Using killer videos in your training sessions for top-level audience engagement

Video trends and statistics

• 72 hrs of video are uploaded to YouTube every 60 seconds.
• YouTube has over a billion users, nearing one-third of total internet users.
• 45% of people watch more than an hour of Facebook or YouTube videos a week.
• More than 500 million hours of videos are watched on YouTube each day.
• Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% when reading it in text.
• By 2019, internet video traffic will account for 80% of all consumer Internet traffic.

 

Where and when to press play

Use videos strategically throughout your session to help hit home points, drive discussions, tell stories, or re-engage a fading audience

However, when used incorrectly, videos can be a big time suck—and leave the audience feeling like they could have either done the course online, or worse, that you are not a credible trainer and you don’t know the material well enough.

Counter this by having a crystal clear objective for each video. Before pressing play or directly after the video has ended, express that objective.

1. Teaching

The objective of these videos are to help your audience learn something specific. 

Videos aimed to teach the audience can be very practical, in the form of tips and tricks, how-tos, screen-captured process steps, or played out scenarios.

Or they can be informative, like a mini-documentary, explaining a current situation or state of play within an industry or topic.

When to use:

• To break down a complex but important process or ideas
• To summarize or make more memorable a section of your session that might be dryer or is in an energy-low part of your workshop.
• To conclude an idea or a segment

2. Idea sharing

Video is an increasingly popular way for people to share their insights and ideas.

From the CEO of the company talking about the overarching goals for the quatre to your nephew’s review of all the Lord of the Rings films—sharing ideas is one of the top ways of using video online.

It is simple, quick, and easier to both create and digest. Wouldn’t you rather tell someone what you think rather than having to write it out? Trends show that most people are leaning towards the former. 

When to use:

• As an introduction to a point or section in your session
• If you have just had a long speaking piece, and you’d like to switch up the voice.
• To showcase different ideas or very diverse standpoints
• To create the setting or state of play before you introduce the new idea

3. Storytelling

Video is powerful because you can easily immerse your audience in the context quickly.

Take, for example, the American thriller “Jaws”. While Peter Benchley's 1974 novel was thrilling, the reason the film was so iconic was its ability to emotionally transport the viewer into the ocean with the great white shark, instantly terrifying in a way that the written or spoken word is simply unable to do.

When to use:

• Introduce a new point, or “set the stage” for what content is coming next and why it is important.
• Share how or why an organization was created or does things the way they do
• Demonstrate something (like a product or process) being done

4. Discussion instigator

There are a few ways to use video to launch a discussion in your training session: from vox-pop interviews with people on the street, within the industry, or within the company: you can showcase various, diverse, opinions to start the discussion.

Alternatively, go social with your training sessions: and you can use live video streaming to bring people from outside the training session together to share their opinions.

When to use:

• Before or during a group discussion
• When you want to talk or counter different viewpoints
• Include remote or external audience members (via Live video).

3 Expert ways to use video content in your next session

1. Use YouTube

Production costs for video content have drastically dropped in the past four or five years, and you can easily create low-budget videos that are interesting, informative, and engaging—but you can also use the abundant and endless supply of video already available to you online.

With a little research, you can find videos on just about any topic to support your training session.

Look at your session, and look for an area that could use a break, perhaps a part of the session that has a bit of dry material, such as more complex theory or background, then break the material up by adding in video content.

For example, say there is a segment in your workshop where the audience will need to understand the basics on how cryptocurrency works, instead of giving them a verbal explanation, jump on to YouTube and search for a video that suits your needs.

Two key factors you can look at are time and style.

Do you have 20-minutes for a full detailed look at the origins and the current state of play for cryptocurrencies?

Or do think that a 2-minute overview will be enough to get your audience on the same page?

When searching for videos, use the filter functions to narrow down the search results to find the best video for your session, simply click “Filter” on the right side of the search results, and narrow down your results by time, views, and upload date:

When it comes to style: will a goofy, low-budget animation be entertaining and engaging to your audience?

Or will having a handful of digital financial experts offering insights be more appropriate?

Both of these videos are under five minutes, but are a completely different style, and will appeal to different audiences.

Insert video 1 What are Cryptocurrencies?

