B2W Blog

10 Best Ideas for Your Training Videos (with Examples)

Written by Marcus Santiago | Mar 25, 2024 8:00:00 AM

Did you know: that the human brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text?

Now consider for a moment what that means when it comes to employee training.

With attention spans shorter than ever, engaging and immersive video content is the key to unlocking knowledge retention and skill development.

But with so many types of training videos out there, how do you choose the right one for your needs?

Fear not, we've got you covered! In this blog, we'll dive into the world of training videos, exploring the best examples and pro tips to help you create impactful and effective learning experiences.

  1. Best Corporate Training Video Ideas
    1. Health and Safety Training Videos
    2. Customer Service Training Videos
    3. Instructional Training Videos
    4. Corporate Training Videos
    5. Employee Training Videos
    6. Cybersecurity Training Videos
    7. How-To Training Videos
    8. Interactive Training Videos
    9. Screencast Training Videos
    10. Micro-Learning Training Videos
  2. How to Create Engaging Corporate Training Videos
    1. Understanding Your Audience
    2. Creating a Script
    3. Choosing the Right Format
    4. Using Visuals Effectively

Best Corporate Training Video Ideas

From saving lives to saving money, good training videos have a lot of valuable benefits.

According to our recent survey, 72% of businesses said that they receive a good ROI from their videos, out of which 18% of businesses receive a good ROI from Training Videos.

1. Health and Safety Training Videos

 

Health and Safety Training Videos are more than just informational tools—they're vital for any organization committed to keeping employees safe and prepared in hazardous situations.

Commonly referred to as Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) training videos, these engaging resources dive deep into workplace safety, covering essential topics like fire safety, accident prevention, and how to respond during medical emergencies.

But it doesn’t stop there. They also spotlight company-specific safety protocols and help raise awareness about potential health risks employees might encounter.

Pro Tip: Want to take your safety training to the next level? Make it as entertaining as a blockbuster movie! By adding humor and unforgettable scenarios, you can boost engagement and ensure key lessons stick with your team.

For Example: Picture your training video kicking off with a funny scenario featuring employees hilariously struggling with common workplace hazards. As the story unfolds, they fumble through mishaps in an exaggerated yet highly relatable way, showcasing the importance of following safety protocols. Enter “Clumsy Carl”—the well-meaning employee who constantly trips over cluttered areas, demonstrating the real consequences of poor housekeeping.

Sure, there’s humor, but the core safety messages—like keeping workspaces tidy to avoid accidents—remain crystal clear. By weaving in humor and relatable scenarios, your employees stay engaged, and the safety principles they’ve learned linger long after the video ends.

2. Customer Service Training Videos

 

Customer service training videos have become essential in today’s business landscape, acting as powerful tools for both onboarding fresh recruits and sharpening the skills of experienced staff.

These videos go beyond the basics, offering relatable scenarios and practical strategies that prepare employees to handle a wide range of customer interactions with confidence and ease.

To make these videos truly impactful, incorporate engaging elements like real-life scenarios, clear communication strategies, interactive components, realistic role-plays, and actionable tips that employees can put into practice immediately.

Pro Tip: Keep your training content dynamic and exciting by adding interactive elements and real-world examples. This fosters active learning and helps employees retain valuable skills.

For Example: Imagine a customer service training video that pauses at critical points, prompting viewers to choose how they’d handle a tricky customer situation. Employees pick from various response options, and the video adapts, showing the outcomes of each choice.

You can also weave in real-life examples, such as successful customer interactions or testimonials, to demonstrate effective communication and problem-solving techniques.

These elements not only make the video more relatable, but also offer employees a clear roadmap for success in real-world customer service scenarios.

3. Instructional Training Videos

 

Instructional training videos have become indispensable for businesses, offering a flexible way to train employees, educate customers, and share critical information.

As remote work continues to grow, so does the need for engaging, accessible instructional content that can meet learners where they are.

