Training videos stand out as one of the most effective methods for explanatory, instructional, or informative content for agile learning.
From employee onboarding to professional training sessions, they’re used for various use cases. Compared with in-person training, video training offers better engagement, knowledge retention for complex concepts, accessibility, shareability, and analytics.
However, many people struggle to create interactive training videos. If you do, here’s a detailed guide on how to make a training video at work. But first, let’s cover the basics.
How to Make a Training Video at Work?
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe Anatomy of Effective Training Videos
What makes video training impactful? Two types of elements go into this—quantitative and qualitative.
Quantitative factors
Focus on these quantitative factors to create an interactive training video:
Duration
A great training video should neither be too short that it misses out on important details nor too long that employees lose interest. Ideal length of a video depends on content complexity, the average attention span of viewers, and the type of the video.
Introductory videos can take 1-5 minutes, whereas skill training and product training videos with detailed content can go up to 30 minutes.
Engagement Metrics
Metrics like average watching time and interaction (likes, comments, reposts) help determine viewers’ participation and create engaging videos.
Moreover, completion rate metrics reveal the video’s ability to engage the audience till the end.
Return on investment
Calculating the ROI of training videos is an excellent method to quantify their effectiveness. Compare the training production and implementation costs, such as the cost of equipment to the revenue generated through employee upskilling and training.
Qualitative factors
The qualitative factors to determine the effectiveness of a training video include:
Relevance of the content
Seek feedback from the viewers on the relevance of video content for their learning objectives, role, or a particular project. You can add the link to a short feedback survey at the end of the video or in the comments.
User experience
Check the effectiveness of training videos by gauging the overall user experience. Some of the questions you must ask are: Was the video easy for the viewers to navigate? Did it maintain a proper flow? Did it include interactive elements, and what was straight on point or had irrelevant information?
Clarity and easy comprehension
Effective training videos should follow a backward design approach—identifying the learning outcome and designing the training content around that. The content should also be clear and easily digestible. It should cover all the important aspects of the topic. A great training video focuses on one problem and its solution,
Characteristics of a good instructional video
Let’s see the elements you need to create a good instructional video for a training program:
- Engaging: A training video is pointless if not engaging. It should make learners stay motivated throughout the learning process. Leverage the dual power of video and narration to make videos more engaging. You can also try presentation tools for a storytelling approach
- Accessible: A training video should have a clear title, caption, subtitles, and transcribed text to increase its accessibility. These elements also make the learning experience inclusive for employees with language barriers or learning disabilities
- High audio quality: Sound quality plays a major role in the overall effectiveness of an instructional video. Poor video sound, background noises, and shaky footage can cause your audience to click away
- Facilitates learning objectives: The training video should offer valuable content to the viewers that helps them achieve their learning objectives and addresses the skill gap in the organization
Role of educational technology in making training videos
Educational technology has revolutionized training videos by enabling educators and creators to provide personalized content. Modern edtech platforms comprise advanced tools for recording high-quality training videos and interactive elements such as quizzes and polls.
Learning management systems (LMS), an integral edtech component, allow you to create elaborate employee training plans and track training videos and other learning material. You can also view analytics to track each employee’s engagement metrics and learning progress.
Summarize this article for me pleaseTypes of Training Videos
Let’s see the different types of training videos you can create at the workplace.
How-to training videos
Whether it’s product demos, software tutorial videos, or compliance instructions―all can be done through how-to videos where you provide step-by-step tutorials to the viewers. The perfect video length of how-to corporate training videos varies with the complexity of a topic. Usually, people prefer 3-6 minute videos, but it can go up to 20 minutes for more complex topics.
Explainer videos
The purpose of explainer or instructional videos is to provide in-depth information on technical concepts or processes, such as internal and external communication or documentation.
You can also use an explainer animated training video for customer support and education to provide information about product features or how to integrate the software with other apps.
On-site training videos
These videos offer instructional training at certain locations, like factories. They explain how to use equipment, follow processes, and adhere to compliances and protocols. You can also record on-site training videos to familiarize remote employees with the office.
Screencast videos
You must have seen the screencast option on your mobile or computer screen. A screencast video is a recording of your computer or mobile screen, along with audio narration. You can use it to record software demonstrations or some educational content.
Such videos are a cost-effective way to share or teach new ideas to your audience, as they don’t require training video software.
Presentation training videos
A presentation training videos, often known as a presenter style video, typically include a speaker on a screen guiding through a concept. They are also called talking head videos. These videos offer personalized and interactive learning.
Presenters use various techniques, such as animation, storytelling, and graphics, to induce interest among viewers and convey the information efficiently.
Live training videos
Live training videos are presenter-style videos in real time so that employees can actively participate in the training. They include interactive elements like quizzes and polls, among others. Not only that, but they also facilitate immediate feedback, discussions, and doubt-solving, making an immersive training environment. For example, a live training video is the best way for employee software training.
