Monthly Archives: August 2011

Benefits of e-learning still undervalued by some

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 An international online learning industry group has claimed that the open access element of e-learning could still be used more effectively by companies.

David Guralnick, president of the International E-Learning Association, said: “A central positive element in online learning courses is the fact that they can be utilised for a variety of different purposes by various groups, offering anytime, anywhere access.

“E-learning can mean a lot of different things, and well-designed e-learning can provide effective education that allows learners to do things that they cannot do in a classroom environment.”

Providing a burst of education at a time that suits the learner is something that is still not fully appreciated or used by businesses, according to Mr Guralnick. However, his comments come as increasing numbers of professionals are utilising distance learning courses to train their customers, clients and employees.

The latest amendments to the UK Bribery Act, for instance, have now been incorporated into an online learning course produced by SkillSoft and Davenport Lyons solicitors designed to assist legal compliance learning for all affected businesses to help them avoid falling foul of the legislation.

 Example of how e-learning can work in a professional environment

The use of e-learning to help facilitate electrician courses is gradually growing, but it has started from a low baseline, an expert has claimed. Britain’s Electrical Contractor’s Association (ECA) has commented on how the use of online electrical training can benefit the electrician’s trade and will continue to provide a range of options for the future tuition. Iain Macdonald, the ECA’s head of education and training, said: “It has advantages such as flexibility of time or place of study, consistency of delivery and the ability to potentially reduce the numbers required to make a course viable.”

 His comments come following claims from the e-learning advocacy body LearningLight.com that electronic based education systems could radically alter the way in which many courses are taught, including the possibility that such concepts as the ‘Massive Open On-line Course’ could radically alter the purpose of teachers and educators.

DIY video – just because you can doesn’t mean you should

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Advancing technologies, more affordable equipment and financial constraints are just three reasons why companies are deciding to make their own video.

‘Why should I pay an outsider to make something I can do just as well – if not better?’ Is often the attitude.

Well, if this really is the case, and you think you can do it better, we’ve constructed three essential points to cover, when making a corporate video.

1.  Planning

The first step towards making an informative, entertaining and high quality video and cannot be missed. But often, this step is the one overlooked by a company. Many assume that because they know what their business can offer, the planning process is irrelevant. This could prove to be a costly mistake.

Planning highlights the most vital aspects of a video – the message you want to send and to whom. For this you have to think why you are making the video in the first place – what do you want it to show? What points need to be covered in the piece to get your message across and what does your target audience want to see?

Also, planning will cover questions such as: who is going to write your script? Who will be talking in your piece? What shots will accompany the information being said? All of these points are automatically thought of by a video production company but are often overlooked by others.

“The preparation for a video is much like preparing for a presentation” says Jo Haywood of Skylark Media Group, “first, know your audience, then identify your one core message. People love to watch video, make it visually interesting and compelling and you’ve an excellent communications tool.”

2.  Shooting

Something always underestimated by the inexperienced. It can take hours to record just a few minutes of video. There’s lights to set up, the camera to position, the ‘set’ to arrange, the audio to perfect. Then often unforeseen incidents occur, there are endless technical problems which can cause you to run over your allotted time. Can your company afford to lose the competency of employees from their main tasks for the time it takes to make the video?

Further, buying budget equipment can actually have a detrimental effect. A wobbly camera with a grainy image and poor audio defeats the whole purpose of a corporate video. You could actually be doing your business harm by producing and displaying a bad quality piece – think what this says about your company, if your own video is of shoddy quality, what will your services be like?

Often, people not ‘in the know’ will assume it’s all too easy. Many think they are pretty good with a camera, and do not need a crew.

Jo Haywood remarks that “at Skylark Media Group we draw upon a pool of talented people who are each specialists in their field. On location we use camera operators who have worked for BBC news as they know how to make the best of any location and can set up quickly and efficiently.”

3.  Editing

The most time consuming part of the whole process, and one that requires skill and concentration. Many companies think they can master the skill of editing by downloading an online tutorial and a 30 day trial of some editing software. It’s true there are a number of editing solutions out there which are user friendly and won’t break the bank, but this is all dependent on what your piece is for. A home edited film will probably do the trick for a student project, a Youtube video or even as part of a video blog. But for a company website or corporate training, showcasing your business, skills and services to your potential client base, it doesn’t cut the mustard.

“We estimate approximately two days edit for every day of filming,” continues Jo Haywood. “This is where the style of the film is created, plus any animations, music and special effects. It’s often the most creative part of the project where someone with experience will know how to add the Wow factor.”

Essentially it is your choice what you decide to do, the main things to think of is what a badly made video will say about your company to prospective clients.

If you do decide to let the professionals in, always visit a reputable video production company that has experience in corporate work. Skylark Media Group offers a range of video styles from animation to drama to client testimonials. We work directly with companies wishing to create promotional video or alongside the learning and development department, helping to introduce video in a training programme.

