Editors Blog

Learning and development professionals should embrace Facebook, blogging and Web 2.0 technologies as powerful tools within their organisations, according to Nick Shackleton-Jones of the BBC Academy.

Delegates at the CIPD's annual conference in Manchester, as in Harrogate last year, always seem keen to expose themselves to as much Web 2.0-related content and this afternoon's well-attended session, "Harnessing the Power of Social Media in the Workplace", was no exception.

Nick's presentation was an interesting one. It wasn't technical in any way. It relied more on his training as a psychologist than as some kind of iPhone-toting, blogging geek, something he could not be described as.

"It's not all about technology," he explained "It's about a window into that personal dimension."

His message was simple. People learn better from one another, and social media can facilitate that in ways previous technologies could not.

The BBC Academy's philosophy: "It's not about getting the info across; it's about making people care enough to change their behaviour"

His presentation covered topics as diverse as successful internal communication through blogging, to employees uploading videos of key learning that can then be discussed an consumed by others. Key to it all is enabling authentic communication. Blogging allows that.

He cited as an example the poorly-read internal comms emails that director-general Mark Thompson used to send out, compared to a well-read blog penned by another (excellently paid, of course) BBC exec. The latter had an authenticity that the first could not, partly by allowing comments back.

We don't remember and engage with data unless it is somehow encased in emotion, was another aspect of his presentation.

In e-learning he decribed how the BBC encouraged its staff to share their ideas and learning through video clips posted to a forum. Participation was encouraged through a competition prize to get a programme made on BBC3 (I thought they only showed that "Two pints..." show!).

He explained how social media can break down heirarchies, refering to a "reverse mentoring" programme at Nokia where more senior, Gen X and baby boomer executives could learn from Gen Y staff.

Similarly blogs can be used by thought leaders (regardless of seniority) to communicate and 300-400 blogs at the BBC - "an open organisation" demonstrated this.

He gave an example of an HR Director delivering bad news about a car policy and how that would be more effective as a blog than an impersonal email. It's authentic, includes emotional content about how it was difficult decision and it allows comments.

But he warned organisations to take care: "If you try to [just] introduce a social network to your organisation it will fail," he explained. "You have to drive it artificially in the first stages... People lurk, they don't post."

The organisation has to demonstrate its legitimacy to avoid the employee thinking: "Will I be thanked or spanked?" Until employees see that part of their role is to spread learning, they're going to see it as illegitimate.

L&D professionals, concluded Nick, need to stop thinking of themselves as experts and instead curators who pool good content. An extremely interesting presentation, delivering a very human side to a topic some might discuss as geeky.