Why Video-Based Learning Can Fall Short

If you live in the U.S. and say you aren’t surrounded by the constant hum of data from email, social media and mobile, it’s entirely possible that you’re a goldfish. In which case your attention span is too short to remember the last notification you received anyway.

Today’s organizations, in an effort to keep pace with the learning needs of an increasingly tech-savvy workforce, are adopting channels that they think will be most appealing, and least likely to be viewed as “dated.”

In my current role, I often see companies turning to video-based learning as a viable alternative to in-person management trainings. Visual, relatable and dynamic, it is often seen as an effective, cheaper replacement for expensive classroom learning. And it can be.

However, in the world of limited time and short attention spans, video has some serious drawbacks. Just to name a few:

• Video is expensive to make and static, making it next to impossible to update based on active feedback;
• Video footage dates quickly—e.g. a video from the ‘00s looks like it was made in the ‘00s;
• Video is tough to come back to—unlike a text article, that’s easy to pick back up, video requires a time commitment. If you’re interrupted halfway through, you’re less likely to come back later;
• Video can be awkward in an open office environment (e.g. a manager who sits next to his or her direct reports watching the latest training videos on how best to manage them);
• Video prevents user interaction—e.g. copying critical sections into notes, or searching for a specific bit of detail after the fact

Think, for example, of a sales manager who’s just received a text from one of her newest direct reports. The direct report has been asked by a prospective customer to provide details about how the company helps to facilitate brand recognition. He knows that the company just released updated positioning, and is hoping for some guidance. Unfortunately, the sales manager hasn’t yet watched the latest training video, and there’s no window for doing so while her direct report is mid-pitch.

By contrast, a text version of the latest mandate would allow the sales manager to quickly scan through for useful nuggets to pass along real time, helping to answer the prospect’s question and (hopefully) land the business.

Companies who want to succeed in today’s marketplace must provide on-the-go learning options that keep pace with employees’ busy schedules and account for the environments in which they operate. That may mean acknowledging that an expensive new platform or approach just isn’t cutting it.

Put aptly by Lindsay Buydos, a former Learning and Development Business Partner at Groupon, “At Groupon, we understood that effective managers were the key to performance and retention. When we were looking for a training tool for these managers, we looked into several, including some expensive video platforms. After signing, we discovered that adoption rates were not rising for our employees. They simply were not interested in the format. A text-based approach paired with an accessible platform and relatable content greatly improved our adoption rates and our managers’ ability to excel.”

Of all of the groups relying on accessible training channels, first-level managers are the ones who feel it the most if the tools don’t fit the need. As the face of management that most staff work with every day, first-level managers are often fresh from the ranks themselves, yet they’re given little to no effective guidance on what it takes to manage well.

This makes it all the more important that those managers have ready access to the content they need to ask and answer questions and address challenges as they arise, regardless of when or where that may be. No seminar, no matter how well put together, is going to be able to do that. Likewise, even videos that claim to be “bite-sized” are a tough sell when considering all of the aforementioned challenges.

With the so-called “Google effect” in full force, making it easier for us to find information than to retain it, short blogs, articles, or even infographics have a much greater learning and development value than lengthy training videos or classes.

Much like the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, text allows employees to decide how, when and where they will learn. In contrast, video-based learning commits employees to a single track. Where else in today’s smorgasbord society are our options so limited? Maybe in that goldfish bowl …

Rob Cahill is co-founder and CEO at Jhana. Rob can be reached at [email protected].