This paper outlines four principles for preparing multimedia instructional sequences and, where necessary, the experimental methods for applying the principles successfully. Covered first are the criteria for good terminology for unfamiliar objects, actions, and situations, with methods for deriving such terminology. In the next section guidelines are set forth for overlapping visual and spoken elements in time so as to enable students to form good associations. After a discussion of the rationale behind dividing instructional units into conceptual units that are in agreement with people's natural conceptualization, a method is presented for determining students' natural conceptualization. Addressed in the final section are procedures for combining audiovisual instruction with hands-on practice in a learning procedure. The paper includes specific instructional procedures as well as discussions of the empirical experiments on which the principles are based. (MN)