Whether they’re used to introduce new software, procedures, or company objectives, training videos are a valuable tool for businesses. Unfortunately, most employees who hear the words “training video” head for the door screaming – the opposite of the desired reaction. Instead, spend a little extra time and effort producing training videos employees want to see. For a little help, review the following four tips.

Animation Equals Fun

Everyone loves cartoons. Why? Because generally, they toss aside the rules of reality and make your imagination come to life. In the same vein, adding animation to training videos makes them more entertaining and fun for your audience. The best way to add animation to training videos is to work with a professional production company equipped with experienced illustrators and graphic designers. Otherwise, tools like GoAnimate and CodeBaby can simplify the process while adding an element of fun to your content.

Short and Sweet

Another key to making training videos fun is to keep them short and sweet. Even if your company has a lot of information to cover, employees will retain information better if it’s presented in small doses. When faced with the promise of a one or two hour training video, employees are more likely to establish a negative point of view before stepping foot in the conference room. Consider breaking up video content into small, easily understood pieces no more than 30 minutes long. If your training videos must be lengthy, break up the content by pausing for employee questions and feedback.

Entertaining Scripts

If you’ve ever had the privilege of sitting through a “boring old training video,” you know that a dull script only makes it 100x times more difficult to sit through the entire thing. Sources suggest that adding humor, lively skits, and engaging language within a script helps employees loosen up and pay more attention to training videos. When creating a training video from scratch, be sure to incorporate these elements to increase viewer interest.

Familiar Faces

There’s nothing quite like identifying with someone you see on television or in the movies. It’s that moment when you think, “Hey, this person is a bit like me!” This same element of intrigue can be used to make training videos more entertaining for employees. Hiring a celebrity to appear in your training video is great if it’s in the budget, but for cash-strapped businesses, selecting an employee or two to appear in your video works just as well.

Work with a Professional

Other than watching your employees take the fire escape to avoid poor quality training videos, there’s nothing much worse than standing idly by as your employees snicker and make jokes about a cheesy training video. In the process, the message is missed completely. If you need training videos your employees will want to watch again and again, make sure to make it interesting by adding elements of fun. To carry out the task of creating an interesting and entertaining training video your employees will love, choose to partner with an experienced production company.

In your opinion, what’s the best way to make training videos fun?