These videos can cover a wide range of topics, from process demonstrations to concept explanations, and their versatility allows for asynchronous learning. This means employees and customers around the globe can engage with the material at their own pace, making it ideal for today’s diverse workforce.

To create instructional videos that really stick, focus on clarity, engagement, and accessibility. It’s all about making sure learners can quickly grasp and apply the information being shared.

Pro Tip: Want to take your instructional videos to the next level? Incorporate elements of face-to-face teaching methods to keep learners engaged and provide a break from more traditional approaches.

For Example: Imagine you're creating an instructional video for a cooking class. Instead of just demonstrating recipes and techniques, you could weave in interactive segments where viewers participate in hands-on activities. You might pause the video and prompt viewers to gather ingredients and follow along in real-time.

Additionally, you could integrate virtual Q&A sessions where learners submit questions or share their experiences, building a sense of community and interaction that feels like a live classroom setting. These elements make the video more dynamic, encouraging active participation while providing a more immersive learning experience.

4. Corporate Training Videos

 

Corporate training videos are invaluable for efficiently educating employees on a wide range of topics, from brand knowledge to essential workplace protocols.

These versatile tools provide the flexibility to communicate key information in a way that aligns with your company’s goals, whether through engaging animations or live-action scenarios.

By incorporating these dynamic styles, corporate training videos not only capture attention but also deliver actionable content that employees can easily understand and apply.

Their accessibility and reusability make them a cost-effective solution for long-term training, allowing employees to learn at their own pace while reducing the need for repeated live training sessions.

Pro Tip: To boost employee engagement and learning outcomes, focus on creating relevant, engaging content while ensuring accessibility for all.

For Example: Imagine a company developing a corporate training video on workplace diversity and inclusion. The video might showcase a team facing communication challenges due to cultural differences and then offer practical strategies for fostering inclusivity and collaboration.

To enhance accessibility, include closed captions for employees with hearing impairments and offer language translation options to accommodate a global workforce. These thoughtful touches ensure the video is not only engaging but also inclusive, helping all employees feel supported in their learning journey.

5. Employee Training Videos

 

Employee training videos are dynamic tools for educating staff across various industries, offering a range of formats including slideshows, lectures, animations, and interactive experiences.

As the corporate e-learning industry continues to thrive, it’s essential for businesses to invest in engaging and impactful training content to drive organizational success and employee growth.

With the right approach, employee training videos can transform passive learning into an interactive, immersive experience that keeps learners engaged and eager to apply their new skills.

Pro Tip: Elevate your Employee Training Videos by infusing humor, cinematic storytelling, and interactive features like video paths, hotspots, assessments, or even 360-degree/VR experiences if your training needs justify the investment.

For Example: Imagine starting a training video with a light-hearted introduction featuring humorous skits related to the company’s products. Interactive elements, like video paths, could allow employees to explore various product scenarios or customer interactions, giving them a hands-on experience in a simulated environment.

You could also add hotspots within the video, where employees can click to receive expert insights or tips on product applications. To ensure knowledge retention, end the video with quizzes or assessments that test employees on product specs and use cases, reinforcing the key points and enhancing their understanding.

6. Cybersecurity Training Videos

 

While outside threats, hacking attacks, and creating strong passwords are probably what you think of when it comes to cybersecurity, there’s another threat most companies don’t think too much about: threats from within. And often, done innocently and without malice.

Your employees are only human, and even the most driven and enthusiastic team can get frustrated and stressed out at times.

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 were 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. 

7. How-To Training Videos

 

These videos act as essential instructional tools, guiding viewers through specific tasks or processes using visual aids like screen recordings, animations, or live demonstrations.

Perfect for teaching practical skills, software tutorials, or product demonstrations, they simplify complex topics and make learning accessible.

Typically structured in a step-by-step format, these how-to videos break down intricate concepts or technical instructions into digestible chunks.

Whether it's mastering a new software feature or cooking a recipe, these videos serve as valuable resources for both personal and professional growth.

