Before, During, & After: How Social Media Ties Training Together

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Before, During, and After: How Social Media Ties Training

Together

Sean Carey –

Lead Facilitator, Social Media and Community University Program at Dell (SMaC U)

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“Duct tape is like The Force. It has a light side and a dark side, and it

holds the universe together.”

– Carl Zwanzig

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The case for internal social media use…

Harvard Business Review weighs in

• The most expensive employees spend:

– 28% of their time reading/replying to emails

– 19% of their time tracking down information

– 14% of their time collaborating with co-workers

– Social media could represent a 20-25% increase in efficiency in these activities

• “Dig out the dark matter”

– High-value knowledge is hidden in oral traditions or buried on hard drives

• Source

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Ways social media can impact training

Before

• Needs Analysis • Promotion • Pre-work

After

• Assessment and feedback

• Asset management • Bridging learners

and doers • On-going learning

During • Multimedia

presentation • Interactivity • VILT

Community building & driving the learning culture

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Before Training: Needs Analysis

• Ask the right questions up front

– Reach internal groups to uncover needs

– Reach out to professional groups to determine best in class specs and mine best practices

• Tools to use:

– Groups (Facebook, LinkedIn)

– Polls (Facebook, LinkedIn)

– Enterprise platform (Chatter)

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Before Training: Promotion

• Trumpet upcoming opportunities

– Tie training opportunities to business objectives and metrics

› Dell examples: IDPs, Review cycles, CSAT, etc.

– Demonstrate personality

• Tools to use:

– Groups (Facebook, LinkedIn)

– Enterprise platform (Chatter)

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Before Training: Pre-Work

• Offer interesting content to prime the pump

– Articles/blogs on the topic from authoritative sources

– Videos/podcasts on the topic

– Infographics

• Tools to use:

– Blog aggregators (Alltop.com, Google Blogs)

– YouTube

– Visual.ly (infographics)

– Groups (Facebook, LinkedIn)

– Enterprise platform (Chatter)

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During Training: Multimedia

• Variety keeps the mind engaged

– Videos/podcast clips on the topic

– Infographics

– Social conversation

– Great for those who aren’t naturally funny or upbeat

• Tools to use:

– YouTube

– Visual.ly (infographics)

– search.twitter.com

– socialmention.com

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During Training: Interactivity

• Social in the classroom

– Twitter (with or without live feed)

› Comments, parking lot for questions, etc.

› Use a hashtag

› Caveat: Anything can show up

– Writing exercises

– Don’t force it if it doesn’t fit naturally

• Tools to use:

– Twitter

– Groups (Facebook, LinkedIn)

– Enterprise platform (Chatter)

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During Training: VILT

• Social media can act as ad hoc VILT in a pinch

– Google+ Hangouts can support small scale remote interactions (maximum of 10 participants)

– Warning: Guard the URL

• The more social your VILT is, the better

– Seeing the instructor’s face is key

– Have a real time chat window active

– Real-time polling/interactivity

• Tools to use:

– Google+ Hangouts

– YouTube

– Adobe Connect

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After Training: Assessment and Feedback

• Solicit a mix of online feedback

– Candid discussion

– Polls

– Links to external surveys

– Offer at least one anonymous option

• Tools to use:

– Groups (Facebook, LinkedIn)

– Polls (Facebook, LinkedIn)

– SurveyMonkey.com

– Enterprise platform (Chatter)

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After Training: Asset Management

• Use social groups to house pre/post assets

– PowerPoint decks

– Tip sheets

– Videos

– A clear naming convention for files is key

• Tools to use:

– Groups (Facebook, LinkedIn)

– Dropbox

– Enterprise platform (Chatter)

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After Training: Bridging Learners and Doers

• Getting experts to participate skyrockets your credibility

– Get subject matter experts to post best practices

– Get subject matter experts to post relevant news articles and other valuable content

– Get subject matter experts to respond to questions and join conversations

– Make your community a knowledge resource, not just a training resource

• Tools to use:

– Groups (Facebook, LinkedIn)

– Enterprise platform (Chatter)

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After Training: Ongoing Learning

• Keep the conversation going

– Content is king: keep it flowing

– Balance your content (80/20 rule)

– Have fun! (*GASP*)

• Become the destination resource

– Training information, Q&A

– Discussion and on-going enrichment

– High-value assets and content

– Access to experts

– Live office hours

• Tools to use:

– All of them!

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Some final thoughts…

• It won’t happen overnight

– A true learning community and culture takes time to build, enjoy yourself along the way

– Finding out what types of media/content/style your audience responds to is a process of trial and error: iterate, iterate, iterate.

– By the time you figure everything out and get it running properly, there will be something newer, hotter, and better; be prepared to constantly reinvent

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Some final thoughts…

• It won’t happen overnight

– It’s about two-way dialogue; if you aren’t listening, you’re losing

– Building real relationships with your learners turns them into your advocates and allies

– Be involved in other social communities related to your company, industry, area of expertise, etc. It will drive your credibility.

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Resources

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Follow-up Reading and How To Resources

Some links/books to help you on the way:

• The LinkedIn Learning Center

• How To Run A Successful LinkedIn Group

• Facebook Groups FAQs

• Social Media for Trainers, by Jane Bozarth

• The New Social Learning by Tony Bingham and Marcia Conner

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Questions or Feedback?

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