We’ve all been there: you put together a solid training video - maybe a screen recording, maybe a quick cameo from your HR manager - upload it to your LMS, and… nothing. No excited Slack messages. No flurry of HR emails congratulating you on a masterpiece. And definitely no spike in your LMS completion rates.
At Clueso, we spend spends hours each week talking to HR leaders and L&D managers about this exact challenge. And we hear the same story over and over: “We put out videos, but nobody watches them. Why?!”
We’ve also seen what does work from folks who’ve nailed the art (and science) of engaging training videos. Let’s dig into the biggest reasons training videos collect cobwebs, then walk through straightforward fixes for everyday use cases of training videos that employees actually want to watch.
Before we jump into solutions, it helps to pinpoint what’s going wrong. Based on our discussions with teams, here are the four most common culprits:
When employees don’t understand why something matters, they tune out - fast. A lot of training videos focus on what to do but skip the vital context that answers, “Why do I need to know/do this?” Without that deeper meaning, viewers see the content as a chore, not a genuinely helpful resource.
According to Wistia’s research, people’s attention spans nosedive as videos get longer. For instance:
If your training videos regularly hit the 10, 15, or 20-minute mark, employees may bail around minute 2 or 3 - right when you’re getting to the good stuff.
Monotone narration, text-heavy slides, and zero interactivity will lull even the most enthusiastic employees to sleep. People are used to quick-hitting TikToks, Netflix-level polish, or at least an engaging story arc. If your training video feels like a high-school lecture from 1980, they’ll quietly bail.
Scratchy audio, pixelated screens, or random Slack notifications popping up mid-tutorial all scream unprofessional. Even if the content is gold, employees subconsciously assume it’s low value - and mentally check out. The last thing you want is your teammates thinking, "If they don’t care enough to make this halfway decent, why should I care about watching it?"
Every training video has a job to do - whether it's getting new hires up to speed or teaching complex software. We'll walk through the most common use cases, showing you what typically goes wrong and how to fix it. For each scenario, we'll break down:
Here’s a quick overview of common pitfalls that appear in actual scenarios - and how to fix them. We’ve followed this up with detailed explanations and examples:
Pro Tip: In Clueso, you can easily upload your existing onboarding slide decks and create personalised videos much faster.
Pro Tip: Add a feedback button so employees can drop questions. You’ll see where confusion persists and can update the video accordingly.
Pro Tip: Annotate areas of the screen that novices typically find confusing. These little highlights can save hours of Slack back-and-forth.
Pro Tip: Break long regs into short chapters - each 2–3 minutes. If you have international offices, spin up translations for crucial modules. People learn best in their preferred language.
Use this mini checklist to see if your videos hit the mark:
If you can’t confidently check most of these boxes, it might be time to overhaul your video strategy.
Q1: What should be included in an employee training video?
A: Clarity, brevity, and context. Focus on a single objective—like a specific policy or tool function—and spell out the why behind each step. Incorporate visuals (like zooms or annotations) to highlight key points. Use a friendly, conversational tone, and add interactive elements (quizzes, polls) if possible.
Q2: How do I keep employees from dropping off mid-video?
A: Keep it short! Wistia data suggests retention drastically drops after the 5-minute mark. Split larger topics into bite-sized segments. Use relevant examples or scenarios to hold attention. And if possible, show your face or include an engaging voiceover to add a human touch.
Q3: What’s the best way to record and edit these videos?
A: You don’t need a Hollywood studio. A quiet room, screen-recording software, and a decent mic (or AI voiceover) will do wonders. For editing, platforms like Clueso automate the polish—noise reduction, zoom effects, subtitles—so you can focus on the content instead of fiddling in a timeline for hours.
Q4: How do I handle multilingual workforces?
A: Offer translations or multilingual subtitles to ensure everyone has access. AI-based translation can quickly adapt your English script into Spanish, French, etc. People learn faster in their native language—and you’ll reduce those “lost in translation” issues.
Employee training videos flop when they’re too long, lack real context, and feel low-effort. But by keeping them focused, tying each step to a clear “why,” and sprinkling in interactivity, you can turn into must-watch content.
At Clueso, we’re all about helping you make that leap without dumping hours into complicated editing software. With features like AI voiceovers, one-click translations, and a built-in knowledge base option, we help you create studio-quality tutorials in mere minutes.
Ready to rescue your videos from digital oblivion? Start your free trial with Clueso today.
.webp)
_newnfe.jpeg)
