We probably don’t have to tell you that running an excellent team begins with attracting the best talent you can find.
But that’s just the start. You have to keep your team sharp and up-to-date with all the latest trends and changes in your industry.
Whether it’s industry standards, regulatory compliance, keeping up with the latest technology, or ensuring your work environment is safe, corporate training videos are a vital part of running a successful company.
The last couple of decades have seen an explosive rise in corporate videos as a tool to communicate information effectively and easily.
So it’s no surprise that it’s perfect for internal communication videos.
Simply put, corporate training videos are videos used in employee training.
They can be for explaining anything from new regulations and procedures to health and safety, to proper workplace behavior
It used to be that to keep your team up-to-date on things, you had to hold classes, conferences and training sessions.
It was expensive and time-consuming. And it had to be repeated regularly as your team kept growing, and new employees had to be brought up-to-date.
Now, thanks to the power of widespread and ubiquitous internet access, video has emerged as a better way to train employees on pretty much any topic you need.
Employees can watch the video at their own pace and convenience. Videos can be replayed whenever needed.
You can also reuse the same training videos for new hires for years.
Of course, it’s not some magic easy solution. If you want to learn how to make effective training videos well, it will demand some effort and creativity, too.
Before we get into that, let’s take a look at some of the best corporate training videos to draw inspiration from, shall we?
Firefighters are a noble and fearless breed, putting their very lives on the line to save others.
But of all the risks and dangers they face, cancer is probably not the first thing that comes to their minds.
That’s why this beautifully made engaging training video from NVFC was needed.
It points out the substances they inhale in their line of work are often carcinogenic in nature.
The use of clever 2-D infographic style animation helps visually explain what they need to do to stay safe and healthy.
They say knowledge is power. And you don’t get a better example of this than with CPR training.
This effective corporate training video from the YouTube channel, HSE Lessons explains the key steps in how to perform CPR properly and safely, should the need arise.
It uses the power of animation to explain visually and clearly how to save a life. It’s easy to understand and remember.
Hopefully, you’ll never need to use it. But if you do, you’ll be glad you had this knowledge!
Like a chain, your team is only as strong as its weakest link. Some of the biggest threats faced by any company of any size are from within.
If prevention is the best cure, then how do you spot and stop unethical behavior right at its source?
Most employees conduct themselves well and are happy to simply do their part for their team.
However, the average person is put into a difficult position when seeing unethical behavior taking place right in front of them.
That’s where our hotlist of the best training videos comes in, explaining how to spot it and what to do about it safely.
Storytelling plays big a role in this video by Grafton Group, depicting scenarios and situations that your employees might face someday.
While making it feel real, the video, produced by Darvideo Animation Studio also explains what to do when you see fraud happening.
This way, your employees are ready and armed with the knowledge they need to keep your company safe, ethical, and productive.
Another example of what we meant by “don’t be afraid to use humor.”
Your employees are only human, and even the most driven and enthusiastic team can get frustrated and stressed out.
It’s perfectly understandable that any team can use some inside humor to blow off steam and commiserate together.
But in today’s completely interconnected world, even an innocent joke said in private can easily leak out and go public in the worst ways.
Your employees need to be mindful of internal communications spreading to people who never intended to see it.
So rather than being a downer, this video went the route of using humor.
It demonstrates the consequences of careless email conversations that get a little too honest.
Brilliantly acted and sharply written, this is one that entertains while still making its point clearly.
Okay, not all of us can afford to get an actual celebrity to host our employee training videos.
But this video for Burger King starring rapper Snoop Dogg showcases how you can make your training video stand out.
You don’t need a celebrity to grab and hold your employee’s attention and interest, although of course, it doesn’t hurt.
What stands out to us about this video is that they didn’t simply put Snoop Dogg in their video and call it a day.
The script is clever and funny, making liberal use of hot dog puns.
All while explaining their new grilled dog offering clearly and simply.
It’s rough dealing with angry customers.
However, this employee training video from Canity with cute and friendly animation can lighten the mood while still addressing all the pain points.
This is what we’re talking about when we say “don’t be afraid of using comical corporate training videos.”
This video for the LDS Church warns employees about lightning.
But it cleverly flips the script, doing an “interview” with a cloud. He brags about his skill with lightning strikes.
It immediately grabs your interest. And while making you laugh, it educates you on how to be safe outdoors.
The message is the same as with any other internal communication video.
But it’s how it delivers the message that makes all the difference.
It’s important to speak your employees’ language and connect with them naturally.
But it’s just as important that your team also understands what their customers are going through.
Here Deloitte Digital Bank leverages corporate training videos to take employees by the hand and show them the world their customers live in, their hassles, and their issues.
This way, customer service becomes less of a list of dos and don’t dos.
And instead is more about understanding customers with empathy and clarity.
This video stands out because of how it manages to do all this in just three minutes.
This way, the viewers won’t get bored or inattentive.
