Dynamic Training For A Dynamic Labor Market
The global labor market has changed dramatically over the past few years. With generative AI, robotics, automation, and other technologies transforming how people do their jobs, corporate training has become more crucial. That said, company leaders shouldn't conduct any old form of training just to check it off the list. Evolving technologies mean corporate training must evolve, too. And that's why leaders should invest in video-based training by creating high-quality training videos that teach employees the skills, concepts, and workflows they need to thrive in the future workforce. But how can companies create effective and engaging training videos? I offer practical tips and examples further below. First, though, let's consider what a training video is and why it's a good investment.
In this article, you'll find...
- What Is A Training Video?
- 5 Types Of Training Videos
- What Makes An Effective Training Video?
- How To Create A Training Video In 6 Steps
- Stay Ahead With Smart, Scalable Training Videos
What Is A Training Video?
A training video is a piece of video-based content that educates viewers on a specific topic. Organizations use training videos to improve their employees' existing skills and help them acquire new ones. This way, employees can perform their jobs more effectively and efficiently.
While instructor-led classroom training remains a popular method for training employees, video-based training is increasingly used in the workplace. According to a Training Industry Report, 79% of companies use virtual classroom, webcasting, or video broadcasting technologies when training employees.
This investment aligns with how employees prefer to consume information. A Forrester Research study found that 75% of employees are more likely to watch a video than to read a document, email, or web article. Effective training videos also offer organizations the following benefits:
- High learner engagement and retention.
- Reduced training time.
- Cost savings.
- Standardized learning experiences.
- Accessible and repurposable learning content.
- Enhanced brand credibility.
5 Types Of Training Videos
If you're looking to invest in training videos, you have multiple options to choose from. The type of training video you ultimately decide to use will depend on your target audience and topic.
- How-to videos
Show employees how to perform a task or complete a process. Best for teaching practical skills, like how to use software tools. - Scenario videos
Simulate real-life situations employees might encounter in the workplace. Best for soft skills training like communication and leadership training. - Animated videos
Use 2D or 3D visuals, motion graphics, or character animation to explain complex topics. Best for simplifying abstract or technical concepts like cybersecurity. - Presenter videos
Feature a Subject Matter Expert, instructor, or company representative speaking directly to the camera. Best for leadership messages, expert insights, or policy rollouts that need a personal touch. - Screencast videos
Record the presenter’s computer screen as they demonstrate tasks. Best for software tutorials, system walkthroughs, or platform training.
What Makes An Effective Training Video?
Great training videos have six characteristics:
- Clear learning objectives
- Target audience
- Appropriate format
- Ideal length
- Quality audio and visuals
- Accessibility features
Let's break down each in more detail.
Clear Learning Objectives
Without clear learning objectives, it's likely that your training video will veer off topic, provide extraneous detail, and confuse viewers. By clarifying what you want an employee to accomplish after watching the video—for example, completing a task in the company Learning Management System (LMS)—you'll ensure every second of screen time supports that goal.
Target Audience
Your training videos should always take into consideration the people who will watch them. What's the employee's role and experience level? What challenges do they face? How familiar are they with the topic? Defining these details beforehand will help you create highly relevant video content that solves employees' problems and helps them do their jobs better.
Appropriate Format
Each training video serves a distinct purpose. A how-to video is better for walking viewers through how to complete a task or assignment. A scenario video is ideal for modeling soft skills that you want employees to showcase in real-life work situations. Choosing the right format will ensure employees retain the information and apply it effectively.
Ideal Length
The length of a video can make or break its effectiveness. So you need to strike the right balance to ensure learners stay engaged and retain the material. A study shows that peak engagement for videos is six minutes, so aim for that length when creating videos.
Quality Audio And Visuals
High-quality audio and visuals are crucial for clarity and learner engagement. If a training video is hard to hear or see, viewers will disengage and miss key information. To avoid this, record in high resolution, monitor your audio levels, and frame your shots thoughtfully.
Accessibility Features
An effective training video ensures all employees, regardless of ability, language, or learning preference, can fully engage with and benefit from the content. Accessible videos provide captions for employees with hearing impairments, descriptive narration for those with visual impairments, and subtitles for employees who speak a different language.
How To Create A Training Video In 6 Steps
So you understand what makes an effective training video. Now, it's time to actually create one. Here's a step-by-step process you can follow:
1) Define Your Learning Objectives
Learning objectives clarify what your training should achieve—whether that's improving a specific skill or introducing a new process. This keeps your content focused and measurable. For example, if your goal is to teach customer service representatives how to handle customer inquiries, make sure your video includes support scripts they can use to increase their resolution rate and enhance customer satisfaction.
2) Choose Your Video Type
As we've already established, certain videos are better for teaching certain topics. If you want marketing professionals to learn how to use a specific platform, a screencast would be far more effective than an animated video. That said, an animated video would work much better than a screencast if you wanted to teach those same marketing professionals a concept like the marketing funnel.
3) Create A Script And Storyboard
Having a script and storyboard will ensure your video conveys the most relevant and important information to viewers and presents that information in a logical order. For instance, a presenter video announcing your company's new diversity and inclusion policy should follow a script that walks through each of the presenter's main points along with a storyboard showing key visuals and text overlays to emphasize those points.
4) Film Or Animate Your Video
The process of creating a training video varies depending on the type of video you want to make. Presenter and scenario videos require high-quality cameras, tripods, and external microphones, while how-to and screencast videos require screen capture software. Finally, animated videos need motion graphics software to design characters, icons, and other visuals.
5) Edit And Enhance The Video
Editing your video ensures your content is professional, engaging, and easy to follow. This in turn helps employees absorb, retain, and apply the information. Here are a few tips for editing your video:
- Cut long pauses, tangents, and mistakes.
- Add on-screen text, highlights, or graphics to reinforce key points.
- Adjust volume levels and remove background noise.
- Incorporate smooth transitions between scenes or sections.
- Add captions, subtitles, and descriptive audio to ensure accessibility.
6) Host And Distribute The Video
Properly hosting and distributing your video helps your audience access the material and allows you to keep it for future use. You can host the video on your LMS or simply upload it to a video hosting platform. To make sure employees know how and where to find the content, announce and share links to the training via email, Slack, and other company collaboration tools or apps.
Stay Ahead With Smart, Scalable Training Videos
You don't have to hire a fancy production company to create effective training videos. Simply get clear on your learning objectives, select the best video type, and film or animate your video using the right equipment and following a tight script. Pretty soon, you'll have dozens of videos that you can reuse when onboarding new hires, saving you time and resources to focus on more strategic tasks. And when the time comes to create new videos or update old ones, you can follow the same process to create fresh, engaging video content that keeps your company ahead of the game and employees on top of theirs.
