

Video
(VIH-dee-oh)

SOLID
What is a Video?
Video as part of a training program can come in all shapes and sizes, from hour-long, professional produced films to homemade 30-second vignettes shared as part of microlearning.
Other Common Names
Other common names for video include:
- Screen recording
- Movie
- Training film
Key Properties of Video in a Training Program
All training-focused videos share the following common properties:
- Action-based, visual media (as opposed to still photos)
- Flexibility to be used as a standalone resource or integrated into broader learning activities

Insights about Video in Learning Programs from What's Your Formula?
- "Using a video in your training program—whether you’re creating instructor- led training or asynchronous e-learning experiences—can offer variety to the way in which information is being presented, and can give learners a consistent experience because the video will always be the same."
- "Video doesn’t need to take a lot of time or cost a lot of money to produce. This may be the way to go if you have a smartphone and want to quickly model a certain behavior, capture a specific point using a guest speaker or demonstrate a process. While smartphone video may not have the editing or lighting necessary to give it that “professional” look and feel, there may be times when you just need to get your point across with a video and a more refined product isn’t necessary. I’ve gone this route on a range of projects, from a CEO welcome message for new employee orientation to a compare and contrast set of video clips for effective presentation delivery that was embedded into an e-learning module."
- "If you’re looking to take your video usage to the next level, then interactive video will bring a new level of engagement to your training program. In the classroom, interactive video could simply be one where you play a video until a certain point, pause the video, ask participants what they might do in that situation, and then restart the video to see how it actually plays out. In an e-learning environment, interactive video can be viewed as a sort of choose-your- own-adventure learning experience where there are natural pause points in the action and learners are asked to determine what decision should be made in the video. When they make their selection, the video branches and the scenario carries on as if the learner was controlling the action in the video. This can be done at your desk using software like Camtasia, or you can ask a vendor to work this type of video into your next e-learning project."