How To Create A Successful Social Learning Strategy

Social learning involves much more than inter-office messaging groups. It’s about taking social platforms and leveraging them for corporate purposes. Therefore, it needs to be way more deliberate than sharing memes and gifs. It’s all about fostering social interactions, peer-based collaboration and knowledge sharing. Even if your employees are based in different branches or work remotely. Here are 5 insider secrets to create a successful learning strategy.

1. Pick The Right LMS

Yes, your trainees already have social networking platforms at their workstations. Their phones and computers are all logged in. But for planned online training programs, you want the various channels to be linked. If they all run independently there’s a higher risk of security breaches and task duplication. So, find a social learning LMS that can integrate social media platforms and facilitate collaboration across the board. For example, it should allow online instructors to broadcast from a central device. It should enable push notifications for training reminders. And it should let learners access their online training materials anywhere, anytime. The platform should have convenient tools for cross-platform communication, and also be accessible offline.

2. Prioritize Collaboration

Group projects work best when everyone can take part. It often falls to one person to carry the group. But by making it easier to participate, trainees are more likely to get involved. Say a trainee has to research a given topic. If they happen not to be a big reader, you can allow them to present their portion in video format. They can link relevant YouTube clips. Or use the voice recorder on their phone to interview reliable sources. Invite trainees to crowd-source online training content, and make it easy to navigate, especially pause, (re)play, mute and captions.

3. Apply Gamification To Fuel Friendly Competition

We all have an innate sense of competition. We don’t always show it, and our levels of one-up-man-ship vary. But we like being acknowledged for our skills and achievements. That’s why you need a social learning LMS which lets you craft your own leader boards and design your own badges. Why? Because that way, you can make them pretty enough to go public. Your trainees’ friends may not know the intricacies of their job. But if the trainee gets excited enough they’ll post their training rewards on their social media feed. The downside is their next employer may see said badge and try to bring them on board. But on the other hand employees are more likely to stay with your organization when they’re accomplishments are recognized. Plus, their friends may gain an interest in working for you when they find out about your amazing online training program. It exposes you to potential talent without added hiring or recruiting expenses. Employees should also be able to download transcripts of all their training achievements, so they know how far they’ve come. As well as where they should go next to prepare for that next promotion.

4. Launch A Discussion Board

Some social media platforms allow you to use a ‘hidden’ username instead of your phone number. In a sense there’s a level of anonymity. But even when your compatriots know your name there is a level of keyboard confidence at play. The dark side consists of trolls and bullies. The light side is typing things you’d never say out loud and therefore becoming more active at work. When the boss asks for questions or suggestions during a live brainstorm, nobody responds. But if the query is introduced on a social media group trainees are far more likely to participate. As a moderator it’s easier to draw out reticent trainees and get them engaged. Ensure there is always a moderator present. They keep things civil, professional and always on task.

5. Incorporate Live Events

Sometimes artists host desktop concerts. They perform in the intimacy of their homes or personal studios. The idea is to provide a cozy, personal and un-glammed-up experience like you’re just hanging out in their house. Fans ‘attend’ in real-time via webcam. This concept can be transposed into a training set-up where online learners take turns ‘hosting’ the live event. They can be assigned a topic and they’ll choose where they want to run their event. They could do it at home after the kids are in bed. Or at their favorite lunch spot. Or even during their commute. Work with the live event host to select appropriate topics. Subjects that expose their unique expertise and give them a chance to shine. It boosts their confidence and offers unmatched opportunities for trainees to learn from each other. And because all your staff already have webcams and audio and video recording on their phones, it costs you nothing. Invest in a social learning LMS so that you can record your live events and add them to your online training library.

Online training programs for small-to-medium businesses must be tailored and affordable. You’re working with a limited budget but still require a system that scales together with your needs. Social learning facilitates both, using (free) social media platforms to enhance corporate learning. What techniques can you employ to guarantee good results? Use a LMS that has social learning built in. Focus on collaboration and set up easily shared gamification models. Invite trainees to discussion boards and live events as a way to offer peer support. To clip your drop-out rates keep online training on target, but let it be light and fun as well.

Finding the right social learning LMS is a crucial step in the implementation process. Find out how Adobe Captivate Prime can break down the communication barriers and facilitate company-wide collaboration. It features all the tools you need to tap into peer-based knowledge sharing. From badges and leaderboards to offline access and push notifications.

For more details, please write to Adobe Captivate Prime team at captivateprimesales@adobe.com.