Video and HR Comms: How to win at remote employee engagement
In this new age of fully remote working, it’s never been more important to keep employees teams engaged and feeling ‘together’. There’s only really been one winner in 2020 that’s helped us all feel connected, and that’s video.
Rich and engaging video training is worth 10,000 words and gives people what they want quickly, in a format they expect, with maximum knowledge retention. Studies have shown people to retain 95% of a message when watching a video compared to only 10% with text or sound.
So it’s the perfect tool for HR comms and in-house training:
Onboarding new staff / new hire videos
New workplace guidelines and procedures
Online learning materials and ongoing training
Company website video or external marketing
Here’s why we think every HR professional should have video in their employee engagement arsenal.
According to research from Hubspot, the average millennial has an online attention span of 12 seconds. For Gen Z, it’s just eight seconds.
So with a mere 12 seconds at best to grab and keep the attention of many of your employees, it seems obvious that video would offer more bang for its buck to relay your company comms. But it’s important to get the storytelling and messaging right from the outset. Every training video should have a succinct beginning, middle and end, with a clear journey and obvious calls to action.
For our team of instructional designers and animators, storyboarding is a critical part of the custom video learning design process and is always done with mobile in mind. To keep learners engaged we make sure the storyboard is lean and focused, with concise, active language in the voiceover and narration. Visuals are a bold mix of graphics, diagrams or illustrations in line with the client’s brand, to share the maximum learning in the shortest time.
We start our video eLearning design process by following this 5-point checklist:
1. WHO needs to know and what do they care about?
Put yourself in your employees’ shoes and think about what’s in it for them. What will they gain from completing this learning? How can we marry what you want them to know with how they learn best for optimum uptake and retention? Refining this at the start will help us work together to set a tone that resonates.
2. WHAT do you need to communicate?
The nuts and bolts of what you need your teams to learn and understand. For some business processes with multiple layers of tasks and instructions, getting the messaging nailed can be a struggle to keep things succinct, but with the right brief it’s not impossible.
3. WHAT do you want your learners to do as a result?
What are the actions you need them to take? Whether it’s complying with new Covid-safe guidelines, working through new training, or understanding a new element of their role - the journey must be clear with obvious pathways and reward.
4. LESS is more – Cut, cut and cut again
Thinking back to that 12-second attention span, this is often the hardest bit. Creating a video script that’s tight, engaging and on-message can be a challenge but the trick here is to be brutal on the cutting floor. No room for fluff to dilute your message!
5. WOW factor – What can we do to create maximum impact?
Once the storyboarding, script and sequence is confirmed it’s time to level up with professional bespoke animations.
For our businesses to power through this new remote-first landscape at work, digital learning and video communication is vital to keep our teams engaged, connected and up-skilled. If you’re interested in working with us for your HR internal or external comms and training, get in touch to request project demos and sample pricing.