List of questions in a storyfile script from the Conversa Builder tab

By Kia Hays (SVP of Studio & Content) & Jonathan Cicoski (Content Specialist), StoryFile

No two use cases are the same-and, therefore, no two storyfile scripts will ever be fully identical. Creating a script for a five-day life history with a notable public figure will require a different approach than creating a FAQ script for a series of products and services.

At the core of each of these cases, though, is the same fundamental goal–to acquire information via a conversation. And to that point, we have identified five broad principles that should be followed when creating any script for conversational video.

The five principles

  1. Determine your audience and use case
  2. Understand your end user’s knowledge in your approach to scripting questions
  3. Make your questions open-ended
  4. Write questions and responses that can stand on their own
  5. Know your priorities

#1 - DETERMINE YOUR AUDIENCE AND USE CASE

  • Who will be interacting with your storyfile?
  • What does a successful interaction mean for your end user?
  • How is your end user going to interact with this storyfile?
  • What scaffolding is needed so your end user knows the scope of the conversation?
  • How do you provide that context for your end user?

#2 - UNDERSTAND YOUR END USER’S KNOWLEDGE

  • Are questions written in a way that any end user, regardless of knowledge, could still access that response?
  • What information would an end user need to know to ask the question as it’s written?
  • Is the language of the response and question written from the perspective of a subject matter expert?
  • How can an end user be guided towards questions, as needed?

#3 - MAKE YOUR QUESTIONS OPEN-ENDED AND BROAD

  • Would the response to your scripted question only make conversational sense if it begins in a particular way?
  • Does the question lead the subject to respond in a certain manner, or could they respond in the way most important to them?
  • What information, knowledge, stories, resources, etc. do you intend to prompt with your scripted question?

#4 - WRITE QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES THAT CAN STAND ON THEIR OWN

  • Does the response prompt or lead to additional follow-up questions?
  • Could the scripted question be asked by any end user?
  • What context or scaffolding is necessary to ask the question?
  • Does the response make conversational sense to an end user if this is the first question they’ve asked?

#5 - KNOW YOUR PRIORITIES

  • Is your scope aligned to the amount of time you’ll have to film the storyfile?, i.e. are the number of questions scripted accomplishable within your schedule?
  • What contingencies are needed for when/if obstacles arise while filming?
  • Are responses written with a maximum 60 second length guideline in mind?

Happy storyfiling!