As early as 1982, Shepard and Cooper made the connection linking visual cues to the memory process and the recall of new knowledge. Later, in 2006, Allam observed that the use of moving images and sound made communicating a topic engaging and insightful. This was confirmed by the boom of video over the past decade.

But it was only in 2012 that Willmot et al proved there was strong evidence that video can truly inspire and engage people in the learning environment. In L&D, we have started to embrace this, with as many as 95% of organisations using video for learning in 2015.

While that figure is definitely high, many of the L&D professionals I speak to admit that they have only ‘dabbled’ in video, or that they curate video content for learning purposes, capitalising on the increasing success of Ted Talks, YouTube and similar.

I believe that it’s time for us to really begin integrating video into our learning solutions, capitalising on the impact and transformation that it can have. Which is why I wanted to look at the benefits of video for L&D in 2018, and how consumer (and learner) behaviour has changed in the past twelve months.

Drives consistency and effectiveness

Consistency is a key benefit of video, especially when it comes to processes and procedures. Delivering learning for change can be time-consuming and comes with potential risks, but uploading a video highlighting the change in a process can be a time and cost-effective way of sharing information.

When designing video, you need to be mindful of the evidence available about what creates an effective video. One recent 2017 study has shown that videos over 30 minutes only retain 10% of viewers until the end, whereas videos under 90 seconds see an average retention of 53%.

This shows us that longer videos are not necessarily the best way for learners to consume information. Instead, this reinforces the fact that there is greater impact when L&D create video in the form of micro-learning.

On-demand learning

Video is perfect for on-demand learning, especially in the microlearning format we just touched upon. Microlearning online libraries have been a huge trend in 2017, and this will no doubt continue over the next twelve months.

I’m really passionate about getting to know your learners and the challenges they face, and this is a great skill to use here. You don’t want to create a library of information that doesn’t address real challenges, so gaining a true understanding of your people will allow you to provide video solutions that they really need, when they need them.

Studies show that 61% of learners like to be able to learn on the go and 38% are using their own mobile phone or tablet to access the resources they need to do their job better – with a further 12% happy to do so if they only knew what resources were available.

This shows L&D that their people have a hunger for consuming learning in this format, which is a real opportunity to increase engagement when delivered appropriately. 

Video learning ticks all of these boxes; if your learners are on the go or at their desks, video can deliver the information they need, on demand.

Engagement

We’re all still facing the constant battle of improving engagement, and it’s no secret that video plays a part in this. But how important is it really?

Consumer studies have shown that 4 times as many customers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it. But it’s not just important from a consumer perspective; MWP research shows that, when given the choice of text or video to learn more about a topic, 59% of executives agree that they are more likely to choose video. And, as many as 54% of senior executives share work related videos with their colleagues every week.

These figures show the importance of video in our working lives – it has become a phenomenal knowledge sharing tool that people are excited to use. L&D can capitalise on this hugely by creating content that senior executives want to share and giving learners the option to watch a video instead of reading a piece of learning.

Reduces costs

There are many ways that video can help reduce the costs of your learning solutions. The first, and perhaps the biggest impact, is the reduction of time away from desks. With accessible learning content available as and when it is needed, your people can be present for longer, while still obtaining the necessary learning they need.

Of course, there’s an associated cost with the creation of video – not to mention a potential skills and knowledge gap. However, 85% of businesses now have internal staff and resources to produce videos in house, which means L&D may be able to capitalise on this. This is an opportunity to use your influencing skills to help senior stakeholders understand the long-term and financial benefits of creating video for learning.

Video production and consumption continues to rise, and more studies are being released that show the benefits of video for both learning and business. There’s no doubt that learning can be a competitive landscape, and we still face challenges around engagement and attendance, but video could be your saving grace.

My top tip is to truly understand your people. Once you’ve done this and have a clear appreciation of their challenges and struggles, you’ll be able to start testing the delivery of video to tackle them.

Long term, this could mean huge financial savings, increased engagement and improved knowledge and skills within your organisation. Maybe then it’ll be time to put your feet up….for a short while, at least.