Modern Communicator

Storytelling and Knowledge Sharing

A couple of days ago, I was engaged in conversation with a potential client working in the Oil industry. We were talking around how the Digital Media (Video / Audio / Blogs / Podcasts / Conferences) could be used to enhance their Learning and Development processes.

Challenges arising for them included:

1. Making Safety issues a key part of all training and development.
2. Successfully inducting new staff into the organisation.
3. Decreasing the time spent to train new staff to do the work required.
4. Sharing knowledge from senior people (such as Drilling Managers) with new staff to aid the three points above.

About 18 months ago, I went to see a presentation by Steve Denning (former Director of Knowledge Management, World Bank). Steve is at the forefront of thought on Organisational Storytelling.

He made a great quote in one of his articles:

"Analysis might excite the mind, but it hardly offers a route to the heart".

It got me thinking how it might be possible to take traditional offline techniques for sharing knowledge  and use them in the 'online' environment. A conference or event presentation offering up facts and figures is certainly positive where the subject matter is 'matter of fact', but inspiring people is a different matter.

If we speculate a bit on how much knowledge exists within organisations, in the form of experience and stories, then look at how it could be shared, there are many interesting possibilities.

A major issue is delivering asynchronous written material is that the reader doesn't get a chance to interact with the author on any 'personal' level. It's also open to misinterpretation. In 'oral cultures', the listener forms part of the story by interacting with the author. If we took this into a modern context, exciting things can happen.

If the rule that '80% of what we hear at conferences and training events is forgotten within two weeks' runs true, then what's the 20% that people most likely remember? My guess is that it's partly down to speaker charisma, but also down to their recollection of personal experiences.

Therefore, what about building training materials that make maximum use of staff's personal experience? Imagine this scenario. Two senior engineers in a roundtable discussion with new inductees. A moderator is in place to set the context for discussion. The idea being that the senior talk about pertinent experiences and what they learnt along their careers. Then, a recording is made, and circulated around all relevant new starters. Forget the technology or format for a minute, but this kind of discussion could have real value to both parties, and external audiences. Not only does it contextualise the issues, but it also clarifies the lessons.

This recording could be re-purposed in a number of ways:

• Edits could be included in live training sessions (such as audio embedded into powerpoints).
• 'Lessons learnt' hints'n'tips could be extracted for use in other media.
• Issues arising could form part of further conversations, perhaps even incorporated into theoretical problem solving excercises.
• Audio could be enhanced through the addition of imagery to form really contextual presenttions.

It's an exciting idea and one I plan to think about and blog on more in the future. Any thoughts would be welcome!

Beginners guide to Blogging

Increasingly, clients are asking Activ-Media questions like, 'What is Blogging'? Given this fact, i've decided to make this post about exactly that. Call it 'Blogging 101'.

What is a blog?

A blog (or weblog) is a website in which items are posted on a regular basis and displayed with the newest at the top. Like other media, blogs often focus on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news. Some blogs function as online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. Since its appearance in 1995, blogging has emerged as a popular means of communication, affecting public opinion and mass media around the world. <www.wikipedia.com>

Why blog?

• Inexpensive (free with basic packages) form of inter-active communication.

• Facilitates contact with other likeminded bloggers.

• Opens up a new community of people, with no geographical boundaries.

• Through 'