The Importance of Multimedia in Microlearning

Category: Business

Training is a mandatory requirement in any organization. The organization can have five or five hundred employees but it’s not going to make a difference if none of them know what their job is or how to do it efficiently. Therefore, it’s of utmost importance to give them the training they need so that each one can perform in specific roles as well as take over from someone else if the other is on leave. However, there’s a lot of training to be done and lots of information to take in. Holding long, scheduled training sessions is not feasible. Instead, it would be easier and better to hold microlearning training sessions that would solve all your problems. Microlearning involves turning a large amount of information into smaller, more digestible pieces. To do this, you make use of multimedia in the form of text, images, videos, audio files, and interactive games to help employees engage with and enjoy their training. This way, they don’t just see it as something boring but necessary and actually retain what they have learned. The best part is that it’s all easily accessible since it can be uploaded to a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. Let’s learn some more about how beneficial using multimedia in microlearning is and what are the different multimedia elements you can use to enhance your training content. Benefits of Multimedia in Microlearning It’s flexible and convenient to use In an organization, there’s almost always a lot of work to be done and not enough time to do it. Trying to schedule training sessions and getting people to sit down for them during working hours ends up backfiring. Using multimedia elements in your microlearning training programs allows you to put it on an app. The app can then be accessed at any time, at the employees’ convenience. Additionally, you can give them a flexible time frame in which they can complete their training. It brings down training costs Microlearning definitely reduces travel and accommodation costs and delivery costs. You don’t even have to waste time on printing volumes of training manuals, bringing in trainers, booking a training venue, etc. given that all content is going onto an app. Another great benefit is that you can train employees located all over the country and even the world without incurring any sort of cost increase. It’s an effective way to train and learn It’s been said multiple times that people respond better to information that is a combination of images and text. A large percentage of people are visual learners which means that they tend to retain information longer when it’s in an image or a video format. By delivering training to employees in this manner, you’re assured of higher quality work, more productivity, more customer satisfaction, fewer issues, and a minimal need to retrain regularly. Now let’s learn about the types of multimedia available for creating microlearning content with ease. Multimedia Elements in Microlearning Text This is the simplest kind of media available. Text consists of alphanumeric and special characters. You can also edit the text as per your preference using different text types, sizes, fonts, colors, and background colors. Since text is the easiest and simplest way to get the message across, there are a few things to keep in mind when creating your training content. Text should be legible and almost always in black on a white background. Avoid using fancy fonts Text size matters so make sure that your font size is large enough so that the reader doesn’t have to squint while reading Put keywords and headings in Bold. You can also change the font color and even enlarge the text size in such cases to highlight it Images Long before humans learned to write, they learned to draw, making images the oldest type of media around. In training, you can make use of illustrations, stock images, icons, clip art, etc. to add visual appeal to your text content. Here’s how you can use images effectively with text content to make it stronger. Always put in images that support the text If you must use only an image, ensure that it’s not just to fill the screen. Include text that explains what the image means Ensure consistency in image format whether it’s a particular type of image (illustration or stock image) or image size Audio While reading through information accompanied by related images, there’s one more media element that can tie it all together. Audio! Thanks to audio, the learner can follow what’s on-screen and become more engaged in his or her training. Here’s how you can make the best use of it in microlearning programs. Ensure that the audio syncs properly or the employees undergoing training will look at one thing and hear another Keep a check on the narration speed, tone, and accent’ Use audio sparingly and paraphrase if you need to describe something Video Video is fast becoming a popular element in microlearning. A lot of organizations use animated videos and those shot in real-time to enhance training content. It’s one of the best options since it combines audio, text, and images to deliver information. Learn how to use it properly in microlearning programs from the below tips. Always, and we can’t stress this enough, use or create short videos If you need to put a time limit on these, between 3-5 minutes works best Use videos to describe steps or processes. This makes things easier to understand when someone is actually explaining what needs to be done Making the most out of multimedia in your training programs Multimedia is important if you want to make a real impact in training employees effectively. However, it needs to be looked at and restructured carefully in order to be turned into something engaging and attention-grabbing. After all, the whole objective is to create learning experiences that make employees more productive and efficient. Let us, at HandyTrain, show you how to use our microlearning app to create great content using the different multimedia elements mentioned above. So far we’ve helped a large number of organizations in multiple industries across India to create compelling training content. Book a demo and take the tour now! If you need more information, write to us at sales@handytrain.com.