Jo Haywood, Director of Skylark Media Group has answered some frequently asked questions:

1.) Cost is obviously the main factor, is it always cheaper to ‘DIY’?
In my experience those that DIY can waste a lot of time. For example you return with an exclusive interview with a key client only to find out the sound quality is so bad that you can’t use it.

2.) Can a small company afford a professional video?
At Skylark Media we can cut our cloth to suit your budget. Talk to us about your requirements, we’re here to help.

3.) I’m pretty good with a Handycam; I can make a video right?
Yes of course you can, but wouldn’t it look more impressive in HD, well lit and professionally edited? Also, how long would it take you to learn all the skills required from shooting to loading it on You Tube – have you got that time available?

4.) A camera, a tape and a tripod are the first things that spring to mind, what else do you need?
Professional lighting, sound and editing make all the difference.

5.) And what about telling the story, nobody knows my business better than me, how can you get it across?
Visual story telling is an art. We bring over 20 years of experience making documentaries for the BBC and business training videos for The Sunday Times.

6.) I only want a one minute promo; I can do that is my spare time right?
It can actually take the same amount of time to film both a one minute promo and a ten minute training film. How many locations do you wish to include, what’s the travel time, how many interviewees will there be, what music will you use, will there be graphics or stills?

7.) Cheap equipment is just as good as the expensive stuff nowadays isn’t it?
Domestic video cameras can give you some good shots if you light it well. But if you’re going to make a video to impress, with rich images, depth of field and clear audio, my advice would be to employ a professional camera person who has their own high definition camera and professional sound recording equipment.

8.) I don’t have time to explain what my business is about and want kind of video I want; it would be quicker for me to just make my own wouldn’t it?
We can facilitate your planning. We have a short survey about the kind of video you want that you can fill in, or if you prefer we can take your brief over the phone and then send you the outline script for you to approve. It’s a really simple process that will give you confidence that you will get the video that you want.

Need for small business training can now be met

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The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) national chairman John Walker has recently called for training for small businesses, saying that small firms need to train staff in the skills that will impact on their bottom line.

The FSB report that prompted John Walker’s comment was the result of a survey of FSB members where 46% of them stated that sales, marketing and PR training would help their businesses to grow. A fifth of members also saw basic communication skills as integral to business growth.

The report continued by stating that the FSB “argues that in order to be competitive, businesses need these skills to take advantage of new and emerging markets, and as a result, they need training to be made available and accessible so that they can make the most of it.”

Answer to call

Now, Free Training Direct has responded to the FSB by offering free business training to all 210,000 members.

Managing director, John Graham, said: “As soon as I read the report by the FSB I personally wrote to the chairman, John Walker, offering FSB members all of the training on our website totally free of charge. The range of training on the website covers all of the topics listed as essential by the FSB survey and much more beyond. The training is also ‘available and accessible’, as called for by John Walker, because it is online and totally free to use so any small business owner can use the training anytime, anywhere, and they can also use it to train their staff.”

John continued: “Our company has been training businesses large and small for more than 10 years and so we have a wealth of experience on which to draw. This ensures that the training we provide is based on practical business skills and not just theoretical knowledge. Many existing government small business resources seem to concentrate more on the technical subjects such as taxation, accounting, payroll, financing, etc. In contrast, our training concentrates largely on the soft skills areas needed every day by businesses such as sales, marketing, communication skills, presentation skills, management skills, etc, in fact the very skills identified by the FSB members as being essential for their success.”

The training from www.freetrainingdirect.com/ is totally different to traditional training courses. Everything is online on the website, and all of the training is presented in the form of video programmes that cover each step of the subject in a simple, easy to follow format.

Most of the courses are broken into ten-minute segments, each of which can stand alone, or they can be run together into a 20 or 30 minute training session. One of the most important aspects is that it is entirely up to the users when they access the training, whether for half an hour at lunchtime, or at 10 o’clock at night when they have some free time. John concluded: “This FSB survey confirms what we have been saying for years, that small businesses need access to training if they are to succeed, and this training needs to be easily accessible and available to all.

“That is the main reason that we decided to launch the Free Training Direct resource for small businesses. Anyone can now access good quality training free of charge 24 hours a day, seven days a week from the convenience of his or her own office or home.

“We launched this initiative in January and already have over 3,500 companies registered as members on our website, with between 70 and 80 new businesses registering each week. This proves to us that we are providing what small business owners want and need in these challenging economic times.”

Adding video to the training mix

Also contributing to the business e-learning product field, Skylark Media Group, a video production company based in Bristol UK, offers to provide corporate video as part of an e-learning training programme.

Video has become an important element in online communication and can compliment an online learning programme. Narration, visual tips, demonstrations, role-plays and simulations are examples of what video can provide. User control is very important in e-learning, and inter-active video can install this.

Skylark currently provides corporate video for websites, training videos and client testimonials.