Training videos are an effective way to educate and train employees in a manufacturing facility. They can help demonstrate proper use of equipment and machinery, present product knowledge and information, provide step-by-step instructions for processes and procedures, and share best practices and safety tips.
However, not all training videos are created equal. Organizations must avoid creating training videos that are boring, confusing, or irrelevant, resulting in low engagement and retention among employees.
6 Keys to Create Engaging Training Videos for the Shop Floor
How can you create engaging training videos that capture the attention and interest of your workers and help them learn and perform better? Here are some key tips to consider:
1. Define your Learning Objectives and Audience
Before you start creating your first training video you should have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and who you want to reach.
Some questions you might ask are:
- What are the specific skills or knowledge that you want your employees to learn or improve?
- How will they apply them in their work?
- Who are your employees and what are their characteristics, preferences, and needs?
- How familiar are they with the topic and the technology?
- Which roles need to be aware of different processes and procedures?
These questions will help you define your learning objectives and audience, which will guide your content development and delivery.
2. Use Relevant and Consistent Content
Training videos should be relevant and specific to the tasks and responsibilities of individual employees and roles. Avoid using generic or outdated content that does not reflect the current situation or standards of your manufacturing facility.
Also, ensure that content is consistent with other training materials and resources provided to employees to avoid confusion and contradiction among workers and reinforce key messages.
3. Incorporate Interactive Elements
One of the advantages of video training is that it can be interactive and engaging. You can use various elements to enhance the interactivity of your training video, such as quizzes, links, documents, annotations, captions, transcripts, etc.
Benefits to employees of these engaging elements include:
- Help test employees' understanding
- Reinforce learning
- Solicit opinions and training feedback
- Provide employees with additional information or guidance
- Make employees feel more involved in the learning process
4. Provide an Accessible Learning Experience
Training videos should be accessible to all employees, regardless of their location, device, or ability. Ensure that your training video library is compatible with different platforms and formats, such as web browsers, mobile devices, tablets, etc.
Don’t forget to consider any bandwidth and connectivity issues that may affect employees' viewing experience. Optimize video quality and size to reduce loading time and buffering issues, or download videos ahead of time to devices.
Always make your video training library accessible to employees with disabilities or special needs by providing captions, transcripts, additional support, etc.
5. Evaluate Engagement and Track Progress
To measure the effectiveness of a training video, you need to evaluate how engaged employees are with it and how much progress they have made after watching. You can use various tools and methods to collect data on your employees' engagement and progress, such as analytics, reports, dashboards, surveys, feedback forms, etc.
Use collected data to help you understand:
- How well your video meets your learning objectives and audience needs
- How much time your employees spend on watching it
- How often they revisit it or share it with others
- How satisfied they are with it
- How much they have learned from it
- How they have applied it in their work
6. Connect Employees to the Bigger Picture
One often-overlooked way to engage employees is to connect them to the bigger picture of the organization and its mission. The power of meaning is undeniable. Giving employees a greater sense of purpose can strongly impact motivation and engagement.
Show employees how their work impacts the product’s end-users and how they contribute to solving real-world problems or creating positive change. Don’t hesitate to share stories or testimonials from customers, partners, or stakeholders who appreciate or benefit from your products.
Summary
Training videos are a great way to train employees on the manufacturing floor because they can cover such a wide range of topics effectively and efficiently. However, organizations must avoid creating training videos that are boring, confusing, or irrelevant, resulting in low engagement and retention.
With these six tips you can create training videos that capture the attention and interest of your workers and help them learn and perform better.
