Almost no one looks forward to boring training sessions stuck in a classroom or office—not even your employees who are passionate about their work. Luckily, technology gives you a different way to communicate with today’s workers if they need to be onboarded or upskilled.

The Value of Video for Employee Training

With data showing that people tend to remember more of what a video communicates compared to facts they hear or read, it could be the resource your company needs to keep employees engaged. Here are some fast facts to prove why it’s smart to invest some money and time into creating quality videos for various purposes:

• It’s an easy tool to showcase details such as equipment usage

• Videos tend to motivate students (employees) more than an ordinary classroom setup

• It’s a quick way to share information

• HR personnel and managers save time, since they don’t have to host classes

• Video combined with audio tends to embed information effectively in long term memory

Uses of a Good Video Guide in Modern Businesses

To make full use of this effective medium, consider an instructional video the next time you need to do any of these:

• Onboarding new employees

• Training on new equipment

• Health and safety training

• Upskilling employees

• Vision sharing by management

Steps to Create an Excellent Employee Instructional Video

You don’t need a professional camera crew to create these videos. With your PC, webcam and a screen recorder you have all you need to share information and create a good video product.

Planning: What Do You Need to Communicate?

A quality video will have a structured approach, so identify the exact goal and details you need to communicate. Without it, it’s easy to get sidetracked and the video’s message becomes confusing.

Also, brainstorm with other responsible parties for creative ideas on sharing a message:

• Will you use other video footage, such as showing products in use?

• What will you share via your PC screen and how much will your webcam recording aid? (Tip: this can make a video seem more personal.)

• Do you have the necessary images on hand, or do you need someone to capture high quality pictures for you to use and edit into the video footage?

Working with a team will ensure you cover all aspects of the topic at hand.

Script: What Will You Say? How Will You Say it?

You won’t easily remember all you need to say once you hit ‘record’ so create a script you can follow throughout the recording. Creating a rough storyboard that shows all the elements you want to share will help you create a flow of ideas that’s logical and engaging.

Software: Pick Your Video Recording Tools

There are various recording tools that are excellent screen recorders to create training videos. Compare specs and decide if you want free tools or have the budget for a paid subscription that gives access to more features.

Preparation: Practice Scripts and Choose Setup

Take time to read through the script multiple times and become comfortable saying the words. This makes the narrative much more engaging compared to a voice over where it’s clear the reader feels tense.

Also prepare the other tools, from screen recorder to mic and webcam. If you will include webcam recordings of yourself, pick a background that won’t distract attention. And remember to record somewhere quiet.

Compile all the information you’ll use and share via your PC screen and save it one place for easy access while you work through the script. This can include documents, videos, images and more.

Record: Capture Audio and Video Material

It’s time to record the sections of the video tutorial using your screen recorder. Work through your script and stop whenever you feel overwhelmed. You can join the recordings together later on during post production.

Remember to turn off notifications, so there aren’t any popups on your PC screen that ruin the footage or the audio.

Post Production: Editing and Enhancing Your Material

Take your time putting all the elements together. During brainstorming (see above), you can discuss how the following can be used to enhance the video by using an online video maker.

• Adding an intro and outro

• Zoom in to important details

• Adding music and sound effects to retain the viewer’s attention

• Speeding up boring sections, while still sharing the vital information for good comprehension of the subject

• Transitions from one section to a next, for a professional look

Share: Give Access to Relevant Employees

The completed video is ready to use again and again by anyone who may need it. Platforms like DropBox or Google Drive are easy for sharing, or perhaps you have an internal network where you can save the content and give access to relevant parties.

2 Helpful Tools to Use When Creating Employee Training Videos

Let’s help you get started by finding dynamic software for capturing a teaching video. You’ll find many options online, but we summarize two user-friendly options below.

Movavi Screen Recorder

Compatibility: Windows, Mac

With this free screen recorder from Movavi you have an option to upgrade to subscriptions. Then you’ll have access to more features, even having noise reduction for better quality training videos.

Movavi offers features like:

• Recording the screen and system’s audio or speakers and mic

• Using full-page screenshots

• Freeform shape drawing on top of video footage, for a more engaging training session

• Object animation

• Webcam overlay

Icecream Apps

Compatibility: Android, Mac, Windows

You can download the screen recording software for free, but there’s also a Pro version with advantages like no time limit on recordings and not having watermarks on the footage.

For video creation you’ll have features like:

• Recording the screen

• Editing

• Annotating recordings

• Easy, instant sharing with employees

• Using screenshots

• Audio and webcam recording

• Hotkey display

Conclusion

Video has become a powerful tool in various aspects of today’s world, from marketing to impacting the world by being a YouTube influencer. Don’t forget to also utilize it when training your employees. As students of your company’s values and workflows, videos help them grasp much more about your brand and having the footage makes onboarding much more effortless for you.

If you have questions on this topic, don’t hesitate to ask in the comments section.