2016 Training Trends: Video

2016 Training Trends: Video
Summary: There is little question that video training is the one of the training trends that will become a powerful force for organizations looking to deliver more and better training in 2016 and beyond.

4 Reasons Why Video Is One Of The Most Powerful Training Trends For 2016

Trends come and go. But when it comes to training trends, it’s not as easy as buying a new jacket when shoulder pads aren’t cool anymore. You need to know what will work for your company, and video training is one trend that is set to take off in 2016.

According to Forrester Research, today’s tech savvy employees are 75 percent more likely to watch a video than to read emails, documents, or web articles. With the costs of producing high quality videos on the downswing, more companies than ever have the opportunity to add video training to their toolboxes.

For organizations looking for different, more effective types of training methods, here are four big reasons to adopt video training sooner than later.

  1. Video boosts the effectiveness of employee training.
    Effective training is all about retention. While traditional training tools such as lectures, documents, and PowerPoint presentations may appear to be effective at getting information across, comprehension tests show that much of that information is quickly forgotten. In contrast, video is a visually stimulating medium that boosts training content by upping viewer engagement and improving the learner’s ability to comprehend concepts and details and remember them longer. Numerous studies confirm that audiences retain information at much higher rates when they can both see and hear it. This is clearly borne out by a recent Forrester report on training retention, where one minute of video content was found to be equal to about 1.8 million written words.
  2. Video provides consistent training.
    A major challenge for organizations lies in making sure that trainings deliver a consistent learning experience to all employees. The standardization of training materials from an eLearning company is an important first step in meeting this challenge. But the bigger problem lies in making sure that all trainings are carried out in a uniform manner. This can be especially challenging for organizations experiencing rapid growth in multiple departments, as it’s just not feasible for trainers to be everywhere at once. The unfortunate solution to this dilemma is for management to allow non-trainers to deliver critical training. As a result, the chances of employees having the same training experience across the organization will be greatly diminished. The utilization of video training allows organizations to deliver a portable and consistent training and learning experience to employees in every department - an experience that does not depend upon the qualifications of the person conducting the training.
  3. Video facilitates on-demand training.
    In today’s busy organizations, trainers who attempt to hold traditional trainings in specific places at specific times face constant schedule conflicts that can leave them frustrated. After all, there is never going to be an ideal time that will work for all employees, teams and divisions within the company. But trainers are paid to train. And so they schedule their trainings on the corporate calendar at their convenience, hoping that those employees that can come will be able to effectively share what they learn with their non-attending co-workers. Leveraging video training solves the scheduling conflict problem. By recording training sessions on video and posting those videos online, trainers enable everyone within the organization to access applicable trainings and watch them on demand, at a time when they are less distracted and can be more fully engaged.
  4. Video enables microlearning.
    Employee’s attention spans are shrinking. Millennials, who will make up 75 percent of the workforce by 2025, have an average attention span of only 90 seconds. And while shorter attention spans pose real problems for conventional training methods, video enables organizations to exploit short attention spans via a new and powerful way of teaching known as microlearning. Instead of using lengthy videos, savvy trainers have found that content delivered in small and very specific video “bursts” can provide an effective learner experience that targets specific and measurable training objectives. In short, microlearning videos are very effective at teaching employees specific concepts, delivered in the short and straight manner that they prefer. From presentation tools to performance support and assessment tools, trainers are discovering that microlearning videos can serve a number of instructional purposes.

Want to know what other training trends you should be using at your company? Take this 8-question training trends quiz to find out what’s best for you.