People prefer video content. They say a picture is worth a thousand words; in that scenario, a video is worth a million. As an employer or an HR representative, you can use videos to conduct an elaborate training process with minimal resources and maximal effectiveness. Still, how does one make videos capable of doing all of this? Here are some ideas to help you out!
1. Create great training videos
The first thing you need to do is learn how to create training videos. Every video is a piece of content, but this particular piece of content serves a purpose. The content has an agenda behind it and a call to action interwoven.
First, you need to learn how to write a script. It needs to cover all the relevant points and avoid any redundancies. The language should be clear, and any relevant technical jargon should be promptly clarified. A script generator can help you write a script by providing you with a template and prompts to help you structure your thoughts and ideas.
There are also certain technical standards that you don’t want to deviate from. Visual quality will determine the immersiveness of your videos. This is why you need high-end technical equipment and expertise to use it.
The most important thing about these videos is consistency. You’re not producing just one video — you’re making a series of videos. They need to be of the same quality and have consistent branding. Utilizing your brand assets in these videos will increase employee loyalty and help you get more out of your onboarding project.
Make sure to gather feedback for all the content that you create. You want the viewers (your employees) to give you their honest thoughts about the content. More importantly, since this is a training process, you’ll also have other, more objective ways to assess the effectiveness of these videos.
2. Add captions
When it comes to training videos, you must always think about inclusivity. Some of your staff members are hard of hearing or even completely deaf, so for fairness, you must add captions to all your videos.
It’s not just about fairness. The majority of people prefer to watch videos without sound. This is not just the case in public but at home. Therefore, you need to make this option accessible to your staff.
Then, there’s the fact that getting captions is easier than ever before. You should read more about video-to-text platforms and services in order to delve deeper into this topic. Via the help of AI algorithms, NLP, and sophisticated captioning technology, you can get better instant captions than ever before.
You must also think about the convenience. Every learning material needs to be available on demand. Your employees need to have it accessible even in the workplace. There, they should be able to play the video even in the office without disrupting the rest of their coworkers.
Finally, some parts of the video are hard to hear. This is especially true if technical terms are involved, or it’s not everyone’s first language. This is where captions may be quite helpful.
3. Split it into short (digestible) segments
The best way to approach this topic is to split it into short segments. Sure, your employees can sit through an hour-long presentation if they have to, but how long will it take them to doze off? More importantly, what will they remember once the video is over?
Ideally, you should split this into short, digestible segments. This way, they can approach this concept through interval learning. They can also split it into micro-lessons or episodes, but how do you make this split?
The simplest way to approach this issue is to start with goals. Every segment needs to stick to a single topic. For this to work, you must plan and set learning objectives. Then, you need to create an outline.
Even if the content is already produced, you can analyze it and add transition points later.
You can map this out on a storyboard or stick with an old-school script. Generally speaking, having a roadmap for any training process is generally a great idea. After all, if you will segment your video or even show/upload them episodically, you need some sort of editorial calendar. Enhance the learning experience by creating a concept map to visualize the segmented training journey. This strategic approach ensures that each segment aligns with specific goals, allowing for effective interval learning and a well-structured editorial calendar for episodic content delivery.
Remember that, while separate, they still represent a whole unit. Therefore, you also want to make an intro and a recap.
4. Enhance it with interactive elements
The biggest problem of video as a didactic vessel is that it’s a one-way medium, even though it’s one of the most effective ways of expression. Your employees are the message’s recipients, but they’re not sending anything back. This is why you need to enhance your videos with interactive elements to get more out of them.
For instance, you can introduce quizzes and assessments between segments to check how much they’ve been following thus far. The thing is that when they know that they’re evaluated, they’ll pay more attention to the content. Otherwise, they won’t have much incentive to follow every single frame.
By asking them to fill in the blanks, you can actually involve them in the process and improve their problem-solving abilities, in general.
Then, there are interactive simulations that are quite effective as a learning too. You should try it all out and see what works best for you.
5. Make it mobile friendly
The most important thing you must understand is that your staff will watch these videos on different devices. Sure, the premiere may be on the big screen (a sheet and a projector), etc. however, you later need to upload these videos so that your staff may watch them on their phones and personal computers.
Let’s face it, most of your employees will watch these videos via their phones. So, you need to find a way to make this content more mobile-friendly. Here are a few things you can do:
- Make a responsive design: This way, the resolution will adapt to the screen size.
- Pick a mobile-friendly format: MP4 or WebM works best.
- Pick a readable font for captions: This complements one of our previous talking points.
- Make video clickable: The play button should be large, and the rest of the interactive elements, as well.
- Shorter video format: Mobile videos are generally supposed to be shorter. This goes along perfectly with our earlier suggestion about digestible segments.
Ultimately, it doesn’t cost you much to make a video mobile friendly. Moreover, it aligns perfectly to most of our previous tips, which means that you don’t have to deviate too much from the general direction in which you’re already heading.
6. Simulate real-life scenarios
Contextual learning is one of the most important parts of any training process. The reason why it’s so relevant is that it immediately attaches relevance to the learning material. You’re not only teaching people a new skill, but you’re also actually showing them why this is relevant.
You can incorporate this in one of two ways:
- You can first show the example (usually a bad one), then break down the video. This way, your staff will turn on their analytical minds to process the information you’ve presented them with. Then, you can run the video again.
- Second, you can give them a theoretical background first and then show them an example. This way, they’ll know what they’re looking for, and the video will make more sense. Also, they’ll be more attentive while watching, meaning no detail will go unnoticed.
Scenarios will vary depending on the subject matter, industry, and more. Also, remember that while content is kind, narration and acting must be up to a certain standard. This way, they won’t break an immersion.
Just bear in mind that coming up with these examples isn’t easy.
7. Incorporate storytelling
To increase immersion, you need to appeal to people’s emotions. Sure, sharing your business plan with your staff will make them feel involved but will it really make them care about your goals? There’s no guarantee.
Instead, you need to make sure that you pick your battle. Take one particular goal and scenario and try to show why it’s relevant and matters. For the sake of training, for instance, you can always show examples of people who completed the training. What are their results? How well do they perform in the job market? Where did they go from there?
Generally speaking, your employees are the main characters, not you, when it comes to training. So, make sure to portray them as a protagonist of the story. Instead of going for a specific person (although examples are appreciated in some segments), pick an everyperson as the centerpiece of the narrative.
Ideas are simple and perfect. So, don’t make it too complex, or you’ll miss the point completely.
With better training videos, your training and onboarding efficiency will skyrocket
To make your training videos more effective, you need to make them user-friendly. Make them mobile-friendly, captioned, and split into shorter segments; you’ll already make a difference. Then, enrich its content with storytelling, real-life scenarios, and interactivity. Ultimately, learn more about video production to make higher-quality content.
⸻ Author Bio ⸻
Srdjan Gombar — Veteran content writer, published author, and amateur boxer. Srdjan is a Bachelor of Arts in English Language & Literature and is passionate about technology, pop culture, and self-improvement. His free time he spends reading, watching movies, and playing Super Mario Bros. with his son.
