Hannah Vorlicek
August 8, 2023
5 min read

What Makes a Great Induction Video That Engages Your Employees?

Everyone knows induction videos are a perfect way to introduce new employees to the company. But unfortunately, many of these videos can be too long, too complex, and suffer from a lack of engagement.

“People learn nothing when they’re asleep and very little when they’re bored.” – John Cleese

Historically, there has been a tendency to cram in too much information and use company jargon or acronyms that send the new employees into overwhelm. These videos tended to ‘talk at’ the employees, rather than engaging and inspiring them with authentic company stories.

The rise in new video production technologies means that these unengaging induction and onboarding videos can be a thing of the past. Here are our three top pieces of advice to keep in mind when planning your induction videos – so that you communicate the important information while also keeping your employees’ attention.

Induction videos need to capture employee attention spans

In order to communicate important messages, you need to have your audience’s attention. This means your induction video should be engaging in its content and its presentation. Use different titles, graphics, still images, footage, music, voice-over throughout the video can keep the audience engaged and attentive throughout the video.

Virgin Atlantic perfected this approach when they revamped their in-flight safety video and used an unexpected approach to safety training.  For many of us, we’ve watched in-flight videos dozens of times and whilst the message is critical, the content is repetitive and boring.  So, Virgin Atlantic face the challenge head-on and produced a video with a difference.  They’ve changed each scene style, changed the voice-over and music, bringing the audience into the centre of the story.

Adobe: new employee welcome video, join a winning team!

Making induction videos that strike a balance – ‘Edutain’!

There’s often so much to absorb in an induction video that the information is overwhelming.  Break your induction topics/chapters down into short sharp videos, remove the jargon and ‘company speak’ and your video will have a greater impact.

Package up the sequence of videos into a linear structure, so the employee knows what is coming next and get a sense of accomplishment as they finish each video – do this by using titled thumbnails and finish each video with ‘what’s next’ so the audience knows what they are going to learn next.

Zendesk:  “ Zendesk doesn’t hire as#@@les” Induction video for recruiting and people who will start working.  They show diversity and are open to people working from home. They’re champions of pretty sweet jobs. 

Induction videos that use interactivity and gamification 

Because induction is no longer bound to a classroom or an in-person meeting, it’s possible to take induction to the next level by building an authentic employee experience through interactive video. The gamification of employee induction and onboarding has the potential to tremendously enhance the effectiveness of your induction by making the induction content available by request, and in a highly engaging manner.  In this great example, Deloitte encourages viewers to understand company culture by clicking on choice points within the video. Using both humour and real situations, the audience gets to walk in the shoes of a new Deloitte employee and decide his courses of action (be they right or wrong).

QBE: QBE engaged Creativa to create a series of induction videos, interactive videos and personalised videos for their onboarding campaign.

Your induction should reflect your organisation

The main purpose of an induction is to integrate your new employees into the company and show them the systems, procedures, culture, values and the organisation itself. The most important thing is that your induction reflects your organisation – starting how you mean to continue, in a sense. So, if your current induction does not feel like it accurately reflects your organisation, it is not too late to get in touch with creatives who can help.

The videos above cleverly create unexpected moments, draw the audience into the story and edutain the audience beyond the learning environment. Interactivity and gamification are readily available today and can inspire organisations to build intelligent interactive platforms to make induction significantly more memorable and engaging.

Your organisation has invested considerable resources into recruiting new employees, so it makes sense to invest in a series of edutaining and memorable induction video’s that showcase just how amazing your company truly is.

In today’s digital era, training videos are becoming the backbone of employee onboarding processes. With the capability to be as concise or as detailed as required, these videos serve as an efficient way to familiarise new hires with the workings and culture of the organisation. Especially when it comes to company induction videos, the need for quality content and presentation is paramount.

Why opt for Training Video Production?

The process of creating effective training videos begins with understanding the target audience and curating content that is tailored to their needs. Training video production encompassed this art of combining information with compelling visuals, ensuring that the message is not just heard, but understood and retained.

For businesses induction video examples have shown time and again how impactful a good video can be. An employee induction video, for instance, can introduce new hires to the company’s culture, values, and mission, setting a positive tone from day one. On the other hand, a business induction video can be used externally to introduce partners, stakeholders, or potential investors to the company’s ethos and objectives.

How to Craft the Perfect Induction Video

Keep these steps in mind:

  • Know Your Audience: Understanding audience needs is crucial for staff induction and external business partners.
  • Keep It Engaging: Avoid long, monotonous videos. Keep it short, engaging, and to the point.
  • Quality Over Quantity: While it’s essential to cover all necessary points, the quality of corporate video production is key. Invest in good equipment, or better yet, hire professionals to ensure top-notch quality.
  • Make It Personal: Personalised videos can make new hires feel welcomed and valued. Incorporate personal touches like addressing the viewer directly or including a welcome message from the CEO.
  • Utilise Real-Life Scenarios: Real-life examples or scenarios help in better understanding and relatability.

Advantages of Induction Videos

  • Consistency: Every viewer receives the same message, reducing discrepancies in information dissemination.
  • Flexibility: Viewers can watch the video at their own pace, pausing and revisiting segments if needed.
  • Cost-Efficient: While there might be an initial cost in video production, in the long run, it eliminates recurring costs of in-person training sessions.
  • Higher Retention: Visual and auditory content is often easier to retain than written content.

When thinking of induction, onboarding or welcome videos, be it for employees, stakeholders, or partners, serve as an impactful and efficient way to communicate essential information. As more and more businesses realise the benefits, there’s no doubt that corporate video production, especially for training and induction, will continue to be a sought-after service in the corporate world.

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