How can videos help you excel at work
It can, however, lead to burnout quickly. True productivity means that everyone can act creatively, in their own unique style, and with full intellectual commitment while doing the work that matters. Surprisingly, videos can help with this.
As we know, most videos on the Internet are entertainment content. Such videos can help the brain relax during a break, but nothing prevents you from using productivity videos for informational and commercial purposes. In many cases, a video is more informative and persuasive than a text description, especially if you need to talk about external merits or the process of work.
In addition, one video is much better than two dozen professional photos. For example, instead of a long and boring talk about the properties of the waterproof fabric from which the raincoat is made, you can make a ten-second video of how water collects on its surface without penetrating inside.
Videos vs. other communication means
There are other ways to increase productivity besides videos, so why are they so important? Let's take a look at the main benefits of video content that make it a must-have at the workplace.
- Most people are a visual type, which means they perceive information primarily through their eyes. Therefore, it is most effective to use visualization to convey information to them. It can be images, but motion is often more effective because it proposes more information to analyze.
- Videos are easy to understand – unlike reading multi-page instructions, watching videos does not require much effort from the employee, so they are willingly involved in the process of absorbing content.
- Nowadays, many people work remotely, and there is no way to ask a colleague to come up and show possible ways to solve a task, and emails may not be informative enough. In such cases, you can make videos of everyday work situations for the future and send them when necessary.
- People believe what they see easier. It is one thing to read about how this or that works and quite another to see its embodiment in a photo or, even better, a video of new technology at work. It also helps some to better understand the very essence of the process.
In general, each person needs an individual approach. But if there is no opportunity or time for this, in most cases, the use of video will help.
Videos that can help at work within the company
Obviously, not every type of video is suitable for your workplace, so be careful about choosing something to watch if you are assigned to it. First, you need to understand what kind of videos for business purposes should be used.
One of the most common uses, of course, is training designed to teach many employees. Text instructions may contain wording that is too broad, which other people may understand differently, while the video clearly shows the situation or process that workers need to be taught.
By the way, if you are the trainer, this is also a great way to integrate video content unrelated to work, such as shots from films, performances, or interviews. Firstly, it diversifies the training process and allows employees to relax a bit. And secondly, it can be an even clearer demonstration of how to or not to act.
For example, the bits of dialogue from the movie where the director chastises an employee is a great example of how to hurt the person unnecessarily and how not to give feedback. It is enough to show this piece of video, which lasts about 2 minutes, and there you have material for discussion for an hour at least. There are violations of boundaries, insults, the lack of specifics, and much more that is worth discussing.
This method also helps in communication between employees. Let’s say you analyzed the feedback rules and worked out this topic, so now you need to talk about the employee's responsibility – here, you show the second piece from the same film, and the discussion can go to a different plane. Such ilLet'sative examples help everyone to offer their point of view and discuss it, and as a result, everyone understands each other a little better.
The other popular and important type is videos about the culture within the company. They are often intended for beginners and describe some features of working in this particular place. For example, how to share and protect work information, who to contact in case of problems, and so on. Despite the focus on new employees, old-timers of the company can also sometimes remind themselves of some of the things discussed in such videos.
Workplace videos – for both trainers and trainees – is a good way to improve. They allow looking differently at yourself, comparing your experience with others, and going toward the company's future.
