What Makes a Good Training Video?

Not all training videos are created equal. So, what makes agood training video?

A few months ago, I walked past a booth in the expo of apopular training conference. The booth had a sign that read, “We sell trainingvideos that don’t suck.” I was having an introvert moment so didn’t stop by toask what they thought made training videos suck.

But I’ve heard a lot of people describe lousy instructionalvideos. One person told me she doesn’t like those role-plays filmed in the1990s. The fashion and use of green ties turned her off.

Another person said he didn’t like the wooden acting. Othershave said they’re often out of date. But are they the things that we should beavoiding when making good training videos?

I mean, what makes a good training video? My feeling is thatthe answer lies in the two words “training” and “video.” In a way they’re theyin and the yang of good training videos.

The yin of training videos—content that leads to learning

The purpose of training videos is to helppeople learn to know or do something. We’re not in the entertainment orself-expression business like Hollywood is. We’re in the teaching business.

Therefore:

• Anchor trainingvideos to a learning objective. (I like to follow Mager’s time-tested formatof action, condition, and standard.) I urge my clients to stick to just oneobjective.
• Create contentfor the learner. Preferably around a persona. Stories, language, shotchoices, music, and other elements need to make immediate sense to the learner.
• Make trainingvideos quick and easy to understand. If viewers are left scratching theirheads wondering what the video was about, it has failed. The key is structure—alwaysstart with an overview and follow a logical sequence.
• Create relevantcontent. Be sure the content is what the learner needs to perform a task.
• Make contentmemorable. This can be done through creative repetition—repeating keypoints in different ways. For example, a text graphic, a role-play, and an interview.

If we fail to get these things right, it’s simply a video—nota training video. To consistently get these things right, we need to investin thorough planning and analysis. You’ll notice many of the initialplanning tasks for training videos are analogous to instructional design.

The yang of training videos—well produced content

You need to package learning in a way that the learner canimmediately focus on what is to be learned without distraction. Poor productiongenerally distracts learners from the content. Let’s considerwhat makes good training videos from both an editorial and productionperspective.

Editorial aspects of good video

Video is a “show” rather than “tell” modality. Peopleremember more of what they see than what they hear. Therefore, video from aneditorial perspective is visually engaging.

• Change shotsoften. Regular shot changes trick viewers into thinking they are missingsomething. It’s an old TV trick you’ve probably seen many times. It keepsviewers engaged.
• Frameeach shot deliberately. Just as we choose words carefully, videographerschoose shot sizes and camera angles deliberately, to ensure they’re anchored inthe objective.
• Use additionalmessage elements. Engaging video is more than just footage. It includes textgraphics and, when appropriate, other elements like music, graphics, andspecial effects.
• Shots shouldhave motion. If you need to show a door handle, show someone turning it. Don’tmerely show the front of a building—show people walking in. Action keepseyeballs attentive.
• Use effectscarefully. When appropriate, special effects will carry the message orreinforce learning. A black and white effect might depict a flashback. Butnote: avoid video bling.

Technical aspects of good video

There’s little point showing people something if the pictureisn’t clear. Good training videos will be shot and edited in such a way as tobring life to the learning. Here are someof the practical ways this is achieved.

1. Shots aresteady. Shaky cam, also known as queasy-cam, is distracting and makes yourvideo look less professional. Cameras should be mounted on a tripod, monopod,or other stable surface.
2. Set the whitebalance correctly. This is one of the easiest things to forget, but whenyou get it right it goes a long way to making your shots look professional.
3. Shots arewell-lit. The person or object in each shot is bright enough to see. Andthe light is not coming from behind them in way that they appear as asilhouette.
4. Shots arein focus. Blurry shots never look good—what more can I say?
5. Audio isbright and crisp. There’s little background noise or echo, anyone talkingis clear and easy to understand. This requires using the right mic in the rightposition.

Helping people learn

Most of these things are easy to achieve. The learningaspects include tasks most learning professionals will be familiar with whendesigning traditional classroom learning. The production and technical aspectsare easy to learn but will take time to practice.

What makes a good training video? Or how does it achieve theyin and the yang? The content is anchored in the learning objective, it iswell-structured, and it’s well produced.