Technology has made the creation and distribution of video so much easier and cost-effective than it used to be—and that represents a huge opportunity for employers. When it comes to staffing, video is the Swiss army knife of training tools. It can fundamentally change the way you think about communicating important messages and learning. So, how do you make the most of it?
1. Be consistent
Good training can take up a lot of time and resources. Sometimes you have time to do it properly; sometimes you don’t. It’s hard to be consistent. That’s especially true if training is happening in different places, at different times, with different instructors. A video-led curriculum ensures everyone hears a single, well-articulated message. Whether it’s onboarding new hires or training up current staff, video is all about the consistency. You know your staff will get the training they need, so it should form the backbone of your approach.
2. Think big. Or small.
Along the same lines, video allows you to capture efficiencies of scale. Whether it’s a conference room full of salespeople learning how to improve their craft, or just one person learning by themselves online, video gives you a chance to offer top-quality training, regardless of the environment or audience. You don’t have to wait until you can fill the room or schedules line up. Training becomes on-demand, and that can save time.
3. And be more considerate…
It’s important to get the message right, and video gives you a chance to stop and think: What are the key messages I want to pass along? What’s important for employees to know? The creative process offers a chance to consider all the things you want to say. And, once you decide on an approach, you can edit your ideas into a package that ties into your strategy. Video can become the foundation of a well-considered curriculum.
4. It’s one tool with many uses
Like we mentioned, video is the Swiss army knife of training tools. You can use it to walk employees through the customer or user experience, you can demonstrate properties or best practices, you can do compliance training, in-house mentoring or even management training. Or, you can do all of those things. Video allows you to do different kinds of training that’s customized to fit your needs. Don’t take a one-and-done approach. Build an entire toolkit.
5. Create a how-to library
Every company has its own way of doing things, whether that’s recording a sale, making a conference call or booking a meeting room. It can be embarrassing for new hires to constantly have to go to co-workers to learn the basics. But a custom video library can teach these best practices quickly and efficiently, and your library can easily grow as new questions come up. It’s just more efficient. And it doesn’t even have to be about practical, day-to-day stuff. You can even use video for mission and vision statements.
6. Learn at your own pace
When you’re relying on seminars or training days, everyone only gets one crack at the information. But you can watch training videos as many times as you need to (especially if they are online or in a central hub), or pick the specific element you want to recall. It’s like a good movie or book, sometimes you don’t get all the important bits until you go through it the second time. Create a centralized learning center (like SchoolKeep) and make it available to all your staff whenever they need it.
7. Think economical
Training can be an expensive proposition, especially if there’s travel involved. And, of course, there will always be a place for conferences and conventions, and nothing can replace face-to-face when it comes to team bonding. But when it comes to learning, it’s often far more efficient to take advantage of technology—in the office, remote or at home. Build a library of local knowledge and learn from your counterparts in India. Discover best practices discovered at the Toledo office. You can share all that information without anyone having to get on a plane or sit in an airport.
8. Don’t get stuck
It used to be that the barrier to entry for video was high. It meant a truck full of specialty equipment, expensive software and a guy in a black turtleneck who wanted to do everything in 16mm so that it felt ‘authentic.’ Thankfully, those days are done. Getting professional results quickly and affordably means you can get much quicker turn-around should you want to create something new or update something in your library. You don’t ever have to say: ‘Oh, we don’t do that anymore…’ Or, ‘That information is actually outdated.’ Just update your materials whenever you need to.
9. Engage, number one!
As the more than one billion users on YouTube clearly demonstrate: video is pretty engaging. It’s one of the main dialects of Digital Natives—the generations currently growing up in front of a screen. In a paper titled ‘The State of Video in Education 2017’ by Kaltura, respondents agreed that video has a major positive impact on students. In fact, 93% reported that using video results in increased satisfaction of students with their learning experience; 85% believed it increases student achievements, and 70% thought it increased their alumni’s sense of affiliation with their institution. When it comes to video, many viewers demonstrate better retention and they process the information faster. Why not teach the way your employees are already choosing to learn?
10. Respect your culture
You have experts in-house. People who really know their stuff. Make sure you’re capturing that knowledge whenever you have the opportunity. It’s unfortunate, but eventually everyone leaves, and you want to make sure you capture their wisdom and experience before that day. Imagine a library of all the best salespeople in your company’s history offering their one best piece of advice? Or interviews with your most successful creatives. Your people can be your best teachers. Be sure to give them the spotlight whenever you can.