Training videos have one job: to train.
That’s obvious. But a surprising number of training and education videos slowly evolve into something else entirely.
They become the organizational equivalent of the kitchen junk drawer. Sure, everything is technically in there… but when you actually need something, you’re digging around for five minutes wondering how you ended up holding a screwdriver and a birthday candle.
A lot of training videos work the same way.
Every department adds a note. Every stakeholder wants one more point included. Legal has a clarification. HR has a reminder. Someone from compliance adds a paragraph that begins with “For the avoidance of doubt…”
And before you know it, the video meant to teach people how to properly scan into a room has become a 22-minute information casserole.
Everything is in there – but no one gets what they actually need out of it.
The Problem Isn’t the Information
To be clear: the information matters.
If it didn’t, you wouldn’t be making a training video in the first place. Processes matter. Safety matters. Policies matter. New systems matter.
The problem isn’t that organizations want to include important details.
The problem is assuming that more information automatically leads to better training.
Because the person on the other end of that video is still a human being. And humans have a few inconvenient traits that tend to interfere with massive information dumps.
For example:
Limited attention spans. (We’re looking at you Gen Z). Audiences will tune out when something doesn’t feel relevant. They get overwhelmed when too much information comes at them at once.
And perhaps most importantly…
They’re usually watching your training video between three other tasks they’re trying to finish. So if the person watching the video doesn’t care, doesn’t see the benefit, or is buried under an avalanche of information, something predictable happens. Nothing sticks.
The video gets watched (or at least plays to completion in the background)). The box gets checked. But the knowledge never actually sinks in. Which means the organization spent time producing something that ultimately didn’t change behavior.
That’s a pretty expensive kitchen junk drawer.
So… ho do we solve this?
Start With the Question Most Training Videos Skip
Good training content starts with a question that surprisingly few training videos ask:
Why does this information matter to the person watching it?
No. Not to the organization.
Not to leadership. Not to the department that requested the training. To the person watching.
Because when people understand how information helps them, something magical happens: they start paying attention. Maybe the new process saves them time. Maybe the new system eliminates a frustrating step they’ve hated for years. Maybe the safety procedure helps them avoid an injury. Maybe the policy protects them from a situation that could spiral into a very awkward conversation with HR.
Whatever the reason, when the viewer sees a clear benefit, the content stops feeling like a lecture and starts feeling like something useful. And useful things get remembered.
Make It Engaging
Once you’ve clarified why the information matters, here’s a radical idea.
What if the training video was… interesting?
Stay with us here.
Too many training videos assume that educational content must be delivered in the same tone as a tax instruction manual. Slow. Serious. Slightly painful.
But information doesn’t become less legitimate just because it’s engaging.
In fact, the opposite tends to happen. People remember stories. They remember faces. They remember moments that make them laugh, nod, or say “Oh, that’s exactly what happens to me.”
So instead of building training videos like PowerPoint presentations with a camera pointed at them, try bringing in a few human elements.
Talk to the People Who Actually Do the Work
Interview the people on the front lines who have already tried the new process. Find out how they feel about the new process, or policy. Understand their current issues, and how this new process/policy will make their lives easier… or how it made their lives challenging in the past. No matter what it is – find something that they can relate to.
Let them talk about what changed. What improved. What they were skeptical about at first.
These real and lived experiences tend to land better than a slide full of bullet points and will make the viewer feel heard.
Include Some (Nay… ANY!) Personality
Sometimes a training video benefits from having a guide. Or a Host. Someone who walks the viewer through the content in a conversational way instead of delivering it like a courtroom transcript. A good host – or even just a well-written voiceover – can turn dry material into something that actually flows.
It doesn’t have to be over the top. It can simply be a framework or musical selection. And this becomes even more important if the topic is serious or dry. Take, for example, a training video about the whistleblowing process. A simple framework and some playful music helped keep the video engaging and improve retention rates on an otherwise dry subject matter.
Share Stories
Policies and processes can feel abstract. Stories make them real.
Maybe there’s a moment when the old system caused unnecessary confusion. Maybe someone had a near miss that the new safety procedure would prevent. Maybe there was an interesting discovery or rationale learned while developing the new process.
Bottom line – stories give context to information. They provide relevance and create a connection with your viewer by showing them why the change matters instead of simply telling them it does.
Yes, Humor Is Allowed
Humor is wildly underused in training content. Look – no one is suggesting turning compliance training into a stand-up routine. But even a small moment of levity can go a long way toward keeping viewers engaged. Maybe you incorporate a blooper. Or lean into the fact that a presenter doesn’t want to be presenting the material. (tastefully of course).
This is especially true for complex subject matters. Take, for example, a training video about cognitive biases. It might feel daunting to try and explain how a pretty complex neurological process impacts your judgement to recent college graduates. So. you can incorporate a fun, playful approach to engage the audiences and help them retain information.
And be honest – most employees already have a few funny stories about how the “old way” made their jobs unnecessarily complicated. Lean into them. Those stories are gold.
Build for Humans, Not Filing Cabinets
The biggest mindset shift in training video production is surprisingly simple.
Educational content should be built for humans, not filing cabinets.
Which means:
- Start with the audience.
- Focus on what matters most to them.
- Deliver the information in a way that respects their time and attention.
That might mean breaking a massive training topic into several shorter videos instead of one giant one. Yes… this includes those 1.5 hour process videos.
This might mean prioritizing the most important information instead of trying to include every possible detail. It might mean presenting the material in a way that feels conversational rather than bureaucratic.
But don’t worry. None of this reduces the value of the information. It actually makes the information more effective. Because information that people remember is infinitely more valuable than information that technically existed in a video they half-watched while answering emails.
The Real Goal of Training Video
At the end of the day, the goal of a training video isn’t just to exist.
It’s to change behavior. To help someone do their job better. Help them work more safely. Or, to help them understand a system or process more clearly.
But for that to happen, something very basic has to occur first. Someone has to watch it. And ideally… remember it the next day.
Isn’t that the whole point?
The Bottom Line
Training videos don’t fail because the information is wrong. They fail because they don’t connect with the end user and/or provide information overload.
The fix isn’t removing important information. It’s organizing it around the people who actually need to learn it. Show them why it matters. Focus on what helps them do their job better. Present it in a way that feels human, clear, and maybe even a little interesting.
Because when people understand the value of the information – and don’t feel buried under it – they lean in. They remember it. And they actually use it.
And that’s the whole point.