Getting Started Using Social Media in Formal L&D

Posted on 20 April 2011 by James McLuckie and tagged as formal learning, social media

Introducing social media into your Learning and Development solutions opens up enormous and exciting possibilities. However, with so many options and so much choice available, making a start can seem like a daunting prospect. These top ten tips cover some of the fundamental need-to-know elements.

Let learning/performance outcomes guide technology choice. Social media tools are no different to any exercise or activity that you would run in a face-to-face training situation. Start with your learning/performance outcomes and then establish the social media tool(s) best suited to meeting these. Your focus shouldn't be: "How can I use a wiki?" It should be: "I need my learners to collaborate on a glossary and a wiki is the best tool to accomplish this."

Be sociable. The clue is in the title: social media. The old adage 'learn by doing' is never more appropriate than it is here. Set up a Twitter account and start following people that you think have something to say. Start a blog to record your reflections and voice your opinions. Involve yourself in various LinkedIn groups dedicated to topics that interest you. Once you experience the benefits to be gained from these tools first hand, you'll be in a much stronger position to ascertain how they can benefit your learners and your learning design.

Look at tools your learners are already using. For some getting to grips with a new piece of technology can be quite daunting. You might, then, want to consider tools your learners are already proficient users of. If they're all on Facebook, you might want to set up a closed group where they can post links and videos. Are they using Yammer to talk to one another? Why not set-up your discussion group on there?

Recruit champions. Some people need convincing that social media has its benefits. Just like some people needed to be persuaded that email would take off! However, nothing highlights benefits more than seeing them demonstrated. Encourage those positively embracing social media to act as champions for it and to spread the word throughout your organisation or audience. If you can get someone from the senior team to do that, so much the better.

Run pilot sessions. If you're incorporating social tools into a formal learning session for the first time, run a pilot session. It will give you the chance to try out the tools, see what is working, get feedback, anticipate questions, and make any necessary adjustments. Remember, social media is such an evolving field that even experienced users are still negotiating their use. The great thing about that is that everyone feels inspired to be creative - and you should be too!

Create a central space. It's important, especially if you are using a number of different tools, to create one space where everyone in a group congregates. Think of it like creating the conditions for a group of friends meeting - they need to be able to discuss, debate and share. Choose a tool that allows your learners to do just that.

Remember that it's all about group capability. The reason why social media tools have taken off so much is because they allow us to collaborate on projects, share resources, discuss events, seek opinions and try out ideas. Through activities such as these we all benefit. Social media opens up the possibilities to create true community learning, without being so constrained by issues of time and space.

Encourage creativity. Part of the fun of social media is trying out new ways of communicating. If you're telling people about a function you performed on your computer, why not make screencast of it? Want to introduce yourself? Record a video using your smart phone camera and upload it to YouTube. By taking a creative approach to content production and discussion you will inspire your learners to do the same.

The basics still apply. In our rush to embrace new tools, we sometimes forget about the nuts and bolts of learning such as pausing for reflection and swopping stories. Social tools provide the means to do these and more, so don't forget to include relevant applications (e.g. a blog for reflection or narrating a story on SoundCloud) in your learning design.

Don't hide away. Hopefully we've got home the point by this time that social tools work best if you encourage a culture of sharing and openness. There is very little to be gained by working in isolated groups or in silos. There is a whole world of knowledge out there waiting to be tapped. Encourage your learners to discuss with their own online networks what they are learning, get their input, and bring this back to the core learning space. That way everyone benefits.

I am hosting a webinar on this topic on 10 May, in association with the Rod Laird Organisation. You can book for this session now.

If you'd like to share some thoughts on this blog but can't see a comments box below, then view the post on this page. You'll be able to tell us what you think there.