The information is delivered cleanly and efficiently, making the training especially effective.
Sometimes, it’s good to drop some hard science on your audience.
When done right, you actually make your video more interesting rather than complex.
Like in this corporate training video by The Rapid Learning Institute.
It’s a known fact that we simply love talking about ourselves. It’s just human nature. And salespeople are no exception.
But why? And does it help?
This beautifully animated video from the Training Magazine brings the facts to life, while holding the audience’s interest and attention, teasing their curiosity.
You really feel a sense of accomplishment, having learned something new!
This is a pretty straightforward training video by Wyzowl.
It clearly demonstrates how good visuals and animation can really bring words to life when done right.
By visually showing how this system works, it becomes so much easier to understand and effortlessly remember.
That’s just the power of animation for you!
Canada is known as being a veritable melting pot of cultures, and Canadians celebrate this proudly.
But even with the best resources and credentials, it’s not easy immigrating to a whole new country.
So TRIEC rolled out a program to help immigrants network with others and find their footing. And they used the power of animation to get the word out.
This beautifully animated video explains how to use their network and its many benefits.
It uses clean and crisp graphics depicting a diversity of people, all helping each other.
This brings a human touch to the message, and delivers a friendly wholesome feel to the video.
This is another great example by HCPC on how storytelling can be used in your corporate training videos, to great effect.
The medical field is no different.
By depicting hypothetical situations, the viewer is able to easily understand how things can go wrong when it comes to confidential patient information and sharing data without consent.
Quite often, employees violate these rules without even realizing it and no malice is involved.
So these scenarios are all innocent and commonplace, but reveal how these rules can be broken easily.
By depicting these scenarios, the good folks at Nibble have made it much easier for the viewers to understand and remember what not to do.
Graduating college is a big moment in life. But getting out into the real world can be quite a challenge.
If only there was a network of people you could connect with and help you land the perfect first job.
Well, that’s what the creators of Network RMIT came up with.
And to announce their offering to new graduates, they commissioned this beautifully animated explainer video from Vidico.
The lively visuals and smooth transitions really speak the intended audience’s language in a way that connects.
And the video does a great job of explaining the portal’s features and benefits.
If only we had it this easy when we were starting out in our careers!
The world of economics is one that is as hard for the layman to understand, as it is entwined with politics, and therefore not without controversy.
It seems everyone has an opinion, even though few really understand it properly.
And those that explain it, tend to inject their own biases and opinions into it, leading to a sense of distrust from the general public.
Investor Ray Dallio opted to use the power of motion graphics to help explain this dense, nebulous topic.
And do it in a way that’s easy to understand, but not so dumbed-down as to be patronizing.
The clever graphics bring these concepts to life in a way that even a layman can grasp.
And the slick animation holds your interest for the half-hour deep-dive on the topic.
This is another great example of how mixed media can really break down complex topics and explain them for just about any audience.
Your team can be made of the best talent in the industry, but it’s all for nothing if your workplace environment is hostile and toxic.
They say prevention is the best cure.
That’s why corporate training videos are so important, like this one by ReachOut.
Issues like harassment and bullying are tricky because they’re not always so obvious when they’re happening.
So this corporate training video illustrates scenarios that are examples of unacceptable workplace behavior.
And it also teaches employees how to deal with them.
This is also a great example of how storytelling can be employed to demonstrate these kinds of scenarios, rather than just describe them in vague terms.
Here’s another video by Nufel Art on the same topic of workplace harassment and inappropriate behavior.
This one goes with a more serious take on things, but the cartoon animation is on point.
With lively and engaging visuals, the viewer is drawn into the script.
It’s also quite a short video. But makes its points efficiently and neatly, proving that you don’t need to do a long lecture on a topic to cover it well.
In our bustling modern lives, we don’t really spare much thought to the many systems in place to keep us safe.
But for those in the food and drug industries, it’s vital knowledge to keep things safe and healthy for consumers.
However, it can get annoying and tedious for employees subject to relevant training.
So it’s important to keep things interesting and lively.
SafetyCulture’s video on food safety uses the power of animated storytelling.
Their corporate training video really brings the ideas to life and holds the viewer’s attention and interest.
It does this using beautiful animation, lively transitions and friendly bright graphics.
The proof of how well this works is that even if you’re not in the food manufacturing industry, you’ll find yourself paying attention from start to finish!
This one by Idaciti gets pretty technical, but then it’s aimed at professionals who don’t need their hand held (a good example of this is the SaaS industry).
However, just because it’s a more professional-level corporate explainer video made by Bread n Beyond, doesn’t mean it has to be boring.
Once again we see how good creative animation can really bring any script to life, visualizing abstract concepts using clever and artistic graphics.
It’s not easy to take something this complex and explain it so clearly!
Okay, this isn’t really a corporate training video per se.
Rather, OmegaMart is an amazing art installation in Las Vegas, ostensibly a supermarket chain from another dimension selling bizarre otherworldly products for your household.
