Video presentations delivered on videotape, CD, DVD or even from a Website –have become the standard approach to an efficient, cost-effective method of educating potential or new employees to existing company policies.  Duane Weed of DW Video & Multimedia, LLC in Howard City has produced many training programs for businesses and organizations since 1984.

 Video and CD presentations are an understandable way of presenting information, disclosing business methods and explaining training procedures. Because of improving technology –most notably the emergence of digital video recording formats and disc-based playback equipment –as well as lowered production costs, many businesses, both large and small, are having video training programs created and added to their expanding video libraries.

So what’s the big deal with video Versus more traditional training methods?

There are several advantages to training with video. Getting your message across on video allows the viewer the chance to observe the details and subtleties of the training process, as opposed to only reading or hearing about them. Impact is increased, and interest levels are raised, as video presentations are, by their nature, more ‘exciting’ than the written word or an audiotape presentation.

And studies have shown that a combination of moving images and pre-recorded sound provide the highest informational retention factors of all.

 Another distinct ‘video advantage’ is that the consistency of any given message will remain the same. There is no variance in a presentation. Pre-recorded material does not wander off-topic, nor does it tire out, nor does it miss covering important details. Video allows training professionals the opportunity to repeat the same training process over and over, each time doing it in the exact identical manner as the previous session.

Finally, utilizing video training programs are less costly than sending live instructors out into the field, or to the training room. A one-time investment in a video training program relieves businesses of travel expenses and instructor fees and, more importantly, relieves staff from extensive training sessions that can involve time away from the office and possibly, slippage in production schedules.

 According to Nathan Hickman, Vice President Show & Tell Demonstration Services of Fremont,  “We use video to train our demonstrators that work in all Meijer stores. Video saves on time and provides a consistent information to all our associates.”

 But is a video training program right for your business?

 There are several factors to consider when choosing which training method will work best for you.

 Do you have a product or service that must be demonstrated to be easily understood? Is your product best explained by showing its inner workings? Many companies rely on video training because it can provide a visual display of machinery, functions and operations -from the smallest pocket calculator to the largest stamping press.

 Can the material be discussed and fully covered in a seven to 15-minute program, or if much detail is to be presented, can the session be broken into smaller, more manageable chunks? You don’t want to lose the interest of your viewer by presenting him or her with a lengthy, hours-long presentation that may only succeed in boring your audience. 

 Laurie Aimes, Registration/Retention Coordinator at Baker College in Flint states: “Our intro guide and how to study video was developed in short sections to help keep the students attention and inform them without overwhelming them. Each section of our 28 minute video is around three to six minutes in length.”

 Can your message be condensed to one or two important points? The best, most successful training programs are those that feature less than three key strengths or ideas.

 If you’ve decided that a video training program will work for your business, you’ll want to consider the production and packaging aspects of your program. Here, there are three critical components to consider:

 The script is crucial.

 Unless you have an experienced staff member equipped with either television or video training or background, don’t attempt to produce your script in-house. Copy for a video presentation is far different than the copy for a sales brochure, manual or newsletter. It has different pacing and sentence structure. Duane Weed says, “We always recommend a professional scriptwriter be retained to create your script. Even if you have a good writer on staff that may be quite familiar with your products or services, people who are overly familiar with your business tend to write (in excruciating detail) about every phase or feature of the subject, and leave out the required elements of excitement and freshness.”

 “We used one of DW Video’s scriptwriters to bring it all together”, continues Laurie Aimes. “Without their expertise and experience our project would not have turned out as well”.

 Of course, such a person can lend invaluable help to the scriptwriter by providing research and documentation, if not the actual script outline itself.

 The production is vital.

 The quality of your production is also important. You may find it beneficial to hire a media production company, outsiders that will give your program that leading-edge look, with both sophistication and technical expertise. Often, in-house productions betray a lack of experience with the medium, and are produced with equipment that is not of sufficient quality.

 “It is much more than merely pulling out your camcorder and taping,” states Nathan Hickman.  “I was amazed at the time involved to obtain all the scenes for our training video.  However the end results was wonderful…. a high quality, well scripted, informative video that lays out our procedures in a consistent manner and shows our associates that we are a professional top notch company.”

 Support materials are also necessary.

 Finally, your program requires support materials to ensure its’ success.

 Written information and additional training materials should support and enhance the style and indent of your video program. For best results, your video production –regardless of whether it’s on tape, CD, DVD or streamed via the Internet -should be used in conjunction with personal training, written materials and hands-on practice to create a unified, successful training program.

 In summary, video training can offer your business consistency of message while reducing training costs. It can also provide the key factor in successfully training new employees, while freeing up staff for more critical projects and duties.

 Duane Weed is a local video producer specializing in corporate productions, and the president of DW Video & Multimedia, LLC. He can be reached at (231) 937-5420 or by emailing duane@dwvideo.com.