5 Scripting Tips To Make Your Business Videos More Engaging

Opening your mouth and just letting the words tumble out is not commercially smart. We have to pay attention to our words. Words have the power to create pictures. Listen to a great story well told and close your eyes, feel yourself transported to the time and place, your imagination illustrating the story. 

Paying attention to your words will help grow your business.

TABLE READS

Do the words ‘speak’ well? Not all words are created equal. This is why you need to get into the habit of table reading. Table reads are the first part of a stage or movie production. The actors are brought together around a table and they run through the script, reading their words aloud. Words that read well on paper sometimes get stuck on the tongue. Let’s try it.

First, two four-word phrases:

‘she was so smart’    ‘she’s a ridiculous perfectionist’

Does anything stand out? Not really.

Read each phrase fast. 

‘she was so smart’    ‘she’s a ridiculous perfectionist’

So?

Read each phrase s-l-o-w.

‘she was so smart’    ‘she’s a ridiculous perfectionist’

See how the multi-syllabic words sound wrong when you try to read them slowly. Not all words are created equal and you will benefit ahead of time if you have ‘heard’ and ‘felt’ the words roll around in your mouth, so you know the stumbles that lay ahead before you hit the record button. (1)

O.R.O.A.

When I was in the army, I met many people who suffered O.R.O.A. An over-reliance on acronyms. They were sending SITREPS(situation reports) about DZ’s (drop zones) to fly in a chopper DUSTOFF (Dedicated Unhesitating Service To Our Fighting Forces) to MEDEVAC (medical evacuation) a casualty.

Too many acronyms cause jargon monoxide poisoning. (2) You can suffocate discussion if the people listening aren’t in-on-the-jargon. If you find you are writing down acronyms in your script notes for your video, pause, and ask is there another way to say this?

Don’t leave your video audience wondering because you have slipped into jargon.

OPERATIVE WORDS

What I am about to tell you is REALLY REALLY important. It’s REALLY important that you put the emphasis on operative words.

Operative words are the words that communicate meaning. These are generally verbs and nouns. They do the heavy lifting about getting your message across. These are the words you emphasise to get your message across.

The opening sentence of this section was purposefully wrong.

Incorrect

It’s REALLY IMPORTANT that you put the emphasis on operative words.

Correct

It’s really important that you PUT THE EMPHASIS ON OPERATIVE WORDS.

CALL TO ACTION

The Call To Action (CTA) is the short bit, usually at the end of your video, where you encourage your audience to take the next step.

In a marketing video it may be ‘sign up to get your free eBook.’

In a training video it may be ‘take the online test and then move on to the next video.’

In a community engagement video it may be ‘join us for a sausage sizzle next Saturday”

You need to nail your call to action. It needs to be clear, be precise and be very specific. ‘Click the orange button below this video that says JOIN NOW’.

KILL THE COMMA

If you are the type who likes to write everything out, word for word and create a video that makes you feel good, then you need to know about killing commas.

Writing out a video script requires that you unlearn everything you learned in grammar class. Specifically, the use of the comma.

Commas are powerful. A comma can mean life or death for your grandmother.

Let’s eat, Grandma.

Let’s eat Grandma.

As wonderful as commas are, they have no place in your video script.

If you speak conversationally
then write conversationally
that’s in short bursts
without commas
without full stops
without a thought in the world for correct grammar
and… sometimes….
if you decide to ramble on and on and on and on
that’s ok … because…
you know there’s an emphasis coming up and
THAT!
will bring the audience’s attention back

Apply these 5 practices to your scripting and your business videos WILL BE BETTER.

 (707 words)

(1) Credit to author Polly LaBarre for the term jargon monoxide

(2) Credit to Michael and Amy Port for this example.