Perhaps you notice it too. The e-learning market is in constant motion. Every year, new concepts and approaches are brought into the spotlight. One of them is video. While video has been around for a long time and may not seem so shiny as a trend anymore – it still has a lot to offer! What was once known in corporate teaching and learning only through VHS tapes and CDs is now accessible everywhere. In the last 10 years, it has suddenly become technically much easier and more cost-effective to produce and, above all, to distribute your own videos. This gives you, as a player in corporate training and education, the chance to use video for your training measures.
What kind of video can you offer in training?
In March, I introduced nine types of videos in the article “Moving More with Moving Images - Videos for Your Training” that you can use in your training.
Style 1: The Personal Address
Style 2: The Personal Address with Overlays
Style 3: The Presentation with Voice Recording
Style 4: The Presentation with Voice Recording and Picture-in-Picture Overlay
Style 5: The Screen Recording
Style 6: Explainer Video (Animation)
Style 7: Training Recording
Style 8: The Interview
Style 9: The Conversation Situation
In four of these nine video types, it makes sense to step in front of the camera (Style 1, 2, 8, and 9). I would advise you to start with exactly these, because you only need your smartphone camera and yourself. Once you have gained a bit of experience, you can take a look at the article and implement more ideas.
Create Your Own Videos with the Smartphone
It is important that you do not spend too long gathering ideas for the first videos, but experiment with the first recordings as quickly as possible. Konstantin presented in a short video how your first test run might look:
As shown in the video, the three most important ingredients for your first shoot are:
Light / the Lighting
The Camera Position at Eye Level
The Horizontal Camera Orientation
Have you made your first recording? The first recording is rarely the video that gets published in the end. Stepping in front of the camera can be an unfamiliar experience. As with public speaking, you get used to it with increasing practice and improve your performance. In workshops, I often hear the concern about whether the video is "good enough". In my experience, no one expects a video production at Hollywood level for a training video – just a bright face and clearly understandable sound are expected. Your personal touch, which you can capture in a video, and the content are much more important than high-gloss production. What you want to achieve is the technically minimal-best quality.
You can also find all information about shooting videos with your smartphone on our information page:
Creating Videos for Online Courses – As Easy as with a Smartphone
Create Your Own Video in 10 Steps
Videos can be offered in various ways in the context of corporate learning. Before the discussion starts on whether a video is good (or good enough), you should first clarify why the video is being used. Video is not an end in itself and not a cure-all. You can make videos a powerful ally for your training offerings if they…
…are quick and easy to understand.
…are well prepared.
…provide added value.
…involve action.
…technically meet the minimal-best quality.
Video: Personal Address - Here's How You Proceed:
1. Goal and Target Group: Think about your goal and your target group. These questions can help you:
What do you aim to achieve with the video? Do your participants need to learn something? Should the participants be entertained?
Would you like to provide an overview of the topic? Or describe a topic in great detail?
What (conversation) style is appropriate for the target group?
What key messages do you want to convey?
If you notice that you have gathered several key messages for the video, it is better to focus on one key message per video, instead of cramming too much content into one video.
2. Packaging the Content: In your video, you want to do more than just present the facts. Is there a story into which you can embed the content? Here’s an explanation of storytelling in a video through video. Consider how you will open your video. Do you have metaphors or mental images that you want to incorporate in the video? What happens at the end of the video? Do your participants know what they should do next?
3. Create Overlays: If you want to have an overlay appear beside you at certain points in the video, prepare these images now. Draw on paper and scan the drawings or use digital image files.
4. Create Your Short Script: Write down your approach in bullet points. Do not write out the spoken text completely. During the recording, you will speak freely. This feels much more natural. The short script helps you establish the structure.
5. Practice the Content with the Short Script: The more practice time you have, the better. You should go through your script two or three times so that you memorize the content and can present it freely. Did you know that TED speakers sometimes prepare for several hours for a twenty-minute presentation? No wonder those presentations come off well. Every moment is meticulously practiced. You don’t need to invest that much practice time, but preparation is a key component for your videos.
6. Set Up Equipment and Arrange the Set: It’s time to start. Set up the equipment. In the article “Studio Quality in Your Own Four Walls” I go into detail about the setup. If you create videos regularly, then additionally get a tripod, a mount, a light source, and a lapel microphone. Email me or leave a comment, and I’ll gladly send you a shopping list to conveniently order the items.
Set up your set sparingly. It’s best to start with a neutral background. You can pay more attention to the set in later video recordings and try out different settings (e.g., at the desk or a standing desk). The first recordings are most successful when standing in front of a neutral wall.
7. Quiet on set! Roll camera! Action!: Create a calm environment and get started. Start your video recording. Avoid arm movements at the start and just begin. If you fumble over your words or have a lapse, just keep going. With each relaxed run, you will better imprint what you want to say and soon make it routine.
8. Editing the Video: After the recording, gather all the materials you want to incorporate into the video. Start with a rough cut at the beginning and end. Check the video to see if other parts need to be cut out. You can use any of the many editing programs available. The editing programs Adobe Premiere Elements, Camtasia, or Magix Video all lead you to the same result. Then add the overlays to the video and set transitions where necessary. These are the essential steps in video editing. We have a course at our Academy that describes the individual steps.
9. Publish the Video: When the video is finished editing, you export the video, for example in mp4 format and then publish it thereafter.
10. Sit Back and Enjoy! The first video is done. The more videos you create, the easier and faster this process will run.
