In decades past, just having employee training videos was enough to put any company ahead of the curve. Gone were the all-hands seminars and lengthy in-person training sessions; training videos for employees were fresh, new, and far more efficient.
But today, video is the baseline.
Modern jobseekers are accustomed to video-based training—and not just any videos, either. As work environments speed up and call for ever more specialized skill sets, your employees expect (and deserve!) high-quality, interactive video training.
Don’t know where to start? This article covers what you need to know to plan, produce, and edit the most effective employee training videos, including:
Let's get started.
Employee training videos are exactly what they sound like: video-based content to train employees. Of course, there’s a lot of nuance hidden in that simple definition.
Employee training videos can be short or long, humorous or serious, professionally shot or taken via smartphone, packaged into an onboarding seminar or offered as continuing education. Videos can be used across massive multinationals, within single-location businesses, or even by solopreneurs looking to train a remote VA.
There are just as many different styles of training videos for employees, too. They can be a slideshow presentation with voiceover, a traditional front-of-the-classroom lecture, an animated explainer video, an interactive video experience, or even an informally taped conversation between colleagues. And of course, it can all be self-paced or instructor-led.
Such boundless opportunity explains why the corporate e-learning industry is projected to reach over $37 billion by 2026, growing at an impressive rate of 11% year over year.
For your business specifically, this means that the sky’s the limit when it comes to producing training videos for employees!
Employee training videos range the full spectrum. If it’s something an employee would want or need to know on the job, you can absolutely create a video for it.
Some of the most common types of employee training videos include:
In addition to the traditional uses above, our modern world of remote work introduces even more need for high-quality employee training videos. Things that would otherwise be picked up “on the job” often need to be systematically taught—including topics like general workflows, standard office procedures, or even company culture. You can connect your team to the knowledge you want them to know and test their skills with interactive training videos for employees.
DOWNLOAD: 5 Ways to Retain Staff with Interactive Video
What are the benefits of producing training videos for your employees, you might be wondering? Unsurprisingly, there are many. By packaging your training into a video format, you can:
Another surprising benefit can save your business significant cash.
Studies from LinkedIn have found that “94% of employees say they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career development.” That means that by providing genuinely meaningful training, you can actually retain employees longer—preventing the drain of employee turnover, which costs U.S. businesses over $1 trillion per year. Not a bad ROI for video training!
When it comes to evaluating the quality of employee training videos, there are two sides of the equation to keep in mind: your employees and your administrative team. Balance these two sides well, and you’ll end up with the best possible training videos for everyone.
The first aspect is, of course, the employees themselves. Are the videos helpful and easy for new staff members to understand? Are they reasonably accessible to everyone on your team?
From the perspective of your workers, good training videos for employees are:
Remember that training videos are most often created for someone who’s new to your company or new to a specific role. By adopting a kind, coach-like demeanor, you’ll make the viewer feel more comfortable and more receptive to your training.
The second aspect is more commonly overlooked, but it’s equally important in terms of answering the question, “What makes employee training videos?” It’s the administrative side of things.
From this perspective, good employee training videos are:
If you’re looking for a tool that balances the needs of your employees and your admin team, our interactive video design studio, PlayPosit, stands out. Businesses use PlayPosit to implement interactive videos in lessons, courses, and curricula — delivering more engaging learning opportunities for everyone.
While every employee training video will be slightly different depending on the topic and the company, the best videos often share some key components:
The major takeaway is this: your training video should include enough narrative and visual elements to clearly explain the topic—and no more! Aim for short, tightly focused videos with minimal extraneous information.
In terms of actual length, conventional wisdom says to keep each video under 6 minutes, though Training Mag has found that longer videos work, too, as long as the content is relevant and helpful.
When creating your own employee training videos, it helps to draw inspiration from the best. Here are 10 great examples of training videos, plus why they work.
If you need to deliver a lot of information at once, you can use training videos to ensure you get the message across. This video covers several different aspects of employee safety and is broken down into clear sections.
Shorter training videos can still focus on workplace safety, satisfaction, or efficacy. This video shows employees exactly how to talk about safety plans and work with patients who need assistance.
Do you have a complex process for employees to learn? Use a video to walk them through it step-by-step. This makes it easier for members of your team to understand your expectations and do tasks the right way.
Some topics are naturally more interesting than others. This video is a good example of how you can engage employees when you’re discussing important concepts. Using humor can make training more fun and effective.
Training videos aren’t just for new employees. Existing members of your team may need to pick up skills as your processes change. Videos like this can help you explain requirements and updates.
Employees who are prospect or customer facing can find themselves in some tricky situations. Use a training video to cover common questions and objections that may come up in conversation, so your people are prepared.
Do you need your team to get up to speed on a new service or software? Try recording your screen and showing employees exactly how you want them to use tools in a video like this one from Airtable.
Sometimes you need a quick way to share your most important work tips. This video is a great example of using animation and a compelling scenario to teach employees how to interact with customers.
For visual learners, seeing exactly how things run can make all the difference. This video from Uber shows how everything will work for drivers within the interface of their app. Plus, it includes guidance on common trip issues.
What if your company’s top leadership could always train new employees? Get closer to making that a reality by having them demonstrate the process and record them for your employee training videos.
Note: These examples showcase a wide variety of high-quality employee training videos. Now, imagine the added impact of interactive elements? Employees can test their understanding, explore information, and practice decision-making, all within the training video content! As you develop your employee training videos, consider how you can use interactive video to improve training.
Back when corporate video training was a brand-new concept, it was expensive and time-consuming to produce. But times have changed!
To make an engaging, interactive employee training video today, you don’t need fancy equipment or software. Simply record your screen, shoot footage on your smartphone, or use existing content, then layer on interactive elements to engage your team members and assess their proficiencies.
With an interactive video maker like PlayPosit by WeVideo, you can easily:
The major benefit of video interactivity is increased engagement and retention, leading to quicker mastery of skills.
Enrich video content with a variety of powerful interactions ranging from multiple-choice questions to graded fill-in-the-blanks. Then track engagement to see how employees are interacting with and comprehending training.
Now you know how to make an employee training video and have easy-to-customize templates to get you started. All that’s left is to make them! By incorporating video strategically, you’ll be on the path to more skilled and satisfied employees, which in turn unlocks limitless potential for your company.