Step by step 5 steps

1. 1

   Step 1 of 5

   Build your script

   Pick 3–5 internal documents that new hires or clients always read.

   • Mission statement
   • Onboarding checklist
   • Tool setup guide
   • Team directory
   • Role-specific processes or workflows

   Drop each file into Claude or ChatGPT with this prompt:

   Copy

   Turn this into a two to three-minute training video script for an AI-generated avatar. Include timestamps and shots. Only include text overlays with bullets. The avatar can be seated, standing, head-on, etc.

   💡 Pro tip: Break each document into simple concepts like “How we use Slack” or “Notion setup guide.”

2. 2

   Step 2 of 5

   Save the script

   Copy the final script from Claude or ChatGPT. Open a text editor, such as VS Code, Notepad, or TextEdit, and paste it in.

   Save the file as [your-topic]-script.txt. Synthesia requires either a TXT or PDF file, so do not skip this step.

3. 3

   Step 3 of 5

   Create the video in Synthesia

   Go to Synthesia.io and log in to your account. The source guide found that the Starter plan was good for 8–9 videos.

   • Click Create New Video.
   • Choose Create from AI. The source guide found this works better than using templates.
   • Drag and drop your .txt script file into the upload area.
   • Set the duration to match your script.

   Click the Objective and Audience buttons in the sidebar. This is important for getting a useful result.

   • Objective: Describe what the video teaches, such as “Onboarding training for new team members on our communication workflow.”
   • Audience: Describe who the viewer is, such as “New team members joining our marketing department.”
   • Language: English, or your chosen language.

   

4. 4

   Step 4 of 5

   Review scenes and add your logo

   Pick a clean-looking template. Any professional-looking option should work, regardless of how it is named.

   Click Create Outline. Synthesia will lay out your scene outlines with descriptions and bullets.

   Review the outline carefully. Once the video is generated, you will not be able to edit it.

   

   Click Continue when you are ready. You will see a detailed outline with preview images.

   

   💡 Pro tip: If you click Open in Editor, you can swap in your own logo into the template.

   

5. 5

   Step 5 of 5

   Generate and export the video

   When you are happy with the outline and scenes, click Generate.

   Remember: once you click Generate, those tokens are spent and you cannot edit the video anymore.

   

   The video will take 10–25 minutes to generate. In the source guide’s experience, generation time usually came in under Synthesia’s prediction.

   When your video is ready, you have two options:

   • Download the video as an MP4.
   • Create an embed link.

   Always download the MP4s as backups. Using MP4s instead of embed links also means you can cancel your subscription and save money.

   💡 Pro tip: If you are embedding in Notion, Synthesia videos show up with chapters and captions, so your team can watch right in Notion without leaving.

Background and context

Who This Is Useful For

• Ops managers who spend 4–6 hours every quarter walking new hires through the same processes.
• Founders or team leads with SOPs in Google Drive that people do not read and recurring questions in Slack.
• Course creators or consultants who want to turn written frameworks into video modules without investing in a production setup.

What You Will Build

You will build a complete onboarding course library with 4–5 AI-narrated training videos.

• Short training video scripts adapted from existing documents.
• Synthesia talking-head videos narrated by an AI avatar.
• MP4 backups or embed links for sharing the videos.

What You Need

• Synthesia account ($29/month).
• 3–5 existing documents you want to convert.
• Claude or ChatGPT to write scripts; a free account is fine.

Going Further

• Repeat the process with the other documents you pulled, then embed all of the videos into one Notion page or Google Doc to create a one-page onboarding hub. You can also use Synthesia templates to create interactive videos and quizzes, but those cannot be downloaded and must stay embedded, so you will need an active Synthesia subscription for them to keep working.