Where is the journey headed? Your videos can be the foundation for your first online accompaniment or you can use the videos in a blended learning format.
I would like to close this section on video creation and turn to the topic of the training use of your videos.
What can you achieve with your videos in training?
Now that you have your video in the can using the 10 steps from the previous section, I would like to answer the question of why videos in training are a good idea. In the article "Learning and Working with Videos", I wrote in more detail in February about areas of application and the purpose of video.
Here are the key points in brief:
Video for Concrete Instructions and Demonstrations
People learn very quickly by observing. In a video recording, you can excellently demonstrate processes and actions. The viewer learns from your demonstration and has the opportunity to review it repeatedly and jump back and forth in the video. Even if you demonstrate something in training, you can provide it later as a video reminder. Ideal if your target group has little prior knowledge and should first build basics. Recordings can be a personal demonstration, a screen recording (e.g., the steps in software), or a role-play.
Videos for Personal Competency Development
Competency development is more than just learning isolated skills. Practicing and acting in different situations is essential for competency development. In this context, videos can serve as a working tool. One example is the training of sales employees. Videos are on one hand learning materials (e.g., presentation of best practices), while self-created videos drive competency development on the other. Salespeople record short video sequences with their smartphones at the end of the week. They recap for themselves how the week went. What were the challenges? What do I plan for next week? What went well? Where do I need support? This personal recap can also be shared with other participants to facilitate discussion and exchange.
Sharing Knowledge and Opinions with Short Videos
The sharing of knowledge, opinions, or ideas using short video messages goes in a similar direction. In contrast to competency development, the videos are not so tightly integrated into the (training) process. These videos are also recorded by oneself with the smartphone. More and more companies are offering their own social networks similar to Facebook (so-called Enterprise Social Networks), where video content is also to be shared with colleagues and interest groups. The video expands communication possibilities.
Videos as (Online) Training Support
In this application, you guide the participant through your training, just as a moderator would do in a television program. Videos are not necessarily the best medium for presenting guidelines or reports. However, you can tell stories very well in a video and embed the training content in a scenario. Suppose in a training, participants are to use a manual. The manual is a somewhat lengthy text that is not very appealing. In that case, you could step in front of the camera and explain in 30-60 seconds how the manual was used in a particular case and why the participant should take a look at the PDF with the manual. In a video, you can more convincingly encourage the participant to take action through social relationships than if you only present it in a text description. With this moderation style, you can extend the story across multiple learning contents, link learning contents, recap, raise discussion-worthy questions, and provide feedback.
How do adults actually learn with videos?
Adults learn differently than students. This is especially true for education and training. I would like to briefly introduce the most important learning principles and conditions. You should keep these in mind when creating your videos and generally in your courses.
Prior Knowledge: Clearly present the content at the beginning of the video or include this information in the description. If someone is already familiar with the topic, they do not need to engage with the video.
Self-Directed Learning: Let your participants determine where, how, and when they learn. Learning and working are increasingly merging. In the hierarchy of priorities, the learning contents of further education will fall lower in busy daily work. Therefore, ensure that your content is readily available when the participant has time.
Goal Orientation and Relevance: Emphasize why the content is relevant and how everyday work is affected. You do this best in the video description and in the title.
Interaction: A video alone will not sustainably change behavior. For change, interaction between the trainer and the participant regarding their exercises is needed and the joint reflection on whether there are noticeable differences in behavior. A video can inform and motivate. Therefore, the next step must be clear to the participant, and they must know how to exchange ideas with you as a trainer.
Not convinced by videos yet? – Strong arguments for video in training (not just from us)
I came across the mmb Trend Monitor I/2017 from April 2017 by chance and was pleasantly surprised, as it dedicates several passages to the topic of Video in Corporate Learning.
Here are the results in compact form (more details below):
Videos/Explanatory films are a popular form of learning
Video-based learning is taken seriously
The economic potential of videos is promising, especially in the context of blended learning
Our philosophy for success? Combine learning forms and create added value for the participant! Email me or leave a comment and tell me how I can support you with your first video.
The detailed contents of the report:
The mmb Trend Monitor I/2017 from April 2017 dedicates several passages to the topic of Video in Corporate Learning. Among the 74 experts surveyed are service providers, producers, consultants, and users in corporate training and education.
The first section very clearly underlines which learning forms are in demand. Blended Learning (96%), Videos/Explanatory films (93%), and Micro-Learning (87%) are at the top. The question was which learning forms will have significance for corporate learning in the coming three years. Interestingly, mmb only decided in 2016 to include learning videos/explanatory videos in the list.
I quote from the report: “Some learning forms seem so obvious to e-learning users that they are not necessarily perceived as a separate category. Learning videos or explanatory films have been embedded in WBTs or websites for learning for many years and are made available in learning management systems as a stream or download. But with the increasing popularity of the video portal "YouTube," learning films are also being used as independent learning media, especially for informal learning.”
Video is indeed a constant partner in e-learning that has not suddenly stepped onto the stage, but has developed continuously. We are pleased about this fact because it reflects our philosophy.
Another heading in the report states: “Video-based Learning is Taken Seriously.” 81% of the surveyed experts attribute a dominant role to video-based learning with YouTube-style videos in corporate training and education.
From the previous sections, it should be clear that video occupies an important position in corporate training and education. But what about its economic potential? The report also addresses this question. The leader, mobile applications/apps, is classified as “commercially very successful” by 85%. Followed by blended learning (74%), micro-learning (72%), and videos/explanatory films (70%).
