How to write an online lesson script

Learning how to write a lesson script is like cooking: you can follow a recipe word for word, work from a rough outline and improvise along the way, or do it all from memory. They all work, you can end up with practically the same final product with any of them, and it all comes down to your skill in specific areas. There is no right or wrong. But for those of you who would like a formula, here is a general outline of how to write a lesson script. Preparing a lesson can involve an absurd level of detail and planning, depending on your style. At Escola de Polímatas, we alternate for our content between lessons scripted word for word and an outline (a base structure). I've also taught and recorded without writing a script, and it worked great, but to make things more predictable, we chose to write scripts with at least a topic structure.

What is a lesson script and why learn how to write one?

Thinking about how to write a lesson script should involve the content that will be taught in that lesson. You can do it in a storyboard format, where you even plan what should happen in the video edit, noting what should appear on screen. In its most basic version, it's a text with what should be said. You can add markers in your text for intonation (a questioning tone, a joking tone, a more serious tone) and also for gestures or cursor movements, if it involves recording yourself or your screen. A script, then, is nothing more than a description of what will happen in your lesson: the audio, the video, the recording and so on. When you create this information structure, your later work gets much easier, because you don't have to stop and think. You've already done all of that at once. That makes you more efficient and saves time. Shall we take a closer look at how to structure and write your first script?

Basic structure of a lesson script

We've said this a few times, but it's worth repeating: have the objectives of the lesson. We usually write them as a description like a tweet (second column of the table below) or as a list of points (third column). Here's a simple example. Table 01

Your first lesson script

The structure of a script isn't very different from an ordinary essay: introduction, premise, argument and conclusion. For educational content, though, you will follow the events of instruction. As a reminder:

1. Gain attention (reception)
2. Inform learners of the objective (expectation)
3. Stimulate recall of prior learning (retrieval)
4. Present the stimulus (selective perception)
5. Provide learning guidance (semantic encoding)
6. Elicit performance (responding)
7. Provide feedback (reinforcement)
8. Assess performance (retrieval)
9. Enhance retention and transfer (generalization) Not every lesson needs every event, and it depends a bit on the content. For modules with more practice, events 6 to 9 work very well. For consecutive lessons involving theory, you can better reinforce the chain of content with events 3 to 5. Either way, think about the following structure: Table 02 | Part | What it should have | Associated event | | :---- | :---- | :---- | | Opening | Welcome; What they will learn (abstract use) | Gain attention; Inform learners of the objective | | Context | Where it will be used (concrete use); Prior knowledge | Inform learners of the objective (expectation); Stimulate recall of prior learning | | Content | The explanation of the content itself; Exercises; Show the practice | Present the stimulus (selective perception); Provide learning guidance (semantic encoding) | | Key learning | Make the central point of the lesson very clear; May involve a trick of the trade | Provide feedback (reinforcement); Assess performance (retrieval) | | Closing | Summary of what was learned | Enhance retention and transfer (generalization) | If you want to add your personal branding, you can give names to each of these parts. The summary can be called a "catch," as we've seen done. The theory part, as we do here at Poly, is called "Let me draw it out." You can create a unique greeting for your videos, for example, or even always have catchphrases in the middle of your videos to convey your personality.

Starting your document

With the whole structure explained, in your document you should write out each of the parts, for example, by listing the topics from the third column of Table 01. Your document will look like this:

Lesson 03: What is customer service Text here. Definition of customer service: Text here. Why customer service matters today: Text here. How customers perceive customer service: Text here. Conclusion: Text here. Now you just fill in the content where it says "Text here." As mentioned before, you can use markers and comments to specify what should happen in your recording or editing. For example, we use pink to specify that a video should appear while the line is spoken, green if it is a concept that should appear on screen and yellow if it is a full quote that should appear. For example: Lesson 03: What is customer service Definition of customer service: Today there is a lot of talk about people's experience with your brand. It has a lot to do with your brand's promise, the feeling or improvement in life you want to give people. Do you want them to feel good about themselves, like a clothing brand? To have a fun time with friends or family, like a pizzeria? Do you want them to learn something, like a course school? To have a memorable moment, like a dinner? We talk about your customer's journey because they will interact with several touchpoints throughout their relationship with your company, even if it's a pizza delivery (joke), an area where I have a lot of experience as a consumer. The person visits the website, places the order by phone, receives it from the delivery person and opens the box. All of these are points of interaction, in a short conversation. We use parentheses for narration notes, to mark intonation. In the example above, for instance, there is a joke. So that it doesn't sound serious, it says "(joke)," which lets me change my posture.

