Ten years ago, the world was wowed by an unusual UPS commercial where an artist did whiteboard drawings of their services.
Six years ago, best-selling author Daniel Pink revealed a summary of his research on motivation in a mega-viewed (over 15 million) YouTube video experience that was dynamically crafted on whiteboard. In this 10-minute video, an artist’s hand draws simple images while a voiceover narrative explains Pink’s concepts.
Today, you can create your own whiteboard video in minutes.
TruScribe CEO Odeh Muhawesh and I recently talked about the power of content creation in this format. Muhawesh had a support person briefly coach me on the software and I created and posted a funny selling blunder (one of my own, I confess) called “Playing for Prospects.” It’s at my Got Influence YouTube channel if you want a peek at a special way to share a story (and if you want to laugh at an incredibly stupid mistake).
New ideas with a familiar tool
This tool isn’t brand new. But what Truscribe is doing with it is beyond brilliant. The software is made up of three elements. You first post the text you want to animate. The engine identifies words, about three seconds apart in order to have movement occur throughout the video. Second, you add the audio version of your text for voiceover. You can choose the good old robot voice (and there’s a female British accent that’s nice). You can also create the audio on the fly or you can upload an audio. I find it easiest and cleanest to record the audio with a free tool like Audacity. Third, you choose the images or “glyphs” that will be drawn during your video.
These glyphs are available in the software, tens of thousands, with multiple images from which to choose. However, you can also create your own to use.
This can all be done at the TruScribe website. If you’re more of a mobile person, the company has an iOS app called TruGlyph (Android version on the way). In this community, which happens to be attracting a great deal of artists, users build glyphs and score them as well as attach keywords — so that the software offers the right images to match your content.
Another language
Think about how wild this is. TruScribe is creating a new language. It’s being crowd-sourced. And it will grow faster and develop a following quicker than any language we’ve ever known. And this is a good thing for one simple reason: It improves the outcome of communication.
The main concept behind the use of whiteboarding is that it goes beyond just creating messaging and makes sure you are understood. This is the anchoring idea behind the mission of this company. They even have a whiteboard video on their website on the difference between just presenting content and being understood.
Muhawesh pointed out the science and the psychology of effective communication in this very unique format.
First, viewers are engaged with “viewer anticipation.” As the hand draws the image, your brain is trying to anticipate what the final form will be. Once it’s complete, you experience surprise and there’s a release of the pleasure chemical dopamine. How often does this happen when watching a typical talking head marketing video?
They are memorable, and that can lead to a significant viral experience where your viewers are evangelizing your product. How smart is that for conserving your marketing dollars while increasing the power of your exposure?
Neuroscience principles support the value of movement. Motion captures attention. Or as Muhawesh delightfully suggests, the brain is trained to see what moves for survival.
In a desert, one analyzes movement and wonders, “Can I eat it, will it eat me, or if neither, can I mate with it?”
More memorable messages
The more senses you engage, the more retention you experience. In whiteboarding you have imagery, words on screen, voiceover and movement. In a research project, Dr. Richard Wiseman at the University of Hertfordshire in England tested talking head video vs. whiteboarding the same content
in the classroom. The increase in memory with whiteboarding was 15 percent. How much better would classroom experiences be — or in our case training — if retention is improved?
Questions provide direction
Muhawesh, an adjunct professor in the Twin Cities, described a fellow professor of Greek archaeology who not only taught using whiteboarding, but required students to create their own whiteboard videos. Engagement is higher than it’s ever been. How much better, in a training environment, would our learners be if they can truly take ownership of content?
Story is scientifically proven to affect both emotions and attitude. Psychologists Melanie Green and Tim Brock call this narrative transportation theory. They suggest that when people lose themselves in a story, their attitudes and intentions change to reflect that story. Persuasion is best supported by the use of story. Could there be a more innocent and powerful way to motivate others than the use of a story?
Muhawesh and I had a surprising moment ourselves when I mentioned my sales training use of the story of Moses. This tale is embedded in Judaism, Christianity and Islamic traditions. Moses is looking at a burning bush. He’s experiencing a miracle and, of course, God happens to be hanging around. God asks Moses, “What’s that in your hand?” He’s God! Does he need the answer to any question? Of course not. The question is asked, for the purpose of the other person.
The sales training moment here is that a question gives direction to the conversation. You can take the dialogue down a path of your choosing by asking the buyer specific questions. Muhawesh says, “I use that Moses story in my speeches.”
You’ll be delighted to recognize the variety of other ways you can use whiteboarding. This is an exciting tool that can enhance your company’s presence in the marketplace. You can:
• Create marketing videos to put out front on your website.
• Reinforce training after the live experience by summarizing key learning as video.
• Provide tips on your website or YouTube channel to help people better understand and use your products or services.
• Use them as recruiting tools, especially if targeting millennial hires.
• Create a whitepaper in video format.
Best use that the TruScribe CEO shared with me: A major newspaper is creating summary whiteboard videos of their articles online, embedded with the text. Sadly, the days of relaxing with the paper are gone. People are too rushed to get the news. This is a great insight and a great move for that publication. When I asked Muhawesh who it was, he replied “Can’t share that. I’ll let them announce it, when they choose to.”
But here’s something that will take this unique marketing tool into the business stratosphere. And you can tell everyone you heard it here first: TruScribe is launching a Microsoft Office 365 integration add-in, so that wherever you are in Microsoft products, you can bring your message to life in minutes. That capability is expected to be available this year, possibly by the time this article is in print.
Take a test drive
Start playing with whiteboarding, today. Create your script. Draft a story that shows a successful outcome or helps viewers avoid a problem. Record it as if you were sharing it to a friend. Be dramatic, emotional — have fun. Your energy will enhance the animation. Get the right glyphs nailed down for your messaging. Get ready to publish!
One last thought once you begin building your video: Don’t forget a call to action. You want viewers to take a next step and make sure you clearly define what you expect or ask them to do.
I’d love your feedback, especially after you’ve had a chance to play with whiteboarding.
Dan Seidman of GOT INFLUENCE? is the author of the “Ultimate Guide to Sales Training.” He received the International Sales Training Leader of the Year in 2013. Dan is a three-time gold medalist in the World Masters Games, playing basketball for the U.S. Like all elite athletes and sales pros, he hates losing more than he loves winning. Is your sales training truly improving sales team performance? It’s time to redesign! Contact Dan at Dan@GotInfluenceInc.com or 847-359-7860.
