Video Training Guide

No matter what industry you’re in, if you want to level up your organization’s learning programs and courses, video training is one of the best methods you can implement. It’s engaging, foolproof, and highly flexible. What more could you ask for? In this complete video training guide, we discuss everything you need to know about this popular learning medium.

What is video training?

Video training is an instructional method that uses video to teach individuals new knowledge or skills. It has become so popular that HR departments, trainers, managers, and instructional designers are turning to videos for learning and development programs like employee safety training, skill-based training, or corporate training. 

According to research conducted by Techsmith, 83% of their respondents prefer watching videos compared to reading text or listening to audio for accessing instructional content. In a world where YouTube tutorials and Skillshare videos are the norm, it makes sense that companies are taking advantage of video training. Think about it. Which would a worker gravitate more towards? Reading through a text-heavy training manual as part of coursework or watching a 2-minute training video that shows them specific examples and exactly what steps they should take? The answer is pretty clear. 

Benefits of video training

Nowadays, organizations from different parts of the world are shifting to video training methods to onboard and train their remote or hybrid teams. Since videos are easier to consume and inherently more engaging, companies understand that it’s the perfect medium for sharing vital knowledge and skills. Additionally, by incorporating video editing software, organizations can further enhance the visual and audio quality, create interactive elements, resulting in improved training compliance and knowledge retention rates among employees. And when executed well, it can result in improved training compliance and knowledge retention rates among employees. 

To train employees through new processes and other best practices to giving onboarding presentations, videos are highly impactful for organizations as they have many advantages. Here are a few of those key benefits:

• Compared to in-person training, which requires venue, travel, instructors, and course material-related costs, video training courses only need a one-time production cost. So long as video learning materials are relevant to employees, they can then be used over and over again without incurring additional fees. 
• Organizations usually store their video training resources in online libraries or learning management systems. These platforms make it easier for employees to download training videos on their desktop or mobile devices and watch them anytime and anywhere through a dedicated dashboard.  Here, m learning can be taken advantage of as for instance, they can view training materials on their smartphones while riding the bus on the way to work or while they’re taking a lunch break.
• In terms of engagement and knowledge retention, video training beats other forms of employee training. A well-presented and concise video can be a much more effective way of teaching new knowledge or skills when compared with a seminar or text-based training method. By combining sounds and moving images, videos are able to engage a viewer’s multiple senses, consequently making information more vivid, engaging, and easier to remember.
• Most training materials today are distributed through various types of company training software. This opens up a range of performance tracking possibilities for organizations. They can access key training metrics like engagement rates and training completion rates directly from their platform’s analytics. Also, these tools allow companies to incorporate post-video evaluations, which their employees can take immediately after watching a training course.
• Nowadays, one of the most effective instructional strategies used by companies is microlearning. With this approach, there’s no need to worry about short attention spans. Since videos only take a couple of minutes to watch, video-based training promotes microlearning by keeping learners interested in lessons and helping them digest difficult topics more easily. 

Types of video training

Here are eight types of video training that are commonly used in the workplace.

1. Corporate training videos – corporate training videos such as those for internal audit training courses are designed to onboard new hires or train employees on different knowledge, skills, or processes needed for their roles. There are many training video software available online that can help organizations create videos from scratch without needing to outsource editors.
2. Microlearning videos –  Instead of producing an hour-long training video that covers a specific topic or procedure from start to finish, you can create short microlearning videos as part of your elearning courses that highlight key topics or answer specific questions. These types of videos allow the learner to access important information right away without having to watch a long instructional video.
3. Live-action explainer videos – Simply put, these are just the live versions of animated explainer videos. Companies in the construction industry can create live-explainer videos to demonstrate tool operations or site safety procedures. But compared to animated videos, they are actually more time-consuming and expensive to produce because they require a lot of production, like scripts, performers, sets, and even special effects. 
4. Lecture recordings – Also known as instructor-led videos, these types of videos are one of the easiest to produce. All you have to do is set up a camera during your training session and press record. But a huge downside of lecture recordings is that they’re less engaging and can feel monotonous for those watching. 
5. Screencasts – These are recordings of a computer or mobile device’s display, which can be used to show learners how to navigate websites, operate software programs, or follow any computer-based procedure. Some examples include learning how to use a new application or walking employees through a feature update.
6. Scenario videos – Scenario training engages workers in real-world situations and enables them to apply their knowledge and skills in a controlled environment. With scenario videos, companies can use immersive simulations like virtual reality (VR) environments, eLearning games, quizzes, and role-play training. It’s very simple to make. All you need to do is record live scenario enactments and add effects using video training software.  If you’re in the retail or hospitality industry, you can develop scenario videos to help your employees handle customers’ complaints.
7. Animated videos – These types of videos can help you explain complex applications or procedures in a simpler and more visually appealing manner. The striking style of animated videos can foster higher engagement rates among learners. But one of its biggest disadvantages is that it requires an animation expert to create, which can be costly and time-consuming.
8. Interactive videos – Interactive videos let viewers answer questions and determine the course of the video firsthand. Learning management systems (LMSs) or online course platforms like Coursera and Skillshare can be used to create these types of interactive training videos. They allow you to add interactive design elements like questions and answers, expanding text, links, images, and more.

How to create effective video training programs

If you want to create video training programs for your employees, here are a few helpful tips to help you get started:

• Set a learning objective
• Take your budget and timeline into account
• Choose the best type of video training for your topic
• Create a video script and/or storyboard
• Prepare the needed video equipment
• Review the final video before distributing it to your learners
• Add branding and captions
• Host your video on a reliable platform
• Record and analyze the engagement rate of your videos

What tools can you use to deliver video training?

There are numerous training solutions that you can use to adopt and deliver video training in your organization. SC Training (formerly EdApp), which is a blended learning platform and learning management system, allows you to add videos to your courses with ease.

With this training platform, elearning development is a breeze. Simply edit your course through the easy-to-use authoring tool, click on “add a new slide”, choose from the four video template options: Video Collection, Video Slide, Vimeo Video, or YouTube Video, and import your video or link. It’s that easy. Whether you prefer your video lesson to play on demand, autoplay, auto progress, or always show the skip button, you can easily configure the template settings anytime. It’s also SCORM compatible so it can be imported to other platforms with ease.

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Camtasia is another example that allows you to record and edit videos through its fully featured video editor. uQualio is also a training option that you can check out. This online software enables you to upload pre-recorded videos and include them in your courseware.