5 Ways to Liven Up Your Elearning with Video

5 Ways to Liven Up Your Elearning with Video

Video has become a major part of our digital world. We turn to YouTube to solve our day-to-day problems (How do I fix a leaky faucet? How do I install this car seat?), use Zoom or Skype to conduct meetings with teams and clients, and unwind by streaming video from sites like Netflix or Hulu.

Consider these facts:

Mobile video consumption rises by 100% every year
78% of people watch online videos every week, and 55% view online videos every day
59% of executives say they would rather watch a video than read text

Clearly, our collective appetite for video is huge. But what does this mean when it comes to online learning? Organizations or agencies can and should put a plan in place to creatively incorporate video into the elearning they offer to take advantage of its benefits. Let’s zoom in on five ways to do this.

1. Use a Professional Host

Have you ever had to take online training that was just one slide of bullets after another? What might have been palatable in the classroom with a friendly teacher becomes an experience that’s as dry as dust. To bring back the human element, incorporate a video host into your online learning. He or she can connect with your learners and project warmth.

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2. Tell an Emotional Story

Storytelling is a powerful way to persuade, teach, and inspire action. Consider using moving video testimonials that engage your learners’ emotional side and set the stage for the training to come. You can include video of real people telling their story or you can create your own fictional story line using actors.

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3. Demonstrate a Series of Steps

Adding professionally shot video demonstrations to your elearning modules can be a powerful way to clearly teach a visual concept step by step. Demonstrations can be performed and explained by an expert in the field for added credibility.

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4. Offer a Short, Standalone Tutorial

Video is a fantastic tool for creating standalone, microlearning tutorials that your learners can turn to in free moments. This approach can get new information out faster and supplement longer online courses. Survey your audience to find out exactly what information would be most valuable. Then keep content clear, relevant, and short (30 seconds to 3 minutes).

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5. Immerse Your Learner

For a truly immersive experience, use a series of video scenes that simulate an actual real world situation and then ask your learners to choose what to do next. It’s more engaging for your learners and the information you are trying to convey is much more likely to sink in because people can see the direct result of their actions.

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With a little creativity, the possibilities for livening up your elearning with video are endless. However, if you do decide to incorporate video into your curriculum, keep in mind that this is an area where quality really matters. Poor quality or poorly executed videos are distracting at best and unprofessional at worst. It’s best to work with professionals who have the know-how and equipment to make your effort a success.

Mind & Media has a team of instructional designers who love to find new ways to incorporate video into online training and a group of talented directors, sound technicians, and motion graphic artists who are adept at producing videos in both HD and 4K.