Audio Visual Technology In Business Leads To Faster Learning
Audio visual technology (AV) has been on the market for decades, however the snowballing emergence of new digital technologies means that it is becoming increasingly important for businesses to utilise AV in order to thrive in the modern market. AV technology helps businesses in many ways from improved communication and training, to saving costs.
AV technology encompasses products like iPads, computers, interactive whiteboards etc. Examples of some of the newest trends in AV include ceiling mounted projectors that connect to computers, telephony conferencing, and cloud computing.
There are four main benefits of using AV technology in business:
- Improved training
- Enhanced communication
- Improved retention of information
- Cost reduction
Improved Training
Each individual understands and retains information differently, which is why professional training organisations use multiple audio and visual tools during presentation sessions. This means:
“Different learning styles can be accommodated as teachers can call on a variety of resources to suit particular needs.” – (Bell, 2002)
Furthermore, using multiple mediums during presentations can help individuals and groups to interact and become part of the session. Individuals who are engaged in the process tend to retain and understand information more effectively and are less prone to inattentiveness. The knock on effect is an increase in motivation.
“Increased enjoyment of lessons for both students and teachers through more varied and dynamic use of resources, with associated gains in motivation.” – (Levy, 2002):
Enhanced Communication
Audio/video aids business communication in numerous ways. The amount of AV technology available to help businesses communicate with their stakeholders is growing continually. Video-conferencing, audio-conferencing, web-conferencing and data-conferencing, are just some examples of these technologies.
They facilitate the ability of businesses to communicate with their internal and external stakeholders e.g. other organisations, overseas suppliers, customers etc. Multiple stakeholders can come together wherever they are in the world, in one place, to have ‘virtual meetings.’ It also means that information can be shared on a global scale within a matter of minutes.
Information Retention
When providing training or information to colleagues with audio visuals, employees can grasp teachings more easily but most importantly, they retain this information for a longer period of time. According to the U.S. Department of Labour OSHA Office of Training and Education:
“retention of information three days after a meeting or other event is six times greater when information is presented by visual and oral means than when the information is presented by the spoken word alone.”
The combination of sight and sound, along with written hand-outs is a necessary component of information retention.
Cost Reduction
Audio-visual equipment has helped today’s businesses achieve cost reduction. Previously, if the client was based elsewhere, employees would have to make expensive calls or even visit them in person. However, the advent of video conferencing has changed all that as it eliminates the need to travel, thus saving money. Moreover video conferencing is cheaper than traditional phone calls.
Another great way that AV improves cost reduction in businesses is through improved efficiency. For example, using visual aids like pie charts, graphs, diagrams, photographs, video shorts and animation can often help explain subject matter quickly, and in a manner that is more easily absorbed by the learner. This process essentially can save your business time, by spending less time communicating freeing up more time for other more proactive business activities.
According to a survey of 614 IT administrators by Enterprise Strategy Group:
“Cost reduction and improving business processes are the two biggest drivers for IT spending decisions in 2012. Initiatives that stretch the IT dollar and reduce costs include cloud computing, server and desktop virtualization, and outsourcing IT services to managed service providers.”
There is a wealth of evidence that audio visual technology bring so many benefits to businesses in terms of communication, learning, efficiency and cost savings. The benefits far outweigh the initial investment you would need to make to integrate the right AV technology into your business.
