Everyone can agree that training employees is critical to creating a first-class customer-service oriented firm. We can also agree that training employees is time-consuming and costly. Sometimes, the results can be inconsistent because of different trainers’ styles and curriculum. Training videos are a tool that can cut down on the time commitment and remedy the consistency issue. Training videos can be used in a variety of contexts to help you improve and educate your employees. Let’s review a few examples.

Video as a Communication Medium

Humans mainly communicate by utilizing two of our senses: sight and hearing. While some animals can communicate with smells, vibrations, and by changing their body temperature, humans typically communicate to each other through sounds and visual stimulation. As a medium, video is uniquely qualified to clearly communicate ideas through both of these senses. Therefore, video is a fantastic tool to engage an audience and communicate an idea. By engaging viewers’ eyes and ears, ideas can spread and be received more widely. And, since video is recorded and therefore delivers a consistent message, you can be sure that the same quantity and quality of ideas are shared. Video allows for re-dos in the studio and it also allows the viewer to decide when to consume the material. Face-to-face presentations must rely on the presenters’ ability to stay on topic, and keep the audience likewise focused, even when life throws distractions. In addition, video reinforces written communications. Adults certainly like self-directed learning and seek out written information. Even when reading information is an individual’s preferred style of learning, video helps to reinforce the message with added inflection of voice and the energy of the presenter to add value to the message.

Video as a Training Tool

A key part of making a training video effective is to keep it interesting! Similar to any mode of communication or exchange of information, knowledge is best retained when the recipient/trainee is having fun, entertained, and engaged. I offer a personal example that illustrates this. While I might never remember what I was taught about trigonometry in high school, I always remember the impact of the Permian Extinction event that I learned about from a Discovery Channel documentary several years earlier. Both are pretty arcane pieces of information, but because of the medium with which I was exposed to them, there is one that I remember better than the other. Video as a tool for conveying information can be especially useful and can be retained longer than information with just sound (such as a podcast) or written word (such as written documentation) alone. A few examples of training videos CATMEDIA has produced for clients include the Federal Aviation Association’s (FAA) Interactive Runway, and a series of videos concerning environmental investigations of legionellosis outbreaks for Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Professional Video Production vs. D.I.Y. Video Production

There’s something to be said for learning how to do something yourself and using tools that show your firm as being in touch with customers, and personable. If you have a good video camera and expert talent, you may shoot short videos for various events and even for your social media purposes. However, for videos designed with a longer shelf-life in mind, or a need for a high-impact message, a professionally designed and produced training video, shot on location and/or in a studio, and edited with state-of-the-art tools, provides a quality product aligned with your brand. Professional training videos are a positive reflection of your firm not only to your prospective hires and your existing employees, but also to clients and investors who may want to see how you train your workers. So, for your next video project, think about the multiple purposes for the video, the message impact, and the useful life of the video. Does the project deserve a partnership with professionals that will manage all the details, ensure the video is a positive reflection of your brand, make certain the message resonates with the intended target audiences, and stay focused on the project’s communication objectives?

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