As you might imagine, we spend a lot of time communicating on video. It's why we developed mmhmm in the first place, and we've learned a lot along the way. Some of those insights become new features, others become best practices for using mmhmm in our daily work.
To help you become a more effective communicator on video, we asked the folks on our team (along with a few friends) to share their best tips for getting the most out of mmhmm, whether that's moving a project forward, explaining a complex topic, or making a better connection with your audience.
Here are some of the creative ways we use mmhmm to improve every video.
Pick up the pace (and interest) with Overlays. Software engineering manager Ryan Warner is a master at connecting with colleagues through videos he records in mmhmm. Here, he explains how Overlays and title cards help him improve audience engagement, and how project updates and hobby videos help his colleagues get to know his work and his personality without having to meet in person.
Connect a second screen (or tablet) to show your work. Using a whiteboard app? Stay on screen with what you want to show so your audience can follow you while you write. Here, mmhmm’s Michael Perekupka (who happens to teach math in his spare time) writes out algebraic solutions using a ReMarkable 2 tablet while recording in mmhmm. The result: an easy-to-follow video that he can share out to the whole class.
Get people on board with a personal appeal. When I need to ask my colleagues to get involved with a project, I turn to video to help make my case. With recorded video, I can convey tone and nuance that a simple Slack message can’t—enthusiasm and urgency come through non-verbal cues that can only be shown with my voice and face.
Create pre-recorded segments for All Hands meetings. Keeping your entire company informed and included can be a big task. Instead of trying to schedule giant meetings across global time zones, Marketing manager Mary Pendleton puts together pre-recorded segments that people can watch whenever they want to. These short video segments help everyone keep each other up to date without the hassle of big-grid video conferencing.
Collaborate with remote colleagues. Working together in docs, design apps, or other parts of a project feels much more personal when you and your coworkers can see and hear each other. See how mmhmm’s Benjamin Raphael and Jessica Williams collaborate in real-time on a webinar script.
Interact with your content to enhance understanding. When you’re showing something a bit more complicated, it helps to be on screen so you can physically direct your audience’s attention exactly where you want it to go. Here, software engineer Matthias Gubler shows how he uses mmhmm to explain different elements in a complex diagram. Bonus: he can make these videos while traveling and share them asynchronously with his team.
Improve your look and sound with key equipment. Make major improvements to your video and audio quality with a few minor additions to your office setup. Here, Knowledge Manager Mitesh Rathod shows how he uses his iPhone, a green screen, and a cleverly clipped lavalier mic to turn his home office corner into a video studio.
Line up multiple screen shares ahead of time. When you want to show a browser window, a mobile app simulator, and a slide deck during a meeting, having to awkwardly hunt through your tabs and switch apps can break the rhythm of your presentation. Here, Alex Pachikov of Sunflower Labs (a studio company of All Turtles, our parent company) switches between slides and a live demo of his security drone footage without having to leave the screen:
As you can see, mmhmm is an invaluable companion anytime you need to be on camera. How do you use mmhmm for work? Share your best tips and tricks with the community at mmhmm.app/community.
