How to Create Microlearning Videos That Engage E-Learners

Microlearning has never been more valuable or as compelling as it is now. This power training tool breaks material or single learning objectives down into short, easily digestible components—that are no more than a few minutes in length. Not only are they a huge time saver; they are also a great tool in maximizing learning for your students or learners.

From interactive infographics and PDFs to eBooks and videos, there are countless types of microlearning options out there. Here we’ll focus on microlearning videos and how to create video clips that engage your e-learners. Videos are a great medium for teaching new information in short bursts, and The Bob Pike Group is excited to show you a few how-tos on making it easy and doable.

There are many authoring tools available for all users, no matter their level of tech savvy. With the help of the right tool, anyone anywhere can create impressive videos that can engage learners with the perfect just enough, just in time training. And you don’t have to be a tech pro to create an effective learning video! There’s a wide range of affordable software and easy-to-use apps out there—just do a quick Google search of “e-learning video tools” to find one that fits best with your needs. Remember a video doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go in front of the camera yourself. Animations, slide shows, charts, and eye-catching photos are all examples of video elements you can incorporate.

It’s no surprise students or participants retain more information and have a better grasp on concepts when they are presented through a video. As a visual medium, videos fit greatly in line with most of us as visual learners. Let the visuals of your video do the teaching job. Put together great illustrations, photos, animations with minimal written text. Keep in mind that visuals allow you to present a substantial amount of information in a very short time frame.

3. But … choose your visuals carefully

Use visuals to their full effect. They should be engaging, clear-cut, and not distracting. With the purpose of your video to teach through engaging visuals, it’s important that they’re compelling and clearly illustrate your subject matter with minimal confusion to learners. Illustrations, infographics, pie charts, and graphs are great examples of making a point or showcasing subject matter.

Although you might know a topic well, it’s not a good idea to ab-lib if you can help it. Even the best trainers and presenters combat nerves and need several hours of prep time before a presentation or session. Create a bulleted outline and gradually fill in details for a more complete script. Revise your script thoroughly and delete anything that doesn’t contribute to your overall message. Most importantly, make sure it flows smoothly for you.

5. Keep it simple

Definitely incorporate links if it helps add helpful information to your video … but keep it straightforward. Your video is a microlearning training tool, so overloading the presentation with dozens of links may prove to be a bit much for learners’ retention. The extra information shouldn’t be necessary to grasp the message of the video; it should be bonus add-ons if learners so choose to explore.

Overall, remember when it comes down to it, short snippets of learning make it more effective for learners to absorb content repeatedly and with improved overall knowledge retention. The human brain learns better when content is delivered in small segments, making video clips the perfect microlearning tool!

Sign up for The Bob Pike Group’s Microlearning online workshop to immerse yourself in a creative lab experience—bring an existing program or new content and leave with your first microlearning units—including videos—100% ready to launch.