Outdated Video Training Practices Put Your Business at Risk
Recent research from Stanford University shows that an unprecedented 42% of the U.S. labor force is now working full time from home; in terms of gross domestic product, these work-from-home employees now account for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity. As this is a new modality, businesses—especially B2B companies—risk loss of ROI, loss of employee commitment, open themselves to revenue loss and, worst of all, key employee attrition, if they do not embrace the new rules of engagement of video communication, according to Maury Rogow, CEO of Hollywood’s Rip Media Group.
HR Technology News: BetterUp Promotes Dr. Gabriella Rosen Kellerman to Chief Product Officer
“Communication with employees, especially training, cannot be done like it has been done in the past. That’s a sure-fire recipe for disaster. The boring training videos with the slide show presentation with monotone narration are detrimental to any training program.”
“Communication with employees, especially training, cannot be done like it has been done in the past. That’s a sure-fire recipe for disaster. To be blunt, the boring 1970s-style training videos with bad acting, or even worse, the slide show presentation with monotone narration, are both detrimental approaches to any training program,” says Rogow.
Video communication, video training and video marketing all need to follow the same basic rules in order to succeed, explains Rogow. Companies need to focus primarily on three aspects: the story, the format, and the length. Whether you’re training your employees on matters related to their function, teaching new sales or operational programs the company is adopting (such as cybersecurity), employees will not pay attention or learn, if you present the same boring lecture-type of training on the subject.
HR Technology News: TecHRseries Interview with Gena Romano, Vice President of Human Resources at Centerfield
“First, the communication has to be short. Anything longer than 3 major take-aways or 4 minutes will lower retention. Break your long-form lessons into chapters. Use animation, graphics, make it fun and you will make it memorable. They will retain it. If not, say hello to chaos,” added Rogow.
Even when the current pandemic has been contained, moreover, it is expected that the share of working days spent at home will triple from pre-COVID levels, from 5.5% to 16.6%.(2) “We know,” says Rogow, “that employee training is essential. In terms of corporate income per employee, profit margin, and shareholder return, companies that make a significant investment in employee training vastly outperform those that don’t.(3) The question is: how do you train them?”
HR Technology News: 3 Ways Workplace Diversity Benefits Employees