Ideal length of a training video

So, you’ve finally decided to make that training video. You want it to cover all your learning objectives. And at the same time keep it short and sweet, knowing that your audience has a short attention span. This presents you with a considerable challenge: the ideal length of a learning video versus the learning goals you have set.

Two minutes!

Because did you know that research has shown that the optimal online video length should be two minutes? Two minutes! Above two minutes people will drift away. This is worrying to the HR executive responsible for creating an onboarding course for new hires, or the product department who needs to inform their people about a new product.

The trick is to make your video as short as you can to keep people engaged while maintaining its learning objective. Don’t worry, we’re not going to leave you with that general tip. Here are some guidelines that you can use to ensure you get optimal engagement.

Difference online and training video

It is essential to note that online videos are relatively different from training videos. You cannot compare the optimal length for a video on social media with one used for training and development. Training videos ought to be more comprehensive.

‍The ideal runtime

When creating any video, remember that the quality of information matters as much as the length. A group of researchers conducted a study by analyzing 6.9 million videos. From the analysis, videos lasting less than 6 minutes were determined to be more engaging for learners.

Therefore, if what you are creating is an introduction to a new concept or product, answer every possible question within a 6-minute video. This length is also optimal for onboarding videos. After all, you want your audience to get 100 percent of the value you offer.

But, sometimes, no matter how much you try, 6 minutes isn’t enough time to feed your audience with the most vital information you have to offer.‍

Surpassing the ideal runtime

If you’re forced to go beyond that 6-minute threshold, try to find the sweet-spot between maintaining an actively engaged and steadily engaged audience. Again, research showed that learners were found to prefer videos that are under 15 minutes. Once a video surpasses the 15-minute mark, students began zoning out. The best way to do this is to ensure that you do not include any unnecessary video content.‍

In case of emergency

You might need more time to introduce new software or explain the sales techniques. For the training material to be understood, it requires going beyond the 15-minute mark.

So what do you do? You have no choice.

We recommend the bite-sized approach. What does this mean? Cut your content into 5-minute videos. Present the videos in such an order that it is clear for people what video to look at first. The advantage is that people can always go back to and watch the remaining videos without repeating the parts they have already viewed. Additionally, you can keep track of the areas your employees tend to gravitate to more and find ways to encourage them to watch other essential videos.

Before you dive into the studio, reread your script and check if you have an emergency on hand or if you can start the production of your videos. Need some help? Do not hesitate to contact me.

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Yorrick Thoms
yorrick@parcourslearning.com

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