Knowledge Centre

Our people work in an open office, will it be too noisy?

When it comes to e-learning, concerns around too much noise can seem minor but are genuinely legitimate.

We’re more than sure that if you’re in an Open Office there’s going to be quite a bit of noise and any noise being generated from the online video content is likely to simply merge into that. Having said that the question is important as there are many ‘Open Offices’ where by the very nature of the work that is being done any unwanted video noise could well be a major distraction for others.

The solution is to allow workers to either provide headphones (as many organisations do: let people use their own devices ~increasingly bring your own device is a common thing) or provide defined areas to undertake learning. Some businesses provide iPad’s or desktop computers for this very purpose.

Most content comes with ‘Closed Captions’ which can be turned on or off as required. Closed Captions enable the video audio to be displayed on the screen, very much like sub-titles in a movie, so that you can follow the video content with the video audio muted.  Worth noting though, that muting content can sometimes lessen the impact of a course.  Here at Mi Crow we certainly try and use characterful voiceovers that add to the course.

You should however know that whilst this works really well for normal movies/videos, it does become a bit of challenge if your video content is based on Screen Flow. Screen Flow videos are generally used to show you how to use software and you’ll probably be watching a demonstration or presentation, which can make it tough to also try and follow sub-titles at the same time. I’m sure you’ll appreciate that this is not the easiest thing in the world to do, so beware the supplier that claims that closed captions are the solution to deal with issues of this kind.

It’s well also worth noting, that despite what many people may say our experience over many years of producing Online Video Tutorials is that you’ll be surprised at just how many employees tend to learn in their own time. You may well find that whilst the question is truly valid, it may not turn out to be the issue you thought it could be.

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