Humor Has a Place in Videos: If Obama Can Poke Fun at Himself in Online Videos So Can You

Professional videos don’t have to be serious to be taken seriously. President Obama used online videos during his campaign and he even used You Tube to make the official announcement that he was running for re-election. However, unlike former politicians and a lot of professional online videos, Obama has had a bit of fun with his online clips. Check out the video from the 2011 Online Correspondents' Dinner. The fact that this clip has received more than 8 million views should prove the power of a little humor in your videos. So how do you create humor in your video while retaining your professionalism and getting your message across? Here are some tips: • Consider taking acting lessons, a comedy class or ask a professional who has produced or directed funny pieces in the past for some tips. • What are you going to wear in your clip? Pull together some costumes or props. • Write a short and funny script or have one created. Run the jokes by colleagues and see if they deem them both funny and appropriate for the work environment. • Keep your first video under five minutes. • Stats show that you only have 10 seconds to capture the viewers attention, so get a joke in quickly to entice them to watch further. • Stuck on ideas? Try brainstorming with some of your funniest friends. • Don’t offend anyone with your jokes. Avoid ‘jokes’ with a racial or gender slant. • Upload your video onto your computer, and then online. Through sites such as YouTube, millions of people will have viewing access to your funny video. Alternatively, you can post your video on social networking sites like Facebook (www.facebook.com). The bottom line is if a politician can make a funny video, so can you. Don’t assume that all professional videos should be dry. If you add in some humor, there is a better chance people will watch and circulate your video.