Pro Tip: When crafting your how-to video, always prioritize clarity—it's the key to keeping your audience on track.

For Example: Let’s say you're creating a how-to training video on assembling a piece of furniture. Clarity is essential to ensure viewers can follow along effortlessly. The video would start with a clear introduction outlining the objective and the steps involved.

Each step would be demonstrated methodically, with close-up shots and clear instructions either through narration or on-screen text. Visual aids like diagrams or animations could be used to explain more complex parts of the assembly process. To further enhance the experience, the video could offer troubleshooting tips for common issues that viewers might face during assembly.

8. Interactive Training Videos

 

Interactive training videos are the "choose-your-own-adventure" of the e-learning world, transforming passive learning into a dynamic, immersive experience.

These videos don’t just deliver information—they put the viewer in control, allowing them to make decisions and actively engage with the content.

From quizzes and polls to branching storylines and clickable hotspots, interactive training videos turn what could be mundane training sessions into exciting, personalized learning journeys.

While they may take more time to create, the payoff is huge—offering unmatched engagement and immersion. Learners can explore different paths and outcomes based on their choices, making the content more relevant and memorable.

Pro Tip: Use a mix of interactive elements like branching scenarios and gamification to captivate your audience and elevate the learning experience.

For Example: Let’s say you're developing an interactive training video for customer service representatives to sharpen their conflict resolution skills. In this case, you could create branching scenarios where viewers encounter various customer interactions and are prompted to choose how to respond.

The video might simulate a challenging customer complaint. Viewers could select different response options, such as offering a refund, providing additional assistance, or escalating the issue to a supervisor. Depending on their choice, the video would branch off into different outcomes, illustrating the impact of each decision.

To enhance engagement, you could add gamification features like point systems, badges, or leaderboards, encouraging participation and rewarding viewers for successfully resolving customer issues. This not only makes the learning process more enjoyable but also helps reinforce key skills.

9. Screencast Training Videos

 

Screencast training videos offer an effective way to teach viewers about software applications or step-by-step processes by capturing on-screen activity alongside voice narration.

Commonly utilized for software demos and tutorials, these videos simplify complex tasks into easily digestible segments, enhancing learning experiences for users.

Pro Tip: To maximize engagement, consider incorporating a hybrid approach by integrating additional visuals, such as a talking head or animations, to enrich the content and increase viewer interaction.

For Example: Imagine you're creating a screencast training video to demonstrate how to use a new software application. While demonstrating the software's features through screen captures, you could also include a small window featuring a talking head of the presenter providing explanations and commentary.

This adds a personal touch to the training video, making it feel more conversational and relatable to viewers.

Additionally, animations or graphics could be overlaid on the screen to highlight key points or guide the viewer's attention to important elements within the software interface.

10. Micro-Learning Training Videos

 

Micro-learning training videos: the espresso shots of education!

These short and snappy nuggets of knowledge pack a punch, delivering bite-sized lessons that keep learners hooked and coming back for more.

With kinetic text, webcasts, and interactive flair, it utilizes various formats to engage learners effectively.

Ideal for product knowledge training, employee onboarding, and compliance training, micro-learning videos streamline the learning process, making it more accessible and engaging.

Pro Tip: Keep each micro-learning video focused on a single learning objective to maximize effectiveness and ensure learners can quickly absorb and apply the knowledge gained.

For Example: Suppose you're developing micro-learning training videos to enhance the sales skills of your team.

Instead of creating a single lengthy video covering all aspects of sales techniques, you create a series of short, focused videos, each addressing a specific aspect of the sales process.

For instance, one video might focus on effective cold calling strategies, while another could cover objection handling techniques.

By keeping each video centered on a single learning objective, sales representatives can quickly absorb the information without feeling overwhelmed.

This approach also allows them to easily revisit specific topics as needed, reinforcing their understanding and application of key sales principles.

For example, if a salesperson encounters objections during a client call, they can quickly reference the micro-learning video on objection handling for guidance.

