15 Tips for Training Employees with Video
As is revealed in discussions on the same over at runrex.com, many companies have realized that video is more effective at training employees than text-based content, and as such, more and more businesses are looking to incorporate videos into their training programs. But as we all know, there is video, and then there is video that performs well, and to help you create effective training videos, this article will look to highlight 15 tips for training employees with video.
Make sure you define your audience
An important tip for training employees with video is making sure that you define the audience that is going to take the training. Are your employees mostly millennials, older people, or a mix of both? Different demographics, whether it concerns age, gender, and so forth as discussed over at guttulus.com, will have different preferences. If you are to train your employees effectively with video, make sure you define your target audience accurately.
Define your objectives
You should also identify what your objective or goal is as far as employee training video is concerned. Are you looking to focus on skill development, or is it about orientation, and so forth as discussed over at runrex.com? You will only be able to effectively train your employees once you have clearly defined what your objectives are.
Incorporate multiple techniques
According to discussions on the same over at guttulus.com, a training video should never be full of bullet points or just be a compilation of PowerPoint slides. You can leverage several techniques when creating your training video: either making it a talking-head video where one person talks on the screen, a screencast video, an animation, an interactive video, and so forth. To effectively train your employees with video, try and incorporate multiple techniques to make your video more engaging and compelling.
Keep your video short
Employees don’t enjoy watching lengthy training videos, which is why, as per the gurus over at runrex.com, you should always keep it short and sweet with your training videos. A short video is not only easy to watch and follow, ensuring that your employees don’t lose focus, it is also easy to retain.
Create a video series for extensive topics
While the preference should always be to make short videos, sometimes a topic is so extensive that it is not feasible for it to be compressed into a bite-sized video. In such a situation, if you are to train your employees effectively with video, a tip is to divide the topic into small parts and then make a video series covering each one. This may be time-consuming, both for you and your employees, but it will help them retain information better.
Don’t forget about the audio quality
You also want to make sure that your employees understand what is being said in your training videos if you are to effectively train them with video. As highlighted over at guttulus.com, using a high-quality mic is the way to go here, as this will cancel any background noise, ensuring that your employees get the message loud and clear and aren’t distracted by anything in the background.
Keep it simple with fonts and colors
According to the subject matter experts over at runrex.com, if you are to effectively train your employees with video, you should also keep the colors and fonts of your videos simple. Don’t use fonts and colors that will distract your audience, and affect the video making it look unattractive to the eye. Always use simple fonts and colors for the most effective training videos.
Get the music right
Some people prefer to use background music when creating their training videos, and while this can help soften the video and help make it more engaging if you are to train your employees effectively with video, you will need to get the music right. This means choosing the right music, as outlined over at guttulus.com, so that your employees can focus on the content, rather than drifting away with the music.
Ensure that the storyline is engaging
As the folks over at runrex.com will tell you, just because they are training videos, doesn’t mean that they should be bland and boring. If you are to effectively train your employees with video, make sure that come up with creative and engaging ways to demonstrate concepts in your video. The best training videos are not only effective at conveying messages, they are engaging and keep employees interested.
Make the first few seconds count
Employees will always judge a training video based on the first few seconds. This is why another tip for training employees with video is making sure that you make the first few seconds count as far as your training videos are concerned. Make sure that you have them hooked right from the start, and then keep them hooked with an engaging storyline as mentioned above.
Get the narrator’s voice right
As is outlined over at guttulus.com, if you are using a narrator or a talking head in your training video, ensure that you choose someone whose voice and accent are easy to understand. Choose someone with an engaging tone, and avoid monotonous speakers who will put your employees to sleep. However, it is also important that the speaker doesn’t overdo it with their excitement as this might put the employees off.
Have your speaker rehearse the script
The gurus over at runrex.com also point out that you should have your speaker rehearse the script if you are to effectively train your employees with video. You want your speaker to sound prepared and not to use fillers in their statements for an effective training video. You can also ask them to incorporate humor in the video, but also not to go overboard with it.
Ensure that the video quality is high
Another tip for training employees with video is making sure that your training video is of the highest quality possible when it comes to the visuals. Use a high-quality camera, incorporate a tripod stand to remove movements in your shots, and ensure that the lighting is spot on as well. As is discussed over at guttulus.com, you can also use the various video templates that are available online, and add your content to these templates. Choose templates with high-quality graphics.
Annotate your videos
Annotations are not only easy to understand and remember, they also help attract and retain the attention of employees which is why you should include them in your employee videos if you are to effectively train your employees. Some of the ways to annotate your training videos include starting and ending the video with short annotation encompassing its main points and adding subtitles or captions, which will also help employees understand your video even if the sound is off, while also allowing those with hearing disabilities to watch as well.
Bring in professional help
Last but not least, bringing in professional help, like the subject matter experts over at runrex.com, is another tip that will also help you train your employees more effectively with video. This is because professionals will help you create high-quality training videos, taking care of everything from the shooting of the video to the post-production work that needs to be done.
Remember, if you are looking for help with your training videos, then the highly-rated experts over at runrex.com and guttulus.com have your covered and you should check them out.