Learning content specialist Video Arts has created 70 new bite-size video films covering the essential skills needed to manage others and work effectively in any organisation. 

The films are split into two new libraries: Management Essentials has 33 videos for managers on key skills such as leadership, team development, motivation, coaching, managing performance, managing change, recruitment and interviewing. Workplace Essentials has 37 videos covering core skills for every employee, including self management, communication, negotiation, presentation skills, financial awareness, dealing with stress, project management, assertiveness and surviving meetings. 

Six well-known actors were specifically chosen to star in the films: Robert Webb (Mitchell and Webb, Peep Show), Helen Baxendale (Friends, Cold Feet), Tom Bennett (PhoneShop), Lucy Liemann (Rev), Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Turks & Caicos) and Jo Enright (Phoenix Nights). 

Each of the new videos lasts 1-2 minutes and uses humour, memorable characters and the classic Video Arts ‘wrong way, right way’ lesson structure to bring alive specific learning points. Learning consultant Clive Shepherd helped to curate the content of each video, drawing on the authoritative subject expertise of Video Arts contributors such as Sir Antony Jay, Dr Peter Honey, Charles Jennings, Desmond Morris and Professor John Adair. 

The scripts for the new videos were written by Fergus Dingle and John Ross, whose last three films for Video Arts each won an award at the 2014 World Media Festival. One of them Performance Review: Code Red was also highly commended at this year’s IVCA Awards. 

“Bite-sized video libraries offer organisations a great way of supporting formal and informal learning anytime and anywhere,” said Martin Addison, CEO of Video Arts. “We set out to create a brand new series of fast-paced and entertaining management and workplace skills videos that will bring a new dimension to learning and enable employees at all levels to become much more effective. We’re excited about the result as our Essentials series highlights the key techniques and principles for success in the workplace. We chose the content of each video very carefully and we’ve combined credible subject expertise, sharply-observed scripts, a strong cast, humour and high production values to create memorable learning content that employees in every organisation will want to use.” 

The Management Essentials and Workplace Essentials libraries are available now on the Video Arts ON>DEMAND platform for use on any device. A preview of one of the new films is available at http://www.videoarts.com/campaigns/video-arts-essentials/ 

On 1 October, Video Arts will release short, interactive e-learning versions of the new resources, for clients to use via their own LMS or on the Video Arts platform. 

Martin Addison and Clive Shepherd will show clips from the new Essentials series in a free webinar on the thinking behind the new series, on Thursday 18 September at 11.30am. Register via http://www.videoarts.com/news-views/events/