Video can be a very effective medium for corporate training, whether you are familiarizing brand new employees with operations or showing your current workers how to implement a new system or perform a new task. They are not meant to be fun and flashy but you do want to maintain the interest of your audience as the purpose of the video is to impart knowledge they require to do their jobs well. An effective video will require careful planning and many factors need to be considered for production. Here are some tips for putting together a corporate training video that will serve its purpose.
Put Yourself in Your Audience’s Mind
To create a video that will get the results you want, you need to put yourself in the mind of your audience. Think about what it is you want to tell them and how you could deliver the information in a way that fits their view and how they think. You want to present the information in a way they can relate to. When making the video, think about everything from their angle; you need to share the information in a way that speaks to their best interest, not yours or the company as a whole.
Keep Them Interested
While the subject matter itself may not be enthralling, what you are showing your employees is important for them to know –they know this and there are ways to keep them engaged in what is happening on screen. If you are sharing information that may not be relevant to all the employees, you might consider making several different videos and only showing content relevant to that particular group. If you are including something relevant to your warehouse staff, but not your office staff, the latter group of people probably do not need to sit through something that has nothing to do with them. Keep changing up what is on the screen. For example, if you have a section of the video where a presenter is talking for a longer period, you might add some graphics or animations instead of simply focusing the camera on her the entire time. Use cutaway shots from different angles.
Focus on the Right Way
If your video is discussing proper ways for employees to handle a specific task, whether it is the right way to handle a customer complaint or how to properly use a dangerous piece of equipment, you may feel it necessary to demonstrate all the wrong ways to go about these things; after all, everyone makes mistakes and you want to make it clear what these mistakes are so they can be avoided. But, if you really want to drive home the right approach, just show that; do not show the wrong ways too.
Use Soundbites from Real Employees
The video is all about your employees; you want to maximize their interest in its contents and one of the most powerful ways to do that is to include them in the actual video. You can intersperse short soundbites of peers answering interview questions or discussing issues relevant to the video and the message you hope to get across.
Kelli Cooper is a freelance writer who enjoys writing about all things business; if your organization is in need of dvd replication services for your training or marketing materials, see more here about a company that can provide it for you.