Using Video to Lower Training Costs

October 10th, 2011

Training has traditionally been a very expensive practice for companies.  This is for several reasons.  One of these is that it is not always possible to have an existing member of staff carry out the training and specialist experts are often brought in to host presentations, half day or full day training sessions.  This is not a cheap option, particularly when it is considered that not every member of staff can be trained at the same time, so these training sessions would have to be held regularly until all staff had been trained.

This is in addition to the cost to the company of staff members stopping their work in order to attend the training session.   When the cost of lost man-hours is calculated, along with the cost of asking other staff to perhaps to cover and work extra hours while the training is going on.   The costs in this instance can creep up without even being noticeable.

This type of training is also not the most cost effective as many members of staff who attend will not necessarily be interested and will not take in as much as they should.  When the training is ineffective in this way then a different approach is required.

Training Video Production – Cost Effective Option

One of the solutions to lowering cost is to opt for training video production.  A training video can be used effectively to train staff while keeping costs as low as possible.  It has been estimated that 15 minutes of a well-put together training video can replace 45 minutes of a face to face presentation as the person watching it is likely to take more in than they would normally.  In this way the amount of information presented can be shortened and effectiveness increased at the same time.

Training video production also means that there is no longer a requirement for groups of staff members to stop work and attend training sessions.  The training videos can be accessed when they have time to spare during the working day.  Training in this way can also be passed to all members of staff at the same time, instead of staggering training in the way that workshops would require.

It is also the case now that the cost of training video production is much lower than it used to be, thanks to advances in technology and the fact that more and more companies see it as a viable option for their training needs.  Video can simply be posted on a website or intranet site to be accessed as required, although DVDs can be produced if needed.