4 most-common Pitfalls to Avoid While Making a Corporate Training Video (with Solutions)

This is the right time to invest time in making corporate training videos - you must have heard this before. The work environment is more complex now, and on-the-job training is preferred by employees. With the falling attention span, videos are like a godsend gift to train employees without boring them to death.

You know all of this. But, in an attempt to capitalize on this, corporate learning and development teams have been swamped with the work of creating employee training videos left and right. The result: half-baked, less engaging videos that will do no good both to the employees and the company.

With that in mind, here are some pitfalls that you can avoid while making a corporate training video. Following these red flags will give you a hint about what you should change and how you can decide your course of action.

This is the most common problem, and the most dreadful. Any corporate training video that is done without proper planning is a recipe for failure. Think of this like constructing a building - without a blueprint, the structure will not stand for long on its own.

The lack of planning stems from the belief that because this is a video, the employees are going to love it. That’s not how it goes. It is, in fact, the opposite. Because it’s a video, you have a bigger responsibility of planning every scene that goes in the video.

Proper planning can be overwhelming. Don’t try to do multiple things simultaneously. Do one thing at a time, and divide everything that you’re doing under three categories: What, Why, and How.

i) The What

The What part of planning a training video is like the chassis of a car. Everything else gets attached to this to create a vehicle. By deciding what the training video will be like, you set the tone for the whole program.

Keeping that in mind, at this stage, you have to decide these three factors while making a corporate training video - 

• What is the objective of the video?
• What are the key takeaways from this video?
• What is the end goal of this video? 

If you want to nail the process of video creation, write down all the above three factors, brainstorm with your team, and finalize them. Once that is done, write it down somewhere where everyone can see it and follow it religiously.

ii) The Why

The Why is like the wheels of a vehicle. It will take you to the directions you want the training video to go.In this part, you have to shift the focus towards the employees participating in the training program. Why would they want to attend the training is what you have to figure out here. 

To do that, go back to the objective that you decided in the last step. Let’s understand this with an example.

If your objective is to train the accounting team about the latest GAAP updates, then your “why” should encompass what’s in it for them. So, your “why” could be something like - so that they’re updated about the latest accounting norms and don’t feel left out in their career growth.

iii) The How

The How is the engine of the car. It will produce power, engage the plan and deliver results. How decides “how you want to deliver” the video training content to the employees. This part is important because corporate training videos can be done in so many ways. While there is nothing wrong with trying different types, it’s essential to set a theme.

By setting a theme, we mean knowing when and where to use a video type. For example, using a screen recording video to add the founder’s note at the start of the video. Or, using an animation to illustrate an example involving many numbers. 

A very long video can be seen as boring and less engaging by employees. When employees decide to spend their time watching a training video, they expect it to be short. Because this allows them to consume the content without hindering their actual work. As an L & D professional or a manager, you have to be mindful of that. 

The other demerit of having no limit or control on the video length is that the content tends to bury the lede. This means that the crux of the training content fizzles out. By the time the actual part begins, the employees have already lost their train of thought.

For example, you came across a comprehensive research study, and decided to include it in the training video. But, you decide to make a 10-minute-long video only to introduce the research study. Sure, a thorough introduction to the study will help the employees understand, but by the time you get to the findings of the research, you have lost their attention.

Source

To ensure that the length of the video stays short and the crux stays at the center stage, here are a few tips that you can follow while making the training content - 

- Create a layout of the course by deciding the flow of video

- Divide the content into chapters each being not more than 6 minutes long

- Prepare a storyboard and a script for each chapter to have complete control on the process

- Hire/Work with a skillful editor who knows how to cut the unwanted content in a video

- Check for similar content online for inspiration

If your employees want to learn basic, on the surface kind of stuff, they can do it by spending some time on the internet. What will keep your employees engaged and glued to the content is the depth and breadth of the topic. Something that will take them many hours to get hold of.

In that case, skimming through multiple web pages to collect information will not make an impact in your employees’ minds. Instead, what you should be doing while making the training content is trying to collect information from people who have real life experience.

To do this, you have to get the information from the right people. And, here are the two steps that will help you - 

i) Interview subject matter experts

Subject matter experts, famously referred to as SME, are people who have an extensive knowledge about a subject, topic or profession. They are individuals with years of experience in a field, and therefore are goldmines for making training content.

You can hire an agency to find an SME. But, you don’t always have to do that. An experienced employee within the organization can also be an SME. Interviewing them by making a list of most relevant questions will give you great input for the video.

ii) Internal review

You don’t have to wait till the end to get the training content review. When you’re making the content, you can get it reviewed from managers, supervisors and your teammates too. An early review will tell you if you’re going in the right direction. They can share ideas to add more valuable content which can help you to get things done without getting overwhelmed.

We kept this at the end, because this one comes at the end of your corporate training video program. Feedback from employees is necessary for you as well as the employees.

A detailed feedback will help you decide on how you would want the future training videos to look like. Moreover, you will discover what parts of the video training were unnecessary or could have been avoided. This will help you create more focused content in the future.

For the employees, asking them for feedback after the training is over is like making them feel important and wanted. This process makes them feel like an inclusive part of the company, and not just random trainees. It also gives them an opportunity to actively participate in deciding the training modules of the company which can impact the team of employees too.

So that was all about the most-common pitfalls seen while making a corporate training video. Remember, a well-made training video can go a long way in retaining the right talent in the organization and to build a sustainable learning environment too.

Avoiding these pitfalls, will also make your team an expert in creating training content. No matter what tools they’re using and who they’re making the video for. As long as they stick to the basics, and keep reminding them what they should not do while making a training video, they will see great dividends to their training content.

Recommended Reading:

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