< Back to all posts
Corporate Training and Video: A Match Made in Heaven
“I’m so excited about my first day of onboarding at my new job! And the best part is, I get to read hundreds of pages of training guides and policy manuals! Awesome!”
(Said no new hire EVER.)
Presenting new employees with a deluge of printed training materials is a sure-fire way to sap their enthusiasm. Conducting in-person training sessions works better, but it can be impractical to offer such instruction every time a new staff member is brought into the fold.
The solution? Corporate video training.
It’s an engaging way to present important information to trainees (and newly-promoted employees). Plus, it’s a much more convenient educational tool than classroom-style training, and people can view these videos anytime on their computers. So it’s easy to see why video is eclipsing other corporate training methods around the world.
Why Video Works
The main reason why companies are turning to video training is because of its results. Psychology Today reported that a human brain processes video about 60,000 times faster than it does text. And corporate training videos are especially effective at delivering information that sticks in the employees’ minds. In fact, 95% of audio-visual content is retained on average, as compared to 65% of visual-only content and just 10% of textual content. This paradigm holds true for both new information and content that reinforces prior messaging.
The Same Message Every Time
Another major advantage of corporate video training is its ability to standardize the delivery of information. When training is left to individual managers and supervisors, each employee may get a somewhat different learning experience from their peers in other departments or those who were trained in the past. Even classroom-style presentations can differ over time based on who the instructor is, which equipment is working properly at the time of the session, and other factors. But with training videos, employees receive the exact same curriculum, information, and messaging, thereby ensuring a more uniform training process for the company.
Accessible Anyplace, Anytime
When a library of training videos is assembled and stored on a computer network, the information can be easily accessed whenever it is needed. This allows employees to complete their training at their desks and at their own pace. If the video library is uploaded to a cloud-based server, employees can even view the videos on their mobile devices wherever they are. This feature is especially helpful for companies whose employees work remotely or spend a great deal of time offsite.
5 Tips on Producing Effective Corporate Training Videos
If you’re thinking about implementing corporate video training for your company, here are some suggestions to consider.
1. Plan training strategies and objectives thoroughly.
Like any training program, you must decide which information must be presented and how to structure its delivery. Do you want to produce one long video or several shorter ones? In what order should the subject matter be presented? How should the topics be divided up? What messages are the most important ones to be imparted to trainees?
2. Tailor your training to the specific audience.
When this aspect is ignored, the end result is often training videos where employees don’t understand the information or must wade through the superfluous material to glean what they need to know. So be cautious not to rely on undefined jargon or C-suite lingo to train front-line employees or middle managers. Try to package the information so that it appeals to employees who favor different learning methods and have varying literacy levels.
3. Concentrate on delivering engaging content.
It can often be difficult to deliver dry or technical information to an audience. But with video, you aren’t limited to showing a trainer on-camera talking about the material. Instead, you can employ graphics, animation, charts, graphs, and other visual aids to complement the spokesperson footage. In addition, you can take different approaches with video that are designed to illustrate important points or topics, such as using humor, emotional appeals, or role-playing.
4. Give some thought to your on-camera presenters.
Some people are experts at what they do but abysmal at teaching others how to do it. So don’t automatically insert your longest-tenured employee, a departmental executive, or a human resources employee into your training video if they can’t effectively deliver their message in a concise and understandable way. In many cases, you’re better off turning to professional presenters or voice actors to convey information, especially if it is complex or cumbersome.
5. Consider the end user.
Last but not least, you should spend some time thinking about how the video will be used as a training device. Will it help to follow the structure of other training materials like manuals and procedure details? Should you insert pauses in the video during which trainees can find information or work out problems for themselves? Do you wish to include “video quizzes” or similar evaluative segments throughout or at the end of the video? The more user-friendly the training video is, the better that trainees will retain its essential messages.
The Future of Video Training
As technology continues to advance, video training shows no signs of becoming obsolete. In addition to mobile-friendly platforms, some companies are embracing what is known as microlearning, which involves producing a series of periodic short videos that emphasize specific topics in an easily-digestible format. Gamification elements are also trickling into video training, giving employees opportunities to compete against one another by watching online videos and completing virtual content. In the future, we might even see training videos presented in an augmented reality format to provide a more immersive learning experience for employees.
If you’re going to invest the time in creating corporate training videos, you shouldn’t entrust someone using a camera phone, random co-workers, and free editing software to assemble a video that delivers vital information to trainees. Instead, make sure that you partner with an experienced video production company with the expertise to portray your messaging in an engaging manner which achieves your company’s training objectives. Otherwise, you might wind up with a subpar training video that works no better than a two-inch thick policy manual in properly training your workforce.
Thinking about producing a corporate training video? Get a quote from us today!
Ashley, thanks for the good article supporting corporate video. You lay out an effective case that managers can take to their bosses, when fighting for budget. As a former and sometimes video writer-producer myself , you are preaching to the choir.
Other ideas:
* Subtly build in a management case for refreshed iterations of the subject as initiatives and mgt. changes.
* Each year make the case for a standout humorous series that captures the culture, the zeitgeist of the dept. or company.
Where are you based? I’m in San Francisco. Again, good article.