Knowledge Sharing Activities To Enrich Your Online Training Course With
Knowledge sharing and information retention is the ultimate objective of every online training course. To achieve this, most eLearning professionals stuff their online training courses with as many facts and stats as possible, hoping something will stick. However, this often leads to cognitive overload, which prevents employees from absorbing the information they need and achieving their goals. Fortunately, there is a training asset that can help you achieve your learning objectives and improve knowledge retention without going over budget: your staff. Their skills, experience, and knowledge base can benefit their co-workers and enrich your online training program. Here are 6 innovative knowledge sharing activities to include in your online training courses to make them as impactful as possible.
1. First Things First: Emphasize The Importance Of Knowledge Sharing Activities
The first step in getting your corporate learners interested in sharing their knowledge is making them aware of the importance of doing so. In an online training environment, people gain and retain information better when they share among themselves. At first, they might be reluctant to participate, but emphasizing the benefits goes a long way. Your online training program must also support and facilitate knowledge sharing. Ensure that your strategy encourages collaboration among corporate learners through avenues such as group chats, corporate eLearning blogs, and social media engagement.
2. Create An Employee-Generated Performance Support Library
Having all your performance support resources in a central location will make it easy for employees to access the information they need to build vital skills. Knowledge sharing is not all about collaboration, as there are times when someone only needs some information to be able to complete a certain task. In such a case, the corporate learner doesn’t have the time to consult his or her peers; a central performance support library will help them gain the information they need.
However, you can make it a group effort by inviting employees to contribute their own content for the betterment of their peers. The central performance support library should contain information in different formats for effective knowledge retention. For example, infographics, videos, simulations and online presentations that cover specific training topics or tasks. This also allows them to gain valuable feedback from co-workers based on the materials they add to the performance support repository.
3. Incorporate Peer-Based Coaching
There’s probably a wealth of hidden, or not-so-hidden, talent in your organization. These knowledgeable employees make great mentors, in that they have already experienced what your online training course is trying to teach corporate learners. You should, therefore, strive to identify such members in your audience and then launch a peer-based coaching. Pair in-house experts with less experienced team members who need one-on-one support. You can even use a video conferencing tool to break down the geographical barriers.
4. Start Social Media Groups
Social media groups and corporate eLearning blogs are just some of the platforms that you can incorporate into your online training program to facilitate online collaboration among your workforce. However, you can make them even more effective by creating niche groups that cater to different training needs. For instance, a Facebook group that focuses on customer service skills or product knowledge. Employees can not only discuss topics and challenges that tie into their work duties but also share links to online resources that improve understanding. Another option is to create a separate corporate eLearning blog or online discussion for each department so that they can collaborate with remote peers. For example, sales employees from your United States branch can share tips with their European counterparts.
5. Host An Online Debate
This is one of the innovative knowledge sharing activities that should be approached with caution, as you don’t want to cause any hostilities within the organization. Invite a select group of employees to participate in an online debate. Divide them into two teams and assign each an opposing viewpoint on the same topic. Set some ground rules so that they know what to expect and how to convey their ideas without creating conflict. You can use an online discussion, social media group, or video conferencing tool to host the event. In addition, you must clearly outline the objectives of the activity so that they stay on course. For instance, let them know that the goal is to explore both sides of the compliance issue, then determine the best course of action.
6. Ask Employees To Host Their Own Online Training Event
This requires a bit more organization and planning, given that employees must research the topic, prepare materials, and summarize the takeaways. They can host a live online training event that gives peers the chance to ask questions in real-time, or record a presentation that is then uploaded to social media or the LMS. Assign each employee a topic or let them choose their own and request approval to avoid redundancies. You should also give them a list of resources they can use to host the event such as video recording or conferencing tools and authoring software. Encourage them to develop supplemental resources that co-workers can use for future reference, as well. For instance, infographics or checklists that cover each step in the task or online training tutorials that help them hone related skills.
Your online training program must leave a lasting impact on employees and give them the opportunity to interact with their peers. Especially when you’re dealing with a remote workforce that contends with feelings of isolation or lack of motivation. Innovative knowledge sharing activities give you the ability to facilitate peer-based feedback and offer ongoing support.
Wondering how you can include these innovative knowledge sharing activities in your online training program and yet avoid online training globalization risk? Download this free eBook: Going Global: How To Create Online Training Experiences For A Worldwide Audience, and read all about creating online training experiences for a worldwide audience.
