Onboarding video: plan the message before filming

Decide what the employee should understand after watching. A company introduction has a different purpose from instructions for a role-specific task. Choose the information relevant to the people who will use the video.

Keep the scope focused. The company's history, products, values and internal procedures do not all need to be covered in one film. Decide which part belongs in the video and which is easier to explain in a reference or conversation.

Write the message before recording. Use understandable language, explain unfamiliar terms and check the facts with the person responsible for the subject. Choose a style that fits the purpose, whether that is a filmed introduction or an animation.

Make the examples specific to your organisation. Avoid copying another company's welcome story or claiming a named company's video produced an outcome you cannot verify. Show the information the new employee actually needs.

This fictional script introduces a new implementation colleague to a financial data aggregator’s team contacts. It explains whom to meet and where to ask a question, using company-approved information.

Opening: “Welcome to the implementation team. During your first week, you’ll meet colleagues from implementation, support and engineering. Your buddy will help you find the right person when a question comes up.”

Explanation: “Use the team’s current onboarding plan to see your introductions and learning activities. If a meeting is missing or you cannot find the guidance you need, contact your manager so they can arrange the next step.”

Next step: “Bring one question from this video to your buddy conversation. Your manager will confirm the first task and the support available for it.”

Before filming, confirm the contacts and references with their owners. Keep operational instructions and system-access approvals in the company’s approved process. See onboarding for financial data aggregators for a related employee-journey example.

A video can give people a consistent introduction and let them revisit a section. It may show a place, person or process more directly than written information. The production work and future updates still need time and ownership.

Balance the format's strengths with its limits. Watching a video does not give the employee an opportunity to ask a question by itself, and it may not provide the practice needed for a task. Put those opportunities elsewhere in the plan.

Test the finished video on the devices and connection the employee is likely to use. Check the sound, presentation and access arrangements before sharing it. Give the material a central location so the person can return to it.

Provide captions and an accessible text alternative where needed to make the information usable. Keep a contact route beside the video for questions or a playback problem. Correct or replace the material when the information changes.

Decide what happens after the employee watches. A colleague might explain a process, the manager might discuss a value in the team's work, or the employee might bring a question to the next check-in.

The online onboarding guide explains how digital material can sit alongside personal contact. Use the 4 Cs of onboarding to review the area your video supports, then arrange the next activity that helps the employee use the information.