Video is a fast, visual, engaging way to introduce your team members to each other, and to highlight the great work that they do. In this post, we’ve come up with a few ideas to help you get beyond the typical interview format to create dynamic team videos.
1. Get team members to explain their jobs
We often don’t fully understand the roles and contributions of the people on our teams, especially when those teams are sizable or remote. Use video as an occasion for team members to share what they do on a day-to-day basis, and to help others understand how it fits in with the bigger picture.
2. Field new or interesting ideas
Great ideas are likely to go unappreciated and unrealized if they never get a platform for publicity. Let video be that platform. When a great idea pops up, record team members explaining it and its potential benefits on video, and share with the team to get constructive feedback. Enabling commenting on the video is a great way to easily gather input.
3. Share presentations
When someone from your team gives a presentation at an event, record it and share it with the rest of the company. This can help to keep team members invested in goings-on beyond their daily grind.
4. Highlight achievements
If someone on your team receives an award or honor in a public forum, take the opportunity to highlight it with video. This is a great way to show appreciation and maybe garner a bit of healthy competition.
5. Put products in the hands of designers
Who is better qualified to discuss the benefits and features of products than the product designers themselves? Have designers tell the story behind company products, focusing on what they think is most interesting or important, for product videos.
6. Interview off-site
We often only see each other in an office setting, although much of the real work might go on in other environments. When possible, capture team members doing their jobs out in the field. You don’t necessarily need a large production crew, either. Read these tips for producing high quality videos on your own if you’re flying solo.
7. Tell stories, don’t answer questions
The standard interview format can easily seem stale. Instead, encourage your interviewee to reveal their personality by getting them to tell a story about a recent experience on the job or a notable moment in their career. To make sure you get the best possible footage, read these tips for getting a great interview on camera.
8. Be a fly on the wall
Rather than an interview, consider getting more candid, fly-on-the-wall footage of team members on the job, giving a behind the scenes look at their daily grind. This works particularly well for animated, convivial working environments.
9. Have a contest
Ask team members to create their own videos toward a common goal (like introductions or product showcasing). If you want great videos, offer a great prize!
10. Video reports
To contribute to team solidarity, ask departments to submit short videos reporting on their progress on major projects or on a quarterly basis for the benefit of the whole team. Or, make sure periodic video messages from higher ups are accessible to all team members – especially important for large organizations or those with remote teams.
Have you used video to introduce your team? We’d love to hear about it. Leave any comments or questions below, or tweet to us!
