Without any doubt, video is an effective medium for training. Companies have started using training videos to show the value of the products, onboard staff, train employees, and educate customers on various topics.

So, trainers, small business owners, HR, and anyone else might need to create instructional videos to train staff or customers. This comprehensive post will share everything about training videos.

What is a training video?

A training video is a video to instruct the audience on a skill or share knowledge on a specific topic. In short, a training video is a video that educates someone on how to do something.

Thus, a training video could be on any topic. It includes but is not limited to an employee onboarding guide video, a step-by-step software instructional video, and a general topic such as how to make a perfect cup of coffee.

Why create training videos?

Regarding learning about a product or service, 66% of people said they'd prefer to watch a short video rather than read text-based material. Video impresses the learners with a powerful combination of moving images, narration, subtitles, and on-screen text. So, training videos are more interesting and engaging for the audience.

If you are trying to optimize the training system of your company, consider training videos. Here are some benefits you can get from creating training videos:

Increase audience engagement: Training videos are more vivid than text-based material and can engage visual and auditory learners.
Improve knowledge retention: Unlike in-person training, viewers can always access the training videos whenever they need.
Reduce training cost: Training videos are reusable. The video training will reduce repetitive in-person training fees and other charges, including trainer's fee, venue, travel, and accommodation expenditures.
Improve flexibility: You can always watch the reply if you missed a training session. Trainers can arrange and coordinate a set timeframe for training. Just let learners check the video when they are available.
Measure the effectiveness: The video hosting provider allows you to track and measure the effectiveness of your training video. You can check the views, average watching duration, comments, etc.
Grow your business: 84% of people say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.

Types of training videos

1. Presenter-style training videos

A presenter-style training video features a person who delivers the information through the camera as if they and the audience were face to face. It is one of the most common types of training videos.

For such a training video, the presenter must narrate and combine other materials like images, screencasts, or presentations.

Ideal for: Companies with an engaging, expert presenter to deliver professional info

Equipments: HD video camera, lighting kit, tripod, lavalier microphone, whiteboard, green screen software, screen recorder, video editing software

Examples: LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, and Edx

presenter style training videos

2. Screen Recording Videos

Screen recordings are other commonly used training videos for software tutorials and demos. Screencast training videos usually record the actual software on-screen and use voice-over narration to teach the viewers to use the software.

The screen recording video might include many topics, like software how-to videos, technical process instructions, and more.

Ideal for: Software providers and software customer support team

Equipment: Screen recording software that can record screen, voice, and webcam, video editing software

Examples: Awesome Screenshot & Recorder

Awesome Screenshot & Recorder

One extension for all your screen recordings & screenshots

Record screen and capture screenshots easily
Edit videos/images quickly
Store videos/images to the cloud and share instantly

3. How-to videos

How-to videos are demonstration videos to demonstrate a task or guide viewers to learn something through a process. The instructor usually uses real-world situations to educate the audience with exact and step-by-step procedures. The learners can easily follow the steps to replicate that process.

You can easily find how-to videos on Youtube. For example, "How to make a perfect coffee", "How to cook chicken", and many more.

Ideal for: Companies or individuals who need to showcase step-by-step processes to educate viewers

Equipment: HD video camera, lighting kit, tripod, lavalier microphone, video editing software

Examples: Artisti Coffee Roasters

how to videos

4. Animated videos

These are training videos using fully animated visuals to illustrate the content. There are many types of animated training videos, like whiteboard animation videos, motion graphic videos, character animation videos, etc.

Ideal for: Brands that need to explain ideas, dates, and complex processes

Equipment: Microphone, audio recorder, animated video maker

Examples: Travel The Vote, Google Assist

animated videos

5. Interactive videos

Interactive video is a new type but is regarded as the most engaging one. The interactive training video usually works as a scenario, letting learners watch a small video clip and asking them to choose which path to embark on next.

Ideal for: Brands and companies who have enough time to create and edit interactive elements

Equipment: HD video camera, lighting kit, tripod, lavalier microphone, video editing software, a video hosting provider that supports interactive elements

Examples: Interactive video - how to make a coffee

interactive videos

How to create training videos effectively

Now, it's time to make your training video. Thanks to the handy tools and guiding materials, you can make training videos effectively with zero skills.

Just follow the steps to start making your training video.

Step 1. Pick the topic of your training video

Before you start creating the training video, you need to:

Set the goal of the video: Think about what you are trying to accomplish with your training video. Will you teach professional skills? Will you provide step-by-step guides to viewers?
Know your audience: Understanding your audience is critical to making a compelling training video. Are they your potential customers, your employees, or random visitors? Knowing their roles, ages, gender, preference will be helpful.

Once you understand the goal and the audience well, you can choose a specific topic for your training video. Consider using online forums, surveys, and other resources to refine your topic.

Step 2. Choose the type of training video you want to create

Once the topic is decided, you can choose a type of training video that best fits the topic and your situation. For example, suppose your topic is "How to create YouTube videos" and you don't have much time to make the video. In that case, you should create a screen recording video (easy to create, no special skills needed ) instead of an animated video (time-consuming, animation knowledge required).

Step 3. Create an outline and script for your training video

After the topic and the type of video are decided, the next step is to outline and script your video. It is the most critical step of the workflow.

It would help if you started writing an outline first to make sure you get all the important information. An outline includes the main ideas with a few minor details.

Then, you can create the script. A well-written script is essential to create a compelling training video. If you hire a professional to make the training video, you should send the script to him/her so that he/she can make the video to meet your needs fully. The script includes the exact words you want to narrate and the scenes you want to show in the video.

For more complex, high-production videos, you should use a storyboard. A storyboard demonstrates the visual sequence of a video through simple sketches or images. It is also okay to use screenshots as long as they can deliver your ideas.

Step 4. Create and edit your training video

Now all the prep work is done, let's start creating! You will need to produce, film, record, and edit your training video. Since different videos might need different tools, the most commonly used equipments are listed below for you to choose from.

Screen recorder: Use the Awesome Screenshot & Recorder extension to record your screen, audio, microphone, and webcam. If you are making a screen recording video, it covers you all.
Camera, tripod, microphone, and the right environment for shooting a video: If you need to create a presenter-style or actual-life-based training video, you might need to film the video. Choose a quiet environment with entirely natural light. Use a professional camera or your smartphone to film the video. Remember to put the camera/phone on a tripod for steady shooting. You should also use a microphone if you want to record your voice.
Animation maker: Use animation makers like Animake to produce animated videos.
Video editing software: Once the video is created, you will need to edit it further by adding effects, subtitles, transitions, background music, and many more. There are lots of video editing software that can help you out.

You can export your video to any format you need. The MP4 is the most widely used format.

Step 5. Host, share and distribute your video

As your training video is finished, the next step is to host it. Hosting is how a video is accessible to viewers. There are a significant number of hosting providers.

If you want the video to be seen by your internal teams, you can host it on your company’s internal platform, help desk, knowledge base, or website. If you want to make the video public, you can upload it to YouTube, a great video hosting site because it has massive traffic, a comprehensive tracking system, etc.

Awesome Screenshot & Recorder is another hosting provider if your video is a screen recording. You can record and edit videos with it, upload them to its cloud storage, and share them with others instantly via a link.

How to Easily Make Training Videos in 2023

Miley

Miley