The experience ran with a series of fake commercials on YouTube, complete with internal training videos for new employees.
It embraced the cheesy 1990s-era VHS look and overtly cheerful tone, thanks to the genius brains over at Meow Wolf.
This is juxtaposed with surreal, otherworldly elements of subtle existential horror that would make HP Lovecraft proud.
We had to add this to our list because it’s just that much fun to watch, and so wildly creative and unique as a concept.
Here’s an example of what 3D animation can do for the business world. Our client, ThermoFisher, wanted a video to explain how their latest offering works.
We opted for a technical and realistic 3D animated video that showcased its functionality.
This was aimed at trained technicians in scientific and medical fields. So we opted for a script that spoke their language rather than dumb it down too much.
We’re happy to say that our client was quite delighted!
This one from Metro Trains Melbourne is so good, you don’t even realize it’s actually a training video!
Darkly hilarious with disarmingly cute characters and a sweet song, the video simply unrolls a list of very bad ideas that would kill or maim you if you tried it.
And at the end, adds “being careless around trains,” bringing us to the actual message being deployed.
Not surprisingly, this cartoon video went viral on the internet and became an enduring meme.
Not bad for what was supposed to be a simple training video about railway safety!
Don’t be afraid to use humor!
Regardless of industry, things don’t need to be all serious business all the time.
A little humor not only keeps your video from being boring, but has the effect of grabbing attention and holding interest for far longer.
Good examples of these on our list above include the LDS Church Lightning Awareness video, and of course the iconic Metro Trains Melbourne video “Dumb Ways to Die.”
These videos not only make you laugh, they help you learn easily without even realizing it!
Often, less is more.
You’ll be tempted to throw in everything but the kitchen sink into your training videos.
But the truth is, you can impart the same depth of information in a short or long period of time.
We’ve covered some of the best secrets to creating great employee training videos here, by the way.
The big difference is, people are willing to pay attention to a five-minute video, but might not be so receptive to watching a one-hour video on the same topic.
If there’s just a lot to cover, then you can always break the knowledge down into smaller chunks. Make multiple videos rather than a single long one.
Use storytelling.
This may surprise you, but storytelling has many uses outside of movies and paperback novels.
It’s an example of “show, don’t tell.”
Rather than describing a hypothetical scenario, you can visually depict it in a video. The characters can serve as avatars for your viewers.
For example, this video for HCPC that we looked at earlier.
This makes it all the more relevant and feels real to your audience.
And it holds their interest and gets them involved.
It’s more art than science.
You may seek a perfect formula to craft the most effective corporate training videos.
But there’s no one perfect video for everyone.
It all depends on your industry, your team, your corporate culture, and your specific training needs.
By the way, we’ve listed some of the best secrets to creating employee training videos here.
It’s a creative endeavor, and as such, you’ll need to experiment and use trial and error to find what works best for you and your team.
Fortunately, there’s no dearth of video marketing resources and excellent animation studios to help you on your journey, and there’s plenty of existing content to draw inspiration from.
Know your audience.
Consider who your videos are aimed at, and speak their language.
A training video for a retail worker would be different from say, a training video for IT and cybersecurity professionals or medical technicians.
The latter can get technical and specific.
Since it’s aimed at trained professionals who are already familiar with a lot of dense verbose jargon as part of their job (like the medical field, for example), there’s no need to “dumb it down”.
For example, with our video for ThermoFisher, we understood this wasn’t aimed at the general public or new hires, but professionals in a highly scientific field.
So we crafted our video accordingly.
The point is, learn how to make animated videos and speak their language at their level of skill and training so they understand and retain information easily.
Split the information into discrete sections.
It’s important not to dump all your information into one long marathon of a video, or your audience will lose interest quickly.
Instead, break your training into topical sections. People can retain information much better in smaller chunks than from one long continuous lecture.
Summarize the video’s points at the end.
Another way to improve memory retention is to have a quick summary of the points at the end of each video/section for better recall.
As we covered earlier, you may be tempted to throw in everything but the kitchen sink and cover every possible topic in detail.
But when it comes to crafting an excellent corporate training video, it’s important to remember that oftentimes, the key lies in how to engage your customers.
So the answer is: it depends.
But avoid letting your videos run longer than necessary.
Cover all the topics, but don’t go overboard and overwhelm your viewer with too much information.
So to sum up, video is the de facto language of the internet today.
We experience the world through sight and sound, so video is a very natural way to learn.
Not using video for your corporate training, therefore, is like refusing to use email for business.
Fortunately, with animation, your training and storytelling can get supercharged in a way not possible before.
Studies have shown that people pay attention and remember information far better when it’s presented in both images and sound together, so it’s startlingly efficient to boot!
Need help getting your video training strategy off the ground? Or just need to give your corporate training a revamp and boost? Don’t fret, we’re here to help!
Drop us a line today and find out what’s possible with the power of animated storytelling for business!
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