Learning and development professionals who recognise the value of role-play training are turning their sights towards interactive video.

Interactive video is changing online content making it more immersive and engaging. At the same time, it allows for greater standardisation and better feedback. Data-driven insights indicate that interactive video is better at increasing engagement than standard linear video or traditional classroom training.

For larger organisations, where responsive decision making is valued, there is huge potential for interactive video to improve learning and deliver efficiency savings. Already we have seen projects from emergency response organisations, NGOs and others that are beginning to tap into the value interactive video can bring.

What is interactive video?

Interactive video can take many forms.

In simple terms, it’s video that supports user interaction through various actions such as clicks, touches, or taps. This means that rather than your video taking viewers on a linear journey,  your video creates different paths or provides more detail through direct user interaction.

Why interactive video?

Good for every sector

There are many reasons why people are opting for interactive video. To begin with, it’s an incredibly diverse medium that can be applicable to any business. Whether that’s for company training, content generation or starting a campaign.

Long-lasting impressions

The immersive experience will make your brand more memorable and inviting in an over-crowded tech marketplace. It’s even more effective than webinars, case studies, and in-person events,  according to a Brightcove survey.

Instant and immersive storytelling

We live in a fast-moving world where everything is instant – messaging, live streaming and learning. The way we consume content is changing. As consumers, we demand in-depth information delivered instantly.

Interactive video offers instant gratification and with divergent narratives and several different endings, we are no longer restricted to a single call to action or user experience.

A study by Forrester Research shows that call to actions (CTAs) inside video see a 5% -12% higher conversion rate over linear video.

Tell me, I will forget. Show me, I will remember. Involve me, I will understand.
– Confucius

Now, the audience’s choice is priority and non-linear video gives a greater level of control.

A historical issue to rolling out interactive video had been technological limitations. Then in 2012, HTML5 changed everything.

As a training and development professional, you endeavour to find better ways to drive learning —teaching large audiences in an effective manner with hopes they’ll absorb and remember information.

Benefits of using interactive video for training

Cost-effective approach to high staff turnover

One of the main limitations mentioned for not using interactive video for training is its perceived financial outlay. However, Magna found that an investment in interactive video reaches 52% further than traditional, linear video.

Interactive video training can help cut down notoriously high employee turnover by creating a team spirit culture and improving individual employee’s feelings and attitudes towards career personal development. Ultimately, boosting employee commitment through the training model of participating in something positive, current and personal.

Re-versioning existing content is always an option and for a tech-minded individual it only takes a short amount of time. Editing or adding additional content can be done much faster than organising a costly training day or writing a new textbook.

Data-driven results and user experience

The data insights you can get from interactive video can be extremely valuable. By providing users with control, you ultimately drive desired behaviours because the user is more invested in the content due to their participation. Consequently revealing insights that allow you to better understand audience preferences, behaviour, and ROI through interactive video.

Interactive video brings role play training online

Those who love role-play describe it as a form of interactive storytelling. It can provide a safe environment to encounter different scenarios. But it can be expensive with a single session costing anywhere between $500-$1500 per employee. And once the exercise is over, there’s often no way of recalling the experience or capitalising on it. Interactive video role-play is a viable alternative or extension.

Build on the best take

In addition to understanding the words the other person is saying, it’s important to pay attention to body language and non-verbal clues. Producing scenarios, you can film actors multiple times, from different angles until you get the most natural take to use in the game build. Better to have your team practice skills using the best enactment via online role-play than when they’re trying to perform in the real world.

Train safely, realistically and on-demand

Interactive video role-playing will give your team the chance to safely witness various unexpected situations and fluent, natural dialogue around the learning objective. Resulting in developing creative problem-solving skills under realistic time-pressure and at their own pace.

Build team confidence and individual resilience

Role-playing allows you to throw any number of situations at your team in a safe environment, which builds collective confidence that can help them in their day-to-day roles.

Maximise your return on investment

Recently, emergency crews took part in Europe’s largest disaster training exercise to test their response to mass casualties. Lasting for four days, the role play simulations involved a total of 2,000 volunteers and eight London Underground carriages.

If you consider the cost of taking employees away from their work, hiring multiple locations across numerous days, bringing in the actors plus experts and covering their accommodation, transport and costume fees, you’re already creating a heavy budgetary burden for a one-time application.

So why not increase the return on investment by adopting interactive elearning practices for role-play simulations instead?

Final thoughts

It’s clear that interactive video can increase engagement and allow people to make choices just as they would in role-play scenarios. It’s certainly an exciting trend in the elearning space and one that is set to become increasingly important over coming years.

The full article was first published on elearningindustry.com on 12 July 2018