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8 Ways Educational Explainer Videos Improve Retention

By Shane Avron | May 13, 2025

Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, Corporate Learning Strategy (26-slide PowerPoint presentation). Although organizations invest heavily in Learning and Talent Development, most CEOs complain about the shortage of learned managers and leaders. Research reveals that a number of managers consider employee performance to remain the same if their organization's Learning function is totally [read more]

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Modern learning environments have evolved significantly, especially in corporate and professional settings. One of the most critical challenges today is capturing and sustaining the learner’s attention.

Educational explainer videos can be an effective way to improve message retention. These videos provide a more appealing way to cover complex concepts in bite-sized visuals and break away from conventional teaching methods. Here are eight different ways these tools for education help you remember better, so that learning effectively is easier.

1. Visual Learning Enhancement

Visual aids can give a massive jump start to the understanding and retention of the content. Using animation, graphics, and illustrations, explainer videos are a visually appealing way to convey information. This technique is also for those who are visual learners, and they learn things better with images instead of words. The visual part of an educational explainer video corresponds to a brief description, and together they make it easier for leaners to learn and retain the concepts.

2. Easier Delivery of Information

Professionals may struggle with complex topics, particularly when information is presented without structure or clarity. Explainer videos break down these topics, giving a brief but well-structured presentation of the essentials. They chunk information down so that it is easier for employees to digest. This reduces cognitive load and enables learners to focus on the learning aspects while being less overwhelmed with the content.

3. Compelling Story Telling Methods

Story is an essential educational tool. Many explainer videos also include narratives to root facts in context, helping to keep information relatable and memorable. These videos pique interest by interlacing facts with stories. A real situation is shown to the employees through interesting stories, and this ensures retention of knowledge.

4. Synchronization Between Audio and Video

Explainer videos are most effective when combining audio and visual elements, leveraging the principle of dual coding to reinforce key concepts. Explainer videos combine words and images to enforce key ideas, giving us the power of dual coding. It also helps meet the needs of auditory and visual learning styles. This synchronization helps memory because the learners can remember things based on multiple cues. Additionally, the storytelling aspect of explainer videos makes complex topics more digestible and engaging. The pacing can be controlled to match learning speed, and visual metaphors simplify abstract concepts. By integrating sound, animation, and narration, explainer videos create an immersive learning experience that promotes deeper understanding and better retention.

5. Production Stimulates Active Learning

Explainer videos with interactive elements teach you to learn efficiently. Ideas like quizzes, pause points, and prompts require learners to critically engage with the material. Research shows that we can recall adding more input to the content. This type of engagement is where the passive viewing experience transforms into an interactive educational experience.

6. Access to Content and Flexibility

Explainer videos allow flexible learning environments. Employees have access to them at all times, enabling learners to work through material at their own pace. Such flexibility caters to varied learning requirements and timetables. Accessible design means employees can revisit the content as needed, which Dan Willingham suggests reinforces understanding and retention.

7. Emotional Connection and Motivation

Learning with emotion is very important. Emotion is involved in multiple types of learning. By using emotions in explainer videos, viewers are likely to remember the content since emotions help create memories. A sense of humor, empathy, or curiosity can motivate learners to explore the content. Thinking through emotional connections helps the learners replay it in their minds, strengthening their memory and giving them a better ability to recall and understand things.

8. The Role of Repetition and Reinforcement

Learning always involves repetition. Widespread replay of explainer videos creates multiple opportunities for employees to revisit content. Repetition helps improve understanding and deepens long-term memory. Repeated exposure allows learners to master complex topics and concepts.

Conclusion

Educational videos are modifying how employees learn and retain information. These videos are a powerful tool for creating an effective learning environment as they combine visual storytelling with simplified and complex ideas and call for sensory responses. As teachers adapt to various types of learning, explainer videos will probably remain a primary component of contemporary learning. By integrating explainer videos into corporate training programs, organizations can enhance knowledge retention, improve learner engagement, and drive more effective upskilling across diverse roles and functions.

148-slide PowerPoint presentation
This professionally designed slide deck is a comprehensive, ready-to-use guide for leaders, strategists, facilitators, and change agents looking to embed Systems Thinking and Learning Organization (LO) practices into their organizations. Amidst global complexity and accelerating change, [read more]

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