Let’s be real: the conventional employee training setup—stale PowerPoint slides, forgettable lectures, and endless PDFs—often leaves employees disengaged, forgetful, and dreading the process. If you're a Training Manager, HR Director, or CLO, you’re probably well aware of the consequences of this approach. There’s no genuine engagement, no sustained knowledge retention, and, ultimately, no tangible return on investment.
But there's a better way: video. Video isn’t just a “nice-to-have” in today’s training landscape; it’s a game-changer. Studies show that viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it on video, compared to 10% when reading it in a text. It’s highly engaging, can be interactive, and meets employees where they are—on their phones, laptops, and even tablets.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through six powerful ways to make video the star of your training programs. These methods will not only engage your employees but will also boost knowledge retention, reduce costs, and make your training programs scalable. Ready to transform training with video? Let’s dive in.
Onboarding Made Engaging and Accessible
Traditional onboarding is often overwhelming and unmemorable, leaving new hires lost in a flood of information they’re unlikely to retain. It’s a familiar pain point for HR and T&D professionals, who watch as employees struggle through an endless cycle of document-heavy orientation sessions.
Imagine you’re the new hire. You’re faced with a mountain of reading material and asked to memorize every aspect of company policy, product information, and cultural norms. For most, this results in a blend of burnout and confusion—neither of which are conducive to productivity or morale.
Video is a powerful tool to ease the onboarding process, breaking down information into digestible, visual pieces that are both engaging and memorable. Here’s how:
- Introduction Videos: Start with a welcome video from the CEO or leadership team to immediately create a connection with the company culture and values.
- Role-Specific Videos: Design role-based video content to help new hires understand their responsibilities and expectations quickly.
- Interactive Training: Embed quizzes or surveys within the onboarding video to make it engaging and give new hires an opportunity to actively participate.
Microlearning for Skill Development
Traditional training sessions are often too long, overwhelming employees with excessive information they’re likely to forget. Cognitive overload is real, and long sessions simply don’t work in today’s fast-paced work environment.
Picture this: after a three-hour training session, employees leave the room drained, trying to remember a handful of key points. By the time they sit back at their desks, most of that information has faded. For training teams, this cycle of delivering long sessions, only for employees to retain a small fraction, is not only exhausting but ineffective.
Enter microlearning, a technique that breaks down information into small, manageable pieces. By using 5–10 minute video segments focusing on one specific skill or topic, you can make training content easier to absorb and retain.
- Short, Focused Modules: These bite-sized videos target one concept or skill at a time, allowing employees to focus and fully grasp the material.
- On-Demand Accessibility: Employees can watch these videos anytime, anywhere, making it easier to fit learning into their busy schedules.
- Sequential Learning Paths: Group microlearning videos into pathways or playlists to create a cohesive training journey.
Using Interactive Videos to Drive Engagement
Let’s face it—traditional videos, while more engaging than text, are still passive. Passive learning, without interactivity, often leads to low engagement and minimal information retention.
Think about employees zoning out in front of a training video, which becomes just another task to get through. They might play the video, but they’re not actively engaged, which means they aren’t really learning.
Interactive videos transform this passive experience into an active one, capturing attention and encouraging deeper involvement in the content. Here’s how:
- Embedded Questions: Ask viewers questions throughout the video to reinforce learning and encourage them to think critically about what they’re watching.
- Scenario-Based Paths: Create videos that offer multiple-choice paths, letting employees make decisions and learn from the outcomes in real-time.
- Knowledge Checks: Include short quizzes or reflections that allow employees to assess their understanding immediately.
Compliance Training Simplified with On-Demand Videos
Compliance training can be tedious and repetitive, leading employees to disengage. This lack of engagement doesn’t just impact learning—it puts the company at risk if employees fail to retain essential information.
Non-compliance doesn’t just risk fines and penalties; it could tarnish your organization’s reputation and lead to even more costly legal issues. Yet, traditional compliance training often lacks the engagement needed to ensure employees understand and retain crucial information.
Video-based compliance training transforms a tedious task into an engaging experience. On-demand videos allow employees to complete training at their own pace while giving T&D managers real-time insight into who’s completed the training.
- Scenario-Based Compliance Training: Create real-world scenarios that make compliance rules relevant and easier to remember.
- Regular Updates: Compliance regulations change often, and video content is easier to update and redistribute than other forms.
- Completion Tracking: Platforms like VIDIZMO allow you to track who has viewed and completed the training, making compliance tracking easier and more transparent.
Imagine an engaging, on-demand video scenario where employees watch real-life compliance scenarios unfold and are asked to make decisions based on what they’ve learned. This type of approach not only engages but also enhances retention, reducing the risk of compliance violations.
Leveraging Videos for Remote and Distributed Teams
Training remote employees comes with unique challenges, from scheduling to creating a sense of belonging and engagement. Without live interaction, remote employees often feel detached and disengaged from the learning process.
Remote teams already face feelings of isolation, and inaccessible or ineffective training only adds to that detachment. When training feels disconnected, so do the employees—and that’s a recipe for low engagement, morale, and productivity.
Video training offers a scalable way to include remote employees in the learning experience. By recording training sessions, you ensure everyone receives the same content, even if they’re across different time zones.
- Live Streaming with Q&A: Conduct live sessions with remote teams and add a Q&A segment to keep everyone actively engaged.
- Recorded Sessions for On-Demand Access: Make training accessible to those who couldn’t attend live by providing on-demand access to recorded sessions.
- Localized Content: Consider creating tailored content for different regions or departments to make training more relevant for remote employees.
Gamification through Video for Higher Engagement
Let’s be honest, mandatory training doesn’t exactly inspire excitement. Most employees approach it as a “box to check off,” leading to minimal engagement and even less retention of information.
This lack of motivation is a persistent challenge for T&D teams. When employees are disinterested, they’re far less likely to absorb important content, making your training investment a waste of time and resources.
Gamification can change the training landscape by making learning fun, competitive, and rewarding. When employees earn points, badges, or rankings, their intrinsic motivation kicks in, and they’re more likely to engage with the content.
- Leaderboards and Points: Reward employees with points for completing training videos, answering quiz questions, or interacting with the content.
- Badges and Certifications: Offer badges for completing training modules, which employees can display on internal profiles, promoting a sense of achievement.
- Challenges and Rewards: Incorporate monthly challenges where employees can compete to be top performers and earn rewards or recognition.
Conclusion
Video-based training isn’t just a trend—it’s a practical solution that addresses the gaps left by traditional training methods. By embracing video, you’re providing employees with a training experience that’s accessible, engaging, and memorable. Whether it’s onboarding, compliance, or skill development, video transforms training into a resource employees actually enjoy.
FAQs:
How can video training improve employee engagement?
Video training is inherently more engaging and interactive than static formats, providing a multimedia experience that resonates with today’s workforce.
Is video training effective for compliance?
Yes, video makes compliance training engaging, which improves retention. It’s also easier to update and ensures that employees understand and follow regulations.
How can I track employee progress in video training?
Platforms like VIDIZMO offer tracking and analytics to monitor video completion, engagement, and quiz performance, providing clear insights into employee progress.
What are some examples of interactive video features?
Interactive videos can include embedded quizzes, scenario paths, and clickable hotspots that encourage active participation from viewers.
Can video training be personalized?
Yes, personalized video training can cater to the learner's pace, role, or department, making the content more relevant and effective.
Posted by Muhammad Daniyal Hassan