Take Two: Improve Your Video Storytelling Skills

Joel Philippsen, Digital Marketing Coordinator at Columbus Regional Health

Joel Philippsen, Digital Marketing Coordinator at Columbus Regional Health, believes in learning from his mistakes.

“Video storytelling skills are developed over time. There are a lot of variables, and regardless of how much you prepare, don’t expect to get it completely right your first time. Over the years I’ve found techniques and situations that work well and others that don’t work out so well. The key is learning from those experiences that don’t work out as planned,” he says.

At the outset, Philippsen recommends keeping your objective simple: “One of the first things I would recommend prior to working on a video project is to define the purpose or scope of the project.”

He also emphasizes the importance of good preparation, recalling one shoot in which he found out on short notice that he would have to be both the patient interviewer and the camera operator. “I wasn’t able to devote as much attention to sound and visuals as I would have liked,” he recalls.

In our new story, as a learning exercise, Philippsen shares one of his video projects and deconstructs what happened behind the scenes—and what he would do differently this time around: Video Storytelling and Patient Testimonials for Healthcare Marketing: Learning from Experience and What I Would Do Differently.

Plus, in a new feature article, Jane Weber Brubaker followed up with him to learn more about the nuances of storytelling, tips for interviewing patients, technical considerations, and best practices for running a smooth production. She also found some great tips for using an iPhone to shoot video (in a video shot with an iPhone). Read her article here: Video Patient Testimonials: The Power of Storytelling in Healthcare Marketing.

Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President