Importance of the Video: Completion Backwards Principle

Importance of the Video: Completion Backwards Principle

by Johnny Koeller

So I’m trying again to explain the importance of the video component for corporate meetings to a new client, and they ask why there even needs to be video at meetings anymore. For me there are four key reasons to use video. To “Inspire”, “Motivate”, “Educate” and “Entertain”. Let’s throw out “Entertain” right away. This might have been an acceptable way to spend shareholder money in the 90s but not anymore. The other three however can have a lasting effect on your people and your bottom line. Over the next few weeks I’d like to share my ideas, maybe even so far as to call them philosophies, about the way I use video to enhance information retention.

The completion backwards principle! Yes it’s a Tubes album from the 80’s (revisit it if you get a chance) but it’s also the phrase I use when in the first creative meetings with clients regarding video. The conversations go something like this…

Client:

We have $15,000 for a video and we need by the 20^th of the month because we load in the show the next week and the projection guys want to make sure it plays.

Me:

What’s the video about?

Client:

I just told you $15,000.

This is when I go into my “Completion backwards” thing. The idea here is to start at the end and the end for me is not what it’s going to cost but what you want the audience to do or feel or want after they watch the video. What is the “call to action”?

The way media costs today you can’t just produce a video and hope for the best. You need a plan, a story, a theme, focus on these to get your message across and make it stick.  Do we want to motivate, educate, inspire or a combination of the 3. You need to know what you want the outcome to be before you start hiring cameramen, sound guys and make up artists.

Photo Credit: p_a_h