Do you Hate VIDEO Training?

I see this as the most legitimate reason why people do not like video training. Other then that the unprofessional part is just showing that these people are real people not professional actors or speakers.

Actually what it sounds like is that you dont hate 'video training' , it sounds like you hate amateurs who pretend to be professionals.

Haha, yeah. I go through great pains to edit the uhms and ahs out of my videos. They take 5 minutes to shoot and 40 minutes to edit :p

You've hit the nail on the head though, so many video guides are egotistical and digress from the subject matter.

I was searching youtube to find out how to do something with photoshop, and this guy had a 4 minute video to show a 6 second process. AHHHH!

I like video training ONLY for something that needs to be demonstrated visually.

For example, when I decided to knit again after not having done it since being a teenager, only a video explained the process clearly.

However, any video that doesn't truly show me how to do something is wasting my time since I can read really fast and find the info I need very quickly in written form.

Marcia Yudkin

It all depends on what the training is about. Some people can give you the details in just two sentences but yet still they make a long drawn out video which then becomes very boring.

And again something can only be explain adequately via videos. But if you are creating a training program, I would say do the videos and also provide a pdf with the transcript. Sometimes people just want to scan through and get to the important details without having to listen to a whole lot of fluff.

Videos are useful for those that read a lot and would like to take a break...but videos have to ALWAYS be accompanied with a transcript or PDF!

When i see a VIDEO ONLY membership, i think of it as half-done and unfinished product!

I also prefer reading a pdf than sitting through a video. I like when there are links within a pdf to a short video that will explain something in more detail (if it's needed). I think pdfs with screenshots though can often show a lot of detail (ie how to set up a segmented list in aweber). Most people are busy and don't have time to sift through a video to find what they know versus what is new. Also, there can be a ten minute sales pitch within a video (or webinar) which is hard to skip on initial review.

Debbie

Thanks for that tip. Anyone reading this should pay attention, that one tip alone is worth a fortune!

I hate videos.

We have a big family. There's always a lot of noise and interuptions. Headphones are not an option because I need to be able to hear what is going on around me. I'd much rather have a nice PDF to read through.

At the moment I've got around 20 videos that I've got to find a quiet time to watch.

Video can be helpful but most people that do it spend way too long explaining stuff that they don't need to.

I once watched a video regarding some php code for making custom databases to import into wordpress and the guy spent half the video explaining how to find and open notepad.

One thing that hasn't been addressed properly in this thread is quality.

One of the biggest complaints seem to be about poor quality video with lots of fluff. Yes, I hate them too but I also hate poor quality PDFs with lots of fluff.

And where video usually wins hands down over a PDF is in showing a process. How many PDFs have you read where the author seems to have left out a step here or a click there? I find a lot of PDF authors make too many assumptions of what the reader knows/understands, while if you do a video (in real time) you can't forget anything otherwise the process doesn't work (as Karen Barr's software trainer discovered in a video but probably wouldn't have noticed his mistake if he'd done a PDF).

Martin

I don't like video training because I am a fast reader, the same as many other Warriors. Videos can take ages to watch and waste a lot of time (not always, but quite often, in my experience).

Give me the equivalent of a clickable contents page link (like those in some PDFs) with the videos and then I'll go for video training much more often.

Until that happens, I'll take the PDF first.

Hi Guys and Gals,

Video training can be very good and it's been shown to increase understanding a retention dramatically.

However,far too often it's shoddy produced and the creator doesn't bother to edit the video properly, making it a great time waster, when you have to sit through all their mistakes and endless minutes watching stuff download.

I agree with Michael that - to do a proper job - the actual shooting time is dwarfed by the amount of time you need to spend editing video to remove all the mistakes, coughs, and shorten the download sequences.

And as been remarked - many folks may be hard of hearing or cannot tune into a strange accent. So they prefer to read a pdf.

Why is why I also produce an illustrated, printable checklist with all my technical videos. That way my members get the very best of all worlds.

That means a five minute video can really take me nearly a day to produce, but - at least - I can sleep at night.

Paul

I Like videos better.

I hate reading and I don't like it. I also easily forget things I read than things I have seen.

I think, It really depends on the subject.

I think most videos should come with a related PDF, that way you can watch the video the first time and then if you want to come back later to refresh your memory you don´t have to sit though the whole video again, just have a quick read.

Sounds like you have not done much tech support ever. I do a lot of support for the apps we sell myself and I can say with 100% certainty that if without a video showing exactly that you should copy and paste the URL in the browsers nav bar, at least a good 25% of the people would not know what URL you were talking about. They would copy the embed code, since there is a URL in there. OR they wouldnt copy the full URL, or something.

This is actually why people in situations like this where there teaching you how do do something with the computer prefer to use videos, believe me I have worked with hundreds of customers, unless you show them exactly what to do they will mess it up.

Here is a great example, my Facebook apps, they use log in with Facebook. All you have to do literately is click the log in button and give the app permission to get your info and your logged in. Sounds simple right. I get about 5-10 emails each week from people saying they cant log in, its always the same, they didnt approve the permissions for the app, even though the instructions they get after purchase tells them that they need to approve the permissions. When I ask people if they approved the permissions they say no. When I remind them that they need to and that the instructions said they need to they answer: Oh, you mean those permissions

Point is people are not very good at following even the most simple instructions so it is often more efficient to just show them.

This is a great discussion. I've been held hostage by video training in the past...

1. Video is such a commitment to me. I just want the information. Like others said, the key minute that I need isn't worth listening to someone make small talk while he randomly molests the screen with his cursor.

I'd prefer short videos where each video is about one VERY specific thing and clearly titled so I can go back to that one video as a resource. With longer videos, I have to blindly try to find the point where I stopped paying attention.

2. Marketers use total length of video as a selling point, but when I see "10+ hours of video," that's when I hit the back button or delete the email. I get that it adds perceived value for some people, but I will have to invest 10+ hours watching the videos in addition to the time I'll have to spend doing whatever it is that I'm learning.

I watch people ask "How much will I need to invest to actually do this" before they buy products. I consider my 10+ hours part of the investment and attach a dollar amount.

I feel like video training is a chore where I have to prepare, set aside time, etc = commitment. I'm less likely to watch the entire series than I am to read a pdf. That means I'm less likely to take action... which means I'm not going to accomplish whatever goal... which means I'm probably not going to be a repeat buyer or higher-ticket convert.

3. And you know what makes me REALLY not want to buy video training? When the sales pitch is a guy speaking his sales page as he stands in some affluent-looking room (or in front of a pool or car). It makes me feel uncomfortable. He's awkwardly standing there not knowing what to do with his hands like a teenage boy on a first date. Cut away to some screencasting or something. It makes me wonder how much of the video in the series will be similarly weird and pointless.

I dislike video training in general, but I DO like short videos that complement pdf training, especially when they walk me through things that are easier explained by watching someone do them.