In house e-learning has a tendency to be more credible and engaging when it clearly reflects the organisation and its culture. For example, if it has visuals that depict recognisable company workplaces, and people that are, or at least look like typical staff. Such visuals might be photographs, or with a slightly bigger budget, video.
Capturing video for e-learning has become much more accessible of late, but where do you find people that are credible as employees for your latest production? In some cases, you might just want to use employees! But, your own employees are not always particularly keen to get in front a camera, and ironically, it’s not always easy to look credible as a member of staff. If the subject of the video is demonstration of a procedure or a piece of equipment then employees might just be the ideal choice, since the procedure or equipment item is the star of the show and employees will be working within the relative comfort zone of their own area of knowledge and expertise.
"Actors should arrive for your shoot having learned their lines, whereas employees may have been drawn in to the latest customer emergency."
But what if the subject matter relates to softer skills such as leadership, selling, or negotiation where, one way or the other, interpersonal communication is the key element? In such cases, it may well be worth hiring in trained actors. There are a few good reasons for choosing actors rather than your own employees. For example, actors should arrive for your shoot having learned their lines, whereas employees may have been drawn in to the latest customer emergency and turn up with their script barely read let alone learned, resulting in costly retakes. In addition actors can convey a particular message, behaviour or emotion with relative ease and accuracy.
So what’s a good recipe for working with actors if you have never tried this before? Here are my top 10 tried and tested ‘Tips & Tricks’ for hiring and using actors to deliver your well planned video scenarios as credible members of your workforce.
Tip #1 – Set the scene
Provide a brief that describes not just the characters, but also outlines the nature of the learners’ working environment and the business case for the e-learning project – why it has come about, and what (high level) outcomes you hope the finished module will achieve. Try to explain the current range of expertise in the subject matter among the learner audience, what sort of resistance and anxieties their might be about the proposed new ways of working the module will target, and equally, what might inspire people towards embracing change. This will give actors a guide on what is expected of them overall.
Tip #2 – Define character briefs
Imagine you are writing a novel or screenplay; create a character description for each cast member (e.g. job role, time with company, main skills, problem areas, anxieties, personality traits, relationship with other cast members) – if you get this right and the actor takes this on board, the character will come across as consistent, and credible as a member of your staff.
Tip #3 – Choose an agency carefully to ensure the cast will be a good fit
Ideally, choose an agency that knows the actors it supplies so that they make good casting choices. Be specific about ages, genders and ethnicities required for your cast to ensure the cast works as a whole (for example, a Sales Director will ideally need to be older and more authoritative than the new Trainee Sales Rep) and is reflective of your organization or audience as a whole.
Tip #4 – Ensure the actors look the part
Give actors a dress code typical of their character or provide company specific clothing such as shirts with company logos or ID cards on lanyards. Bear in mind the need for wardrobe changes if your scenarios need to play out over a period of time.
Tip #5 – Stereotypes are ok!
Don’t be cautious about using ‘stereotypes’. If someone doesn’t fit with expectations the learner will become distracted from the key messages you hope to convey. Take for example the play, Romeo and Juliet. We have an expectation that Juliet will be young, beautiful and innocent, but if her character is played by someone old, obese or worldly we will be thinking about this and distracted from the story. Ask for show reels or photographs if you have the luxury of choosing from a range of actors (this is also a good idea if you are not going to meet the actors before the shoot day, as it’s easier to direct when you know already what your characters look like and what their real names are!)
Tip #6 – Allow time for script learning
Allow sufficient time and budget for actors to learn their lines and you’ll save on costly retakes as a result. No actor can take to the stage without sufficient time to learn and process the requirements of their script and character. And once you have sent out the script and brief to the actors, avoid changing it!
Tip #7 – Give actors a steer on technical or unfamiliar roles
Give actors an opportunity to ask questions about their character or the organisation. If the actor needs to come across as top surgeon or a senior law partner they may need a bit of a steer!
Tip #8 - Allow time for rehearsal
Prior to the shoot, or on the day of the shoot build in a little time for rehearsal so that you can check that actors are giving key messages the right focus. Give them feedback on how well they are coming across as characters from your organisation and what they might need to do to become more credible.
Tip #9 – Semi-improvised scripts may be easier to deliver and seem more credible
Don’t expect lines to be delivered word perfect. So long as the key message is undistorted, a semi-improvised delivery where the actor chooses his or her own words may come across as more natural and credible.
Tip #10 – Match the delivery style to the situation
If the scene is of a serious nature, e.g. a doctor/patient situation or an employee dismissal, then encourage acting that is as close to reality as possible, a “fly on the wall” style will work well here. But for management or sales scenarios for example, a little bit of drama will make for a more engaging plot, too much, and it will look like a tacky soap opera. Good actors will know where to draw the line.
That’s it for my now. I look forward to sharing more tips relating to video in e-learning in later newsletters. If you have any questions, or suggestions for future articles please e-mail me at the address below.
Patricia Kyle
Director, LearnAbilityTM and Partner, Mohive
pkyle@learnability.net