Why Video is Essential to Effective Training

Video has been an essential part of the learning experience, for most people, since childhood. Twenty years ago kids grew up watching Sesame Street; now children watch YouTube and enjoy other forms of interactive, educational media. Even as adults, learning with video has become a natural part of our everyday lives. In the digital age, technology like video and motion graphics make it possible to more fully engage the learner, explain complicated ideas, and create powerful learning experiences.  AllenComm uses expertly crafted video and motion graphics to establish a perspective, engage the learner, and create interactivity.

Videos Help Establish Perspective

Often, the concepts learners need to understand are complex. A short video can introduce details, elements, principles, and emotions quicker than a long piece of text. It’s important to illustrate a detailed picture when helping learners grasp a complicated subject. In this regard, video is a very useful tool.

AllenComm uses interviews with client executives to help learners see the impact of the subjects they are learning. For example, Physicians Reciprocal Insurance knew that higher standards and demands were causing the medical practice to become even more stressful. They wanted to show physicians how they could use self-care to avoid lawsuits, burnout, and malpractice. To do this, AllenComm created interviews with physicians who practiced specific mindfulness strategies. These interviews, when paired with quick, illustrative exercises, helped a highly educated learner group understand the benefits they could expect if they employed these same behaviors.

Video Length, Motion Graphics, and Interactivity

The answer to the question “How long should this be?” may be simpler than you think. Many argue that a video should be no longer than two minutes, yet multiple studies show that viewer engagement doesn’t drop off until six minutes. Does this mean every video should be six minutes? Not quite. Jonathan Halls of Learning Solutions Magazine suggests videos “be as short as you can make it to achieve the learning objective.” He explains that it’s important to critique each element of the piece and ask “Do I need this [element] for my learner to be able to perform this task?” By following this guidance, you should be able to create a video with the optimal length to achieve your goal.

Motion graphics and animation comprise another important aspect of educational videos. Articulate.com, in a helpful and comprehensive article about motion graphics and e-learning, defines motion graphics as “animations that create an illusion of motion using things like images, words, narration, sound effects, and music.” The article also points out that this highly effective tool is used in marketing videos and advertisements around the world and asks, “If Apple is doing it, why shouldn’t we?”

Motion graphics can be used to accomplish a myriad of tasks. They can capture the learners’ interest, illustrate a process, simplify a complex idea, create interactive experiences, or tell a story. Some of our favorite video-based learning experiences use motion graphics, and, of course, the internet is full of even more examples.

AllenComm’s Award-Winning Approach

The AllenComm approach to video-driven learning has resulted in a collection of award-winning work. The Physicians Reciprocal Insurance course, cited above, won a Gold Horizon Award for Video Instruction. Others have garnered Telly awards and Horizon Interactive awards. Video entries for these industry awards are judged on the quality of their message, their production value, creativity, overall experience, and effectiveness. These awards are a testament to the importance of well-produced video on the learning experience.

In Conclusion

The media landscape is always changing. Video, motion graphics, and interactivity are all elements of the learning process that are here to stay — and that’s a good thing. Utilizing these tools can help you create more engaging, educational, and effective content than ever before. At AllenComm we are well-versed in creating highly-recognized videos, contact us to make an impact on your next project today.