Employees Say Video Is Preferred Method for Learning

A survey from video technology provider Kaltura found employees prefer video for learning.

Though the survey focuses on employee training and development, the responses are informative for retirement plan sponsors, providers and advisers who develop or offer retirement plan and financial wellness education. Among the 1,200 full-time professionals who work at companies with more than 500 employees across the United States, 69% said they would rather learn a new skill from video than from a written document. Video is the preferred learning method among all demographic groups.

However, 72% of employees admit they do not give training videos their full attention, skimming them, watching without sound, listening while doing something else, or ignoring them completely. There is a difference between generations; 44% of Baby Boomers report always paying attention to training videos, but among Generation X, Millennials, and Gen Z, only 23% to 24% report watching training videos with full attention.

Survey responses suggested ways to improve employee engagement with video training. Eighty-two percent said they believe interactive videos hold their interest better than traditional videos. Kaltura said videos can be made interactive by techniques such as adding hotspots that link to additional materials or videos, embedding quizzes in the video, and even building videos where content and storyline change depending on the viewer’s choices. “Interactive, personalized videos create a lean forward experience that drives increasingly better results,” the company says.

In addition, 64% of respondents said their employers are using live broadcasts or virtual classrooms for training, in which trainees can learn in real time and interact with their instructor.