10 Tips to Make Corporate Training Videos More Engaging

It’s no secret that most employees roll their eyes when their annual compliance training notice pops up in their inbox, or that they view their mandatory attendance at a corporate training event as a waste of time.

Trainers have the dual challenge of disseminating information to a resistant audience while simultaneously convincing them of the value of corporate training. One way to increase employee engagement during training is through the use of employee training videos.

Keep reading to learn ten best practices to help you produce highly effective training videos for your employees. 

Ten Ways to Improve Training Videos

1. Have a plan. 

Video is a powerful delivery method, but it’s not a substitute for poor planning or organization. Before you create your first training video, have a clear plan of how you will use the video to present your information or content. A storyboard is a great planning tool.

2. Make your learning objective clear to the viewer. 

Don’t leave the learner guessing about why they’re watching this training video. Overtly state the learning objective so they immediately understand the purpose of the video and can engage with the relevant information.

3. Keep it short. 

Attention spans dwindle each year. There’s no perfect length for a video, but it should only be as long as it needs to be to get your message across – and not a minute longer.

4. Use high-quality audio and video. 

If you’re including footage that’s dark and grainy, or playing audio that’s hard to hear, you’ll lose your audience. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to hire a professional production crew, but be aware of lighting issues or background noise. Use inexpensive accessories like a light ring and plug-and-play external mic to improve your video and audio quality.

5. Personalize it. 

Add details to your video that connect with your audience. Turn your CEO into a custom cartoon character, include your logo in the video, or make a reference to the ongoing friendly bowling rivalry between HR and Sales. Small details like that will draw your audience back in and help hold their attention throughout the training video.

Entertain and engage an audience so that the learning experience stays with them. Learning new information can be difficult and dull. You can provide clear instructions for topics too large or complex using animations.

Animations are effective in simplifying advanced material and help make the corporate content more fun and exciting. Some digital tools allow you to import your own assets, or choose from a library of stock photos and videos to create a more effective training video. 

6. Insert real-life scenarios. 

Scenarios feel relevant to a viewer. Use role-play videos or real-life scenarios to capture attention, increase employee engagement, and even boost information retention.

7. Use a video maker. 

Developing a training plan and curriculum is one thing; creating a video to disseminate the information is another. Use a video maker to easily create a professional-quality training video. Choose a video maker with templates to quickly publish a visually consistent series of videos.

8. Use screen capture technology. 

Use training videos to onboard employees to new technology! A video maker with a screen recorder allows you to visually walk learners through web-based tools and software programs, increasing their understanding and retention.

9. Break up topics into smaller pieces. 

Visual communication is powerful, but don’t rely on a video as your only teaching tool. Insert other modalities like peer discussions, professional panels, or interactive practice scenarios to reinforce video-based learning.

10. Ask questions. 

Include questions in your corporate training videos – even if participation is asynchronous! The simple act of asking your viewer a question refocuses their attention on the topic at hand and makes them internally reflect on a response. This can be as simple as including a multiple-choice question on the screen and revealing the answer after a few seconds, or asking, “What would you do next?” after introducing a workplace scenario.

The Video Maker to Increase Employee Engagement

Powtoon is the video maker that does it all. Create custom character families, easily capture your screen & camera, and make a high-quality video in minutes using one of thousands of professionally designed templates. Import your own assets, or choose from their library of stock photos and videos. All the “extras” at Powtoon will take your corporate training videos to the next level. Sign up for free!

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Hanna Abitbul

Hanna is Powtoon's Content Marketing Strategist. She joined Powtoon as a copywriter in 2019, after graduating from university with a specialized degree in marketing and business. She continues to inspire people to create incredible video content with blog posts, videos, guides, and more. Hanna's passions include reading, singing, and caring for animals (#proudvegan). Nothing makes her happier than waking up to her two black kitties who, contrary to popular belief, are good luck!

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