How to Create Engaging Corporate Training Videos

Creating engaging corporate training videos requires more than just recording a presentation or putting together a few slides. It’s about crafting a learning experience that resonates with your audience, keeps them engaged, and helps them retain the information. Below are the key steps to ensure your corporate training videos are both informative and captivating.

1. Understanding Your Audience

The first step in creating an effective training video is knowing who you’re speaking to. Are they new employees, seasoned professionals, or a mixed group? What are their learning needs, and how familiar are they with the subject matter? 

Understanding your audience allows you to tailor the tone, language, and complexity of the content. For example, if your audience is made up of employees who are new to a system, you’ll want to avoid industry jargon and focus on foundational concepts. On the other hand, if your video is geared toward experienced employees, you can dive into more advanced content. 

The more personalized the video feels, the more engaged your audience will be. Consider conducting a quick survey or having a discussion with your team to identify specific learning preferences before jumping into production.

2. Creating a Script

A well-written script is the backbone of any successful training video. It provides structure and ensures that all key points are covered in a clear, concise way. Start by outlining the core objectives of your training and then break down the script into sections. Each section should focus on one key point, keeping the content easy to follow.

Keep the tone conversational to make the video feel more relatable and engaging. While it’s tempting to include lots of information, it’s crucial to keep the script focused and to the point—training videos are most effective when the information is delivered in bite-sized, digestible pieces. 

Remember to include interactive elements or prompts for the viewer to reflect on the content. This helps keep them actively engaged throughout the video.

3. Choosing the Right Format

The format of your corporate training video can make or break its effectiveness. Depending on your goals, you can choose from several video formats, such as:

  • Explainer Videos: Perfect for explaining new systems, processes, or tools. These videos use animation or motion graphics to simplify complex topics.
  • Scenario-Based Videos: Great for compliance training or customer service. These videos simulate real-world situations and help employees practice responses or problem-solving techniques.
  • Instructor-Led Videos: If you want to maintain the personal touch of a classroom, instructor-led videos can replicate that experience. These often include a subject matter expert presenting directly to the camera or using slides to support their points.
  • Interactive Videos: Engage learners with quizzes, clickable options, or choose-your-own-adventure-style content that allows users to interact with the material in real-time.

Choosing the right format depends on your training goals and the preferences of your audience.

Interactive and scenario-based videos tend to boost engagement by making the viewer an active participant, while instructor-led videos work well for more traditional training scenarios.

4. Using Visuals Effectively

Incorporating the right visuals can elevate your training video from standard to stand out. Whether you’re using live-action footage, animation, or motion graphics, visuals help break up the monotony of a talking head or text-heavy slides. They also aid in reinforcing the information being presented.

Visuals should be aligned with your message. If you're training employees on a new tool, screen captures or animations of the tool in action will help viewers understand exactly how it works. For scenario-based training, visual storytelling—through actors or characters—can make the learning process more immersive.

Avoid overloading the video with too many graphics or text. Keep it simple and clean, and ensure the visuals serve a purpose. When used effectively, visuals can not only enhance understanding but also make the content more engaging and memorable.

These steps are essential in creating corporate training videos that are not just informative but engaging and impactful. By knowing your audience, scripting strategically, choosing the right format, and using visuals effectively, your corporate training videos can inspire and educate in ways that stick with your employees.

Conclusion

In conclusion, training videos are invaluable assets for organizations seeking to enhance knowledge retention, skill development, and employee engagement.

From health and safety training to micro-learning snippets, the diverse array of training video types cater to various learning styles and objectives.

By incorporating best practices such as humor, interactivity, and clear communication, businesses can create impactful and effective learning experiences that yield a high return on investment.

As the demand for engaging training content continues to rise, mastering the art of video-based education remains essential for staying ahead in today's fast-paced digital landscape.

Whether you’re aiming to onboard new employees, educate customers, or enhance workplace safety, harnessing the power of training videos is key to unlocking success.