Get the notes:
AI presenters & visuals: AI-generated presenters are ideal for introductions and summaries but need strong visual support to effectively convey complex information.
Visuals should align with narration: Use images, animations, and key phrases that reinforce both emotional and informational messages. Visuals should tell the same story as the audio.
Synchronized timing is key: Ensure that visuals and audio are presented simultaneously to prevent confusion and enhance learning retention.
Keep narration conversational: Simple, conversational language helps viewers process information more easily, especially when explaining complex topics.
Avoid redundancy: Do not display full narration as on-screen text, as this redundancy can confuse viewers and hinder learning.
Following these best practices leads to engaging and effective training videos that enhance retention and understanding.
In Part 1, we celebrated the arrival of AI-generated video for smaller businesses, making professional-looking video accessible to those who previously didn’t have the resources. We concluded that AI presenters are perfect for building connection and delivering intros, transitions, and summaries in a personable way—but less ideal for delivering complex information.
That said, presenter and voice-over videos can effectively explain complex topics when supported by the right visuals and guided by best practices.
What are the best practices?
Before the internet revolutionized self-directed learning, corporate training videos were a staple, and large organizations often had dedicated video production teams. Over time, guided by advertising and media industries, best practices emerged for video use in training, validated later by research in neuroscience and learning theory.
These time-tested best practices still hold strong today, and ignoring them can undermine the effectiveness of your video content.
Make your visuals tell the story
Visuals, such as:
images
animations/video clips
text phrases
bullet points
...should work in harmony with the narration, whether delivered by an AI presenter or voice-over. Well-chosen visuals anchor key points and reinforce both the informational and emotional message. Emotional alignment is crucial. If one image feels "right" while another seems decorative, it's likely because its emotional content resonates with the message you're conveying. Choose visuals with the same care you apply to crafting the emotional objectives of your video.
Phrases and bullet points should underscore the key ideas. Use too many, and they lose impact. Use too few, and you risk key concepts slipping away without reaching long-term memory. Simply saying something isn’t enough to ensure retention.
Here’s a quick test: mute the audio. If your video still conveys its message without sound, you’ve done a great job. You can see this concept in action by watching TV ads on mute—good ones still deliver a punch. Aim for the same impact.
Timing matters
Effective videos are built on a partnership between visuals and audio. When they compete, everyone loses. The key to a clear, instructional video often lies in how well the visuals and audio sync.
Here’s the essence:
Use key phrases from the narration in your visuals.
Keep text brief—prefer phrases over full sentences, unless you need viewers to memorize a sentence.
Reveal visuals in the same order they’re discussed in the audio.
When audio and visuals align, the brain processes the message simultaneously through both inputs, helping it flow smoothly into long-term memory. Mismatch them, and viewers experience dissonance, with the brain forced to choose whether to focus on audio or visuals—resulting in lost information.
So, is it a good idea to display the entire narration as on-screen text to “double the impact”? Absolutely not. Studies show that this type of redundancy hinders learning. Viewers will either read the text and ignore the narration, or focus on the audio and overlook the visuals.
Plus, it doesn’t look great. Just don’t do it.
Keep narration conversational
Whether you’re using an AI presenter or a digital voice-over, the most effective scripts are conversational. The more complex the material, the simpler and more direct your language should be.
Conversational, straightforward language is easier for the brain to process than formal, complex wording—especially when heard. This holds true regardless of the educational level of your audience. Complex, "business speak" might look impressive on paper, but it can be a barrier in spoken form.
In short, keep your presenter sounding human—not like a recitation of a white paper.
One final tip
Write your narration and visuals together. This ensures that they align perfectly and reinforce each other. Adjust both as needed until they work seamlessly as a cohesive storytelling team.
Your goal, as Maya Angelou put it, is "… to write it so that people hear it, and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart."
At Strategy to Revenue, our design and development team brings expertise in both media production and learning design. We use instructional design principles to structure our courses, paired with the best practices that make media and advertising so effective. The result? Engaging, impactful, and surprisingly budget-friendly e-learning solutions.
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