Everyone loves video, but does it help learning stick? Martin Baker looks at the research into its effectiveness.
Our love affair with video it seems knows no bounds – YouTube statistics are jaw-dropping, with more than a billion users and hundreds of millions of hours of videos watched every day. Video is great at sharing silly cat videos, or for laughing along with Chewbacca Mom, but it’s also perfect for sharing knowledge - Ted talks, for example, clocked a billion videos viewed way back in 2012.
L&D practitioners have been talking about using video for knowledge sharing for years and I’m glad to see that its usage has finally taken off. According to the latest research from Towards Maturity, 69% of organisations are using video to share good practice, and this percentage is even higher (92%) in ‘top deck’ or highest-achieving organisations.
But why is video so popular, and more importantly, does it help learning ‘stick’? Surprisingly perhaps, there isn’t a lot of research into the effectiveness of using video (most is in education rather than L&D). We know that people love watching it, but is that enough?
If you’re making the case for using more video in your organisation, here are 10 facts to support you. And if you’re not using video at all, these stats will show you why you should be both creating and using video in your organisation in 2017.
1. Leaders and managers love video
75% of senior executives watch work-related videos on business-related websites every week.
2. Video improves efficiency
80% of the most efficient organisations use video to capture and share effective practices within their organisations.
3. Video helps learning stick
88% agree that using video in education helps boost students’ achievements.
4. Micro learning rules!
Brevity wins: videos should ideally be less than six minutes long, according to the largest study of video engagement to date [PDF], analysing 6.9m video watching sessions across four MOOCs.
5. Video is social
54% of senior executives share work related videos with colleagues every week, and receive them as often. Younger workers are more likely to share work related videos on a daily basis.
6. Video improves the learning experience
93% believe using video has a positive impact on student satisfaction.
7. Video enhances text
59% of senior executives prefer to watch the video if both text and video are available on the same topic on the same page.
8. An authentic ‘talking heads’ style engages learners
According to MIT research [PDF], a human face creates a more intimate and personal experience.
9. Video can be accessed on multiple devices
90% of people switch devices to achieve tasks in our multi-screen world; 43% switch devices specifically while watching video.
10. Video meets learners’ needs
91% of people say they want to learn at their own pace: video gives them the flexibility to learn ‘anytime, anyplace, anywhere’.
Download a handy infographic containing all these stats.
Martin Baker is the Chief Executive of Clear Lessons, a new video learning library and platform to help share knowledge, one video at a time. Proceeds support the Clear Lessons Foundation (previously known as GivebackUK) providing free learning resources for all UK charities, their staff and volunteers.
