Why Video Is the Key to Long-Term Knowledge Retention

Did you know that 84% of employees expect companies to provide learning and development (L&D) opportunities? While this appears costly, it can be a win-win situation for both parties, as employees can upskill and then apply the new skills to their roles. 

However, this means offering learning opportunities that stick. 

For this, you may need to let go of traditional corporate training methods, like slide decks and in-person lectures. While they can still offer some value, they’re easy to tune out and may fail to support long-term retention as a result. 

Retention requires something more engaging and flexible. That’s where educational videos come in. 

Here, we explore the power of video in corporate training with valuable insights from Matt Pierce, Learning & Video Ambassador at TechSmith. Read on as Matt shares his thoughts on the effectiveness of video, its impact on retention, and how to design training videos to maximize long-term retention. 

Why video is more effective than traditional formats

Traditional learning formats, like text-only materials, may not capture learners’ attention long enough to promote long-term knowledge retention. This is why it’s important to incorporate training videos into your L&D. 

Video content is more engaging, and, as Matt puts it, “easier to remember than just reading or listening” and may, therefore, be more impactful in helping employees upskill. 

Video content is typically easy to recall because it engages multiple senses at once. It taps into the dual coding theory, which suggests that the human memory processes and stores information using two systems: visual and verbal. 

According to this theory, information that triggers both systems (like video does) is easier to remember than information presented to just one system. 

Beyond being easier to remember, video is also available on demand. Unlike live training, where employees may not get opportunities to relearn concepts once trainers move on to other topics, your teams can replay video content when they need a refresher. 

Why retention matters for training success

Knowledge retention is how well employees remember and apply learned concepts over time. Retention can translate to improved productivity and stronger returns on L&D efforts, making it easier for teams to justify their spending. 

This is why modern trainers often incorporate video content into their sessions: It’s more engaging and presents real benefits for businesses — like saving L&D teams from answering the same questions repeatedly. Rather than repeat concepts, they can point employees to recordings for additional support. 

Let’s dive deeper into why video works so well for boosting knowledge retention.

Replay and pause support better comprehension

One of the biggest drawbacks of traditional training solutions is that they’re typically one-and-done. In a live training session, if an employee misses something crucial or fails to understand a concept, they may be out of luck unless they’re willing to seek immediate clarification — something that may not be particularly appealing for introverted team members. 

Video eliminates the need for that. 

Learners can pause recordings if they need time to absorb information or if they simply want a break. They can also replay videos or specific sections of recordings as many times as it takes to grasp information. This level of control supports different learning preferences and attention spans, which is vital for understanding concepts. 

Videos support microlearning moments

Employees may not have the time to read through lengthy texts or sit through hours-long lectures. In many scenarios, they often have to juggle learning and their work. 

This is why video is so great for corporate training. It allows you to break down information into small, easily digestible chunks, supporting microlearning. This can encourage more employees to complete training, potentially boosting their comprehension. 

Matt advises to “keep videos short and targeted on specific actions or tasks” instead of overwhelming learners with details. Videos that get to the “aha” moment quickly can capture employees’ attention throughout, which is great for knowledge retention. 

Narration improves engagement and encoding

Audio plays a significant role in how the human brain processes and stores information. Narration activates the auditory cortex, a part of the temporal lobe. This region of the brain is responsible for memory and can support knowledge retention. 

Narration, especially when presented by a clear human voice and paired with visuals, also facilitates dual-channel processing, potentially resulting in improved information encoding and recall. 

So, don’t hesitate to incorporate audio into your videos. Camtasia makes this easy with voiceover capabilities. With Camtasia, you can include narration in your videos without using any specialized equipment and edit your audio for clarity with just a few clicks. With Camtasia Audiate, you can also leverage AI tools for narration, including advanced text-to-speech voice overs, audio improvement tools, and 49 lifelike avatars to connect with global audiences.

Adding visuals strengthens encoding

Visual elements are more effective than text alone. This is because they engage roughly 60% of the brain, which can enhance information comprehension and retention. 

When paired with audio, the dual coding theory applies, boosting learners’ chances of remembering training later. 

With TechSmith’s Snagit and Camtasia, you can incorporate visual elements like quick screenshots, arrows, highlights, and animations into your recordings to draw attention to specific concepts, further enhancing the effectiveness of video training. 

Tactics to design for long-term retention

While video is no doubt a great medium, how you design it can determine whether information sticks. According to Matt, L&D teams need to create videos with not just instruction in mind but also retention. 

Here are some tips to help you do that:

Use quizzes or reflection prompts

Passive videos may fail to capture viewers’ attention throughout — especially if they’re lengthy. 

To prevent a loss of connection when using video for training, incorporate quizzes into your videos that prompt employees to remember what they learned. Alternatively, you can ask viewers to jot down the key takeaways from the videos to encourage deeper information processing. 

You can also weave in elements of live training by scheduling post-viewing Q&A sessions or “coffee chats” with other team members. This can reinforce learning and transform it from a passive activity into an active one, potentially boosting knowledge retention. 

Organize content in searchable, modular libraries

Videos that are too long can be tough to navigate and overwhelm learners, negatively impacting L&D efforts. Rather than share every piece of information in a single video, break topics down into short, focused segments and store them in modular video libraries. 

This can make it easy for employees to revisit specific topics and minimize the risk of mental overload, improving understanding and retention. 

With TechSmith, you can build Collections in Screencast, upload short training videos, and share access links with employees so they can watch them at their convenience on the platform. Screencast comes with an AI feature that can help you generate each video’s title and description, making it easy for learners to find what they need. 

Repeat key ideas using visual and verbal cues

Repetition is one of the oldest tricks for retaining knowledge. And, it’s still as effective as ever. 

Use verbal repetition by rephrasing important points a few times throughout your videos. However, be careful not to be overly repetitious, which can create unnecessarily lengthy recordings. 

With Camtasia, you can even include visual repetition by adding text overlays, animations, captions, and cursor effects over videos. This could emphasize and cement main points in learners’ minds. 

Use TechSmith tools to create retention-first training content

Knowledge retention can help improve employee ramp-up time and boost staff productivity. To enhance retention, consider replacing traditional training formats with bite-sized video content that features reflection prompts and visual and verbal repetition cues. Such videos can capture learners’ attention for longer periods and engage more senses and parts of the brain, supporting understanding and recall. 

With TechSmith, you can easily create retention-first employee training videos, regardless of your production or technical expertise: Snagit helps you quickly capture screenshots that you can use to emphasize main points; Camtasia lets you layer audio, visuals, cursor, and screen recordings into videos to improve the shelf life of training content without taking up too much time; and Screencast allows you to build video libraries to streamline access to content. 

Try out TechSmith products today for an easy time building and maintaining retention-focused video content!