In learning and development, it’s often assumed that video > audio, but the latest data challenges that.

A survey of 308 podcasters from the Podcast Marketing Academy found that while adding video to an audio podcast can increase reach and discovery, it also raises cost significantly; audio + video shows costs (on average) 77% more per hour of attention than audio-only.

What matters more than the medium is the design: interaction, relevance, reinforcement, and connection to real behaviour change.

In workplace learning:

• Use video when you need presence, emotion, culture, identity.
• Use audio (or audio + simple visuals) when you prioritise scalability, flexibility, and on-the-job learning.
• And always measure: did people change what they do — not just whether they watched.

Because we’re still making media choices as if format drives learning. It doesn’t, the design does. Often, an authentic conversation or original and genuine audio will do.

This is about treating attention as a budget, not a given.

This connects directly to what I wrote recently about REALLY modern learning. Work is now fragmented, hybrid, AI-enabled, and manager-driven. Designing learning around shared time and fixed attention is no longer realistic, and choosing the richest medium doesn’t fix that.

The job isn’t to produce more media. It’s to make learning flow through work itself.

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#LearningAndDevelopment #WorkplaceLearning #LearningDesign