Beware of video communication pitfalls

As many of you know, I’m a big believer in using short videos to enhance communication with clients and team members. In response to articles such as Video summaries take center stage at tax time, 4 productivity tools your firm cannot go without and The future is asynchronous, many Accounting Today readers shared stories about how they were also using video, too. Great. But let’s also talk about some pitfalls to watch out for as you leverage video.

Video can be very effective when you have a relatively complex topic and you want to save time and eliminate lots of back and forth. Video allows you to show your face, which builds trust with the recipient. It also allows you to show a screen so you can walk your recipient through a document, spreadsheet or concept, and they can easily follow along. For instance, I can highlight certain document components (like a tax return), and my team member or client can be on the same page, literally.

It’s almost like we’re having a real-time conversation. Video can be a great time-saver, too. Videos are easy to record (three minutes is plenty). With a little practice, you’ll nail them on the first take. Meanwhile, the viewer/recipient can watch the video at their leisure and re-watch it — or slow down the playback speed — if they need to review something the presenter has said. I’ve found videos to be much more efficient than sending lots of emails back and forth or trying to play phone tag. 

Things to keep in mind

While helpful, video can sometimes hinder communication if you’re not diligent. For example, a mortgage broker working with one of my clients sent us a 15-minute video discussing various mortgage options. The video was way too long, didn’t reference any specific numbers, and didn’t have a specific recommendation. How would you feel if you received a 15-minute voicemail?  You’d never listen to the entire message. Nobody has that kind of attention span these days.

That’s not all. The broker’s “presentation” was monotonous. It was just 15 minutes of him rambling on. Two or three minutes would have been plenty. There were no visual aids such as graphics, tables or worksheets to help illustrate his points. There were no comparisons of the different mortgage options. Worst of all, there was no reason for the message to be in video format because he wasn’t making use of the medium.

It took the entire 15 minutes to figure out he wasn’t really giving us the answers we needed about mortgage options. Brutal. It was a classic case of “content” and “medium” being out of alignment. Instead, a phone call to my client would have been better. Or a brief email would have sufficed by simply saying, “You have two choices: A or B. Here’s what I recommend and why.”

Since the realtor wasn’t going through anything specific on the screen, video wasn’t helping his case — and it probably hurt him. Because the video was so long and didn’t deliver much value, my client and I were resentful that it used up so much of our time. Further, there was no interactivity in the broker’s video. 

If you’re making lots of assumptions in a long-format message, you might run into issues. As soon as you make the wrong assumptions, the client/viewer will disengage and assume the presenter doesn’t know what they’re talking about. That’s all the more reason to keep your videos brief and focused on a single point to make them most impactful. Finally, the broker’s video was poorly organized. It was essentially 15 minutes of “show up and throw up.” The broker just rambled and rambled without a logical flow.

Because you can express thoughts faster on video than you can by writing them out, you want to think carefully about what you want to say before you hit the “Play” button. 

A summary of video pitfalls

1. The realtor didn’t use the right medium. A conversation or email would have been more effective for his purposes.
2. The video was too long and didn’t use visual aids to break up the narrative.
3. There were too many moving parts requiring two-way dialogue (which wasn’t achieved with a one-way rambling lecture). 
4. The realtor wasn’t organized when he started the video.

Video best practices

1. Determine when video is the best medium to use. Do you want to share something visual? Do you want to walk through the numbers? Do you and the recipient need to get on the same page? Don’t use video just to look cool.
2. Keep it concise. Play out what you’re going to say before recording. Have bullet points or an outline at the ready. 
3. BLUF. Get to the point quickly (within the first 45 seconds). In the military they call it: “Bottom Line Up Front.” Then say: “The rest of this video is only if you want further details.”  
4. Have visual aids ready.
5. Include a text summary of the video’s key points when you send clients or team members a link to the video. Don’t just send an email saying: “Here’s a video for you.”
6. Offer to have a follow-up conversation to answer any questions they may have.

Don’t let the pitfalls described above discourage you from using video. It’s a powerful and compelling medium for communicating with your clients and your team. Just make sure you’re using it the right way. How are you using video at your firm? I’d love to hear from you.