Tips for writing well when you write a lesson script

Now that you're about to write your first lesson script for an online course, let's talk about writing techniques. The first tip is to have a style guide. Every well-thought-out brand and identity has a standard for how it speaks, a verbal identity. Is there a set of words you always say? Catchphrases? Something that is characteristic of you or that you would like to reinforce? In our lesson script documents, we have a checklist of keywords and phrases that are repeated, to give a sense of unity and cohesion across all texts. This will reinforce your brand in the long run. Of course, you shouldn't insert them at every comma, or it gets tiring. Think of including them at most once every 300 words. Even if you have this structure, we'd say to always start the base content from scratch in a new document. Add those phrases in a second pass. Right now, focus on following the structure of the events of instruction, which is harder to change later. The phrases are easier.

Don't miss the chance to study your content

You may be an excellent salesperson or designer, but you inevitably have your biases and quirks. So even if you're sure you have a unique vision and know your target audience, take some time to study the content and look for references outside what you're used to. This will do wonders for your content and credibility. Of course, for shorter content you might just have a text lesson with references. Otherwise, it's worth backing your content with external references, blog posts, book recommendations and videos from other authorities.

Organize topics in order of progression

Think about this: how can you arrange topics from the simplest to the most complex? For the most complex ones, try to supplement with materials that can enrich them or offer new perspectives on the same theme. For example, when explaining color theory, you can start with primary colors, then secondary and tertiary. So far, simple content. Next, you'll want to talk about harmonizing colors. Since this is obviously very visual content, you can add a color wheel, videos illustrating combinations, photos with examples and so on. Finally, you can close by talking about temperature, contrast, color blindness and subjects that involve more complex concepts. See? Some content can be explained through a single medium (narration), then you move to a concept that is helped by other media. You end with one that is practically impossible to understand with a single medium, so a combination of them is needed. Plan this when you write your lesson script.

Minimum text structures

Before we close this tips section, I'd say to write shorter sentences. Don't write many sentences that go over 30 words. Likewise, a section shouldn't have more than 300 words. In other words, subdivide your text into sections to separate the content better. Of course, these are general tips, not unbreakable rules. I'm not going to argue against adverbs, long words or jargon here, because that depends on your style and your audience. There is a wave of instructional design gurus who say never to use jargon and to communicate simply. Our advice: if you use technical terms and your audience knows them, fine. If they don't, use them, but explain them. We don't like going for the simplistic just to avoid more robust terms, as if our audience were less capable.

Review

Finally, review. Review, review, review. We at Poly review our content at least three times and mistakes still slip through. After you finish your lesson script, let a few days pass before reviewing it, so you can overcome reading blindness, the inability to spot mistakes or inconsistencies because you've been reading the same text for too long. Ideally, you would hire a proofreader. You have no idea how many mistakes the average writer can make. At a later stage, you can narrate your own text to see whether what you wrote really makes sense and whether the intonations are well marked. Check whether your text actually achieves your objectives. Once your review is done, move on to recording! Voilà, you have your first lesson script. Over time, of course, you'll refine your techniques and understand what works best for you and your writing style. Practice will also teach you how to prepare your script better for recording. But the goal of this lesson was for you to feel more capable of recording your first script.

Writing a lesson script is about more than sharing knowledge

Planning and writing a lesson script for an online course is like rehearsing what you'll cook before starting the work, so it's a great chance to anticipate failures and inconsistencies. Even so, when it's time to see how it goes, some things can happen. It's important to be sensitive and flexible enough to notice them and deal with those situations. That way you learn and improve for next time. More experienced online teachers and education influencers tend to do this more naturally, so we suggest you plan moments of reflection after each script you write and each recording you make. Planning a script well will not only help you deliver your content with more confidence but also make sure you help your students reach their goals. It also serves your own comfort and personal confidence. We're sure it will be a fantastic experience to start creating your first online course.