Insert video 2 Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies Explained in One Minute

Finding the appropriate already-existent videos for your session is a win for both you and your audience—all it takes is a little research and knowing what your audience needs.

2. Create playlists

While you are doing your research, you’ll probably stumble on a lot of video content that would be appropriate and helpful to share, but you don’t necessarily have the time for in the workshop.

Don’t let those resources go to waste! The playlists on YouTube are fully customizable, and can be grouped together on a particular topic, that can either prep for or expanding on the ideas from the session.

Decide where you would like to host the video segments, whether this would be by having the audience members subscribe to a channel you set up, or you email them the playlist, or host it on SpeakerHub.

Shared folders

Upload multiple playlists and videos to a page specific to your training session with SpeakerHub’s shared folders.

Each new shared folder has an individual link that you can share with your audience, either private or public, for as long as you’d like.

When the audience member clicks the individual link they will be taken to a page which beautifully displays your playlist.

Here is an example of how it looks:

Find out more about Shared Folders.

3. Upcycle past video content

If you have already invested or been involved in creating video content, or have shared your insights in during live video or a webinar, don’t let those insights go to waste: upload them to Youtube and use them in your sessions.

If you are repurposing content you cover in your training session, don’t worry: people might have missed on a vital piece of information, forgotten it, or might have been distracted at some point, so don’t worry too much about a bit of repetition.

You can either add it to the playlists, or show a specific piece within the session.

Watching videos effectively with a group

First things first: practice your transition and make sure your technology works perfectly before the session starts.

Fumbling around trying to get a video to work is a time waste and breaks the flow of your session.

You should have it set up so you can seamlessly click and the video starts playing without missing a beat.

Also look at:

• What lighting will be optimal and how to change the lighting in the room quickly if needed
• The volume setting, to be sure it can be heard by everyone in the room
• Where the video will stop and end, don’t waste your audiences time looking for where you need to be in the video (if you are not viewing the whole thing) have it cued up and ready to go.
• How you will transition into showing the video clearly and cleverly.

Step 1: Introduce the video

Be upfront and clear about why you are watching the video. You can set the video up with a few lines about what you hope they will get out of it and how it fits into the sessions, and why it will help them understand the content better.

You could even have a list of questions for the audience to keep in mind as they watch. You can ask the questions before the video starts, write them on a whiteboard beside the video, or ask them to write it in their notebooks or on their devices.

These questions can help instigate a discussion afterwards, and turns the passive role of watching a video into an interactive and investigative role, which can increase engagement.

Step 2: Watch the video.

Press play on the queued up video and let it roll!

Watch the audience as they watch the video: look for cues that they are understanding what is going on and engaged. If they look bored, or the video is dragging on, don’t be afraid to chop and change.

Here are more ideas on how to adapt to your audience: “Knowing your audience: the key to adapting your presentation”

If there is something very important in the video, don’t hesitate to pause or point out something very important if you think the audience might have missed it. 

Step 3: Debrief and discuss

After the video ends recap the main points and then open up a discussion on the ideas.

You can go through some of the questions you posed before watching, and if your group is too large, break the audience up into small groups to facilitate an easier discussion.

Make sure that the video achieved your goals, and if it hasn’t, make sure you reiterate the ideas.

What about copyright? The lowdown on staying legal

One thing to be aware of is copyright issues, so in this section, we are going to give you a quick and helpful overview to make sure you know the major rules.

While it might be tempting, don’t be fooled into thinking you can’t use anything you found online.

Many things are covered by copyright, even if someone has uploaded it, doesn’t mean it is free to use.

But don’t be discouraged there are tons legal sourced resources available, if they are labeled “fair use”, “public domain” and “free to use”, you can use them without issue.

You can even use the advanced search filter on YouTube that would let you search just for videos that are in the clear.

Different countries have different rules about what you can and can’t do when it comes to sharing copyrighted material without the owner’s permission.

Make sure you know what is ok, and what is not ok, in your country. For most countries, including the US, staying within the “Four Factors of Fair Use” should keep your bases covered.

While the likelihood of being sued is minimal, knowing and following the rules is more about accountability and credibility.

Want to find more training opportunities? Set up a profile on SpeakerHub.