. I could have read the sales page in half the time it took them to read it for me.

There are some good video sales pages that I do like. But they are not the ones where they are reading words on the screen to me. They usually have bullet points and the speaker expands on each item as they talk... or the video is more of a demonstration... or it is someone on camera who is somewhat entertaining and holds my attention.

I started to doze off before the end of your subject line.

fLufF
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I wouldn't say the thread is irrelevant.

I'm seeing all these people say the like to have PDF's and not just video. Perhaps I will read this and make sure all my video products also have PDF's as well.

Seems like a helpful idea/thread to me.

ROFL!

Just FYI dentist have a marvelous new local anestethic called zylocaine that kicks in faster and also drops off quickly - more like a square wave than the sine wave we've used to with novacaine. Great stuff!

Dentist love it because they don't have to wait as long after they give you the injection.

Patients love it because they aren't drooling for hours afterward.

Tim Conway - The Dentist


Give Tim a call. He can probably get you in this week.

Joe Mobley

I disagree. These are both effective when done correctly.

For example, the obvious prototype for unscripted presentation is the interview or discussion. And for the scripted presentation, a lecture or chapter from a book. (Don't get sidetracked by whether the 'script' is read or delivered from memory. Just because it looks impromptu does mean that it is. The same applies to all the performing arts - the very best ALWAYS make it look effortless to the rest of us, and at the same time magically removing the barriers, drawing you into the performance experience so that you're no long consciously aware that it is an imitation of life.)

(And thanks to late night talk show, we've all been disillusioned when an actor we love and admire on screen or on stage can barely string together coherent sentences much less carry on an intelligent discussion.)