Live online training video is a specialized format that usually requires significant time and effort to create. Still, once brought into action, they’re the most effective tool to deliver effective training in a virtual backdrop.
Summarize this article for me pleaseSteps in Creating a Training Video
Now you know about different employee training video formats, how about creating one?
First, you need to download a user-friendly and robust video recording platform with advanced features, such as an instant screen recording facility, the option to embed links in videos, and video analytics.
ClickUp, an all-in-one platform for workplace management, provides all these features and more to create impactful online training videos.
With ClickUp Clips, you can record interactive training videos from your screen and share them with just one click. This feature also makes team communication faster and more efficient by allowing you to create tasks from clips. Use Clips to record product demos, share project progress, and give design feedback in just one click.
The best part? ClickUp Brain automatically transcribes the clips to find instant answers to search queries, increasing the accessibility of employee training videos.
Having the right tool solves about 50% of your blockers when it comes to making training videos. As for the rest, it’s all in the details. We’ve outlined step-by-step instructions to help you create training videos.
1. Select a topic
Start strong by deciding on an appropriate topic for the training video. For better clarity and concept, try to cover one or, at most, two topics within a training video.
But how should you select the topic? Here are a few points to consider:
- Identify skill gaps or training needs through research or surveys
- Define a clear learning outcome
- Address commonly asked questions or common errors in the workplace
- Talk about new changes within the organization or product updates
You can begin by doing some research to learn about the target audience, their interests, and pain points.
2. Choose the type of training video
Once you know the topic of the training video, it’s time to choose which video format would be appropriate for delivering your message.
For instance, if your training video requires you to demonstrate a new product, how-to videos will be more effective. Moreover, if the topic needs active engagement from the employees, then consider live training videos.
3. Writing the script
Jumping straight to video production without a defined script results in a disorganized training video. Avoid this by creating a concise script to deliver the key information in the video content and ensure proper flow. An excellent script for professional training videos involves three core elements—the hook, the content overview, and the CTA.
The hook is the most important part of the video, as it grabs the viewer’s attention and induces interest in the topic. Without a strong hook, your audience might skip your video at the first look.
Then comes the idea you want to talk about in your video. It’s important to break down the topic into smaller segments using simple language to help viewers understand the topic. You can also include visual elements like animation or slides to reinforce key points visually.
The last part, a call to action (CTA), prompts the viewers to take action.
You can use ClickUp Docs to write the script and ClickUp Whiteboard to visualize the content, including the steps, transitions, and visual elements in the video.
4. Record the training video
This is where the video script comes to life. Ensure that you’ve set the right environment for the recording process. Ideally, you should be in a quiet and distraction-free environment to create an effective training video.
If you are recording a training video for the first time, create a short test video of up to one minute to get familiar with the features, review the setup, and set the tone.
To record with ClickUp Clips, go to the left side menu on the ClickUp Dashboard, click on Clips, and select “Record a Clip”.
5. Transcribe the video using AI
Video transcriptions make training videos more user-friendly as viewers can quickly find answers to specific queries. However, you don’t have to put zero effort into this. ClickUp Brain automatically transcribes all Clips. It also adds timestamps and snippets so viewers can go back to watch specific steps or concepts.
6. Video editing
With the production part over, it’s time for the final touch. Editing your employee training videos to trim the unnecessary parts and add visuals helps you create great training videos.
Summarize this article for me pleaseEngaging the Audience with Training Videos
Simply creating training videos doesn’t suffice—you need to make it more engaging so that they serve the learning purpose.
Follow these five simple tips for creating effective training videos:
- Use visuals: Add visual elements like animations and graphics, infographics, flowcharts, storyboards, and dirty short clips to make professional-looking videos
- Humanize the video: Make personalized and interactive training videos by adding your video to the screen while recording
- Add a strong hook: Start with a strong hook to pique the viewer’s interest. You can share an anecdote or a statistic, start with a problem statement, or ask a question in video tutorials
- Add calls to action (CTAs): Include CTAs for creating engaging videos. Clear CTAs bridge the gap between consumption and action. Some examples of effective CTAs are—completing a short practice exercise or quiz, going through additional learning resources or training materials, completing a feedback survey, viewing another training video, or providing feedback
- Use a consistent style: Ensure consistent style and formatting throughout the video for a professional look. It also reduces distractions, helping viewers navigate through the video to find relevant information. Style consistency even makes videos more accessible
- Adapt and improve: Gather and analyze feedback on training videos to make them better. Try lesson-learned templates to identify improvement areas
Summarize this article for me pleaseUse ClickUp to Create Effective Training Videos
Creating engaging training videos requires a lot of effort and resources. To make interactive videos, you need to strike a balance between informative content, the right format, and relevant visual tools.
ClickUp Clips make the entire process smooth for you. You can record, edit, and share video clips instantly with your team to provide detailed task instructions, project updates, or other information.
Sign up on ClickUp for free to record and share high-quality videos for effective communication!
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