This blog talks about how videos are great resources for delivering information and also about the four simple tips for creating engaging video-based e-learning.
Do you know a whopping 100 million hours of video is watched per day on Facebook? Breathtaking, isn’t it? The statistic shows how effective videos can be in engaging viewers – even in this era where the attention spans of humans have become less than that of a goldfish. Such an effective medium to engage people could be a great medium to train your employees as well. But you cannot just dump text, publish it as a video, and give it to your learners. So what do you do? How do you develop engaging videos for your employees?
Here are 4 simple tips that would help you create irresistible e-learning videos.
1. Tell a Story
We all love stories, don’t we? Stories are a great way for learners to visualize the real-life application of the learning provided. When these come in videos, it becomes easier for them to visualize. It adds value to the content and increases leaner engagement. If you add characters and backgrounds to the story, then it eliminates the efforts of learners to visualize the story because you take the trouble of visualizing it for them. Try to make these stories as close to real-life situations as possible so that learners connect to them personally.
2. Keep it Short
Videos might be very interesting to watch, but you must ensure they are not too long. If they are, learners might feel bored and stop viewing them. Just as micro-modules are suggested for e-learning, you must keep your video short so that they are preferred. The average length of the top 10 most shared global marketing videos is 4 minutes 11 seconds. So, your video length can be anything between 3-5 minutes. Instead of one 30 minute video, create 6-8 shorter videos. You must remember that shorter the video, better the retention. It can also prove cost-effective when you are on a tight budget. Also, keep it super-simple and to the point so that learner engagement increases.
The length of the video is also a factor that increases its file size. It might be tough for employees to access these videos on mobiles, given the mobile bandwidth. So, keeping the video short would also ensure easy access, even on mobile devices.
3. State a Clear Learning Objective
Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action – AIDA – is the recommended sequence for a video. So to get the attention of the learner, you need to state the learning objective right in the beginning. This helps learners know what they are going to learn in the video. It also helps them identify if you are addressing what they are looking for in the first few seconds. To ensure you address a specific learning objective, you must be clear of what exactly you want to address even before you start with the video’s script. This ensures you focus only on addressing the specific goals.
4. Deliver One Point at a Time
At times, we tend to introduce too many ideas in a single video. Dumping too many learning points simultaneously might increase cognitive load on the learners. In such situations, the chances of learners forgetting most of the information go high.You need to ensure there is only one point per video as a video is meant to engage your learners and not detach them. Let them assimilate one learning point before you serve another.
Apart from these, you can also go ahead and add background music and conversational explainer narration if your budget is feasible. Also, developing these videos with typical animation software means investing in animators and the animation software (since they are not free or cheap and not everybody can work with them). Instead, you can choose an online video maker such as GoAnimate or Animaker. Subscription of these online tools costs less and gives you the flexibility of creating the videos yourself with their great built-in features, components, and animations. To check out some wonderful online video makers, you can read my blog, 8 Awesome Online Tools to Create Captivating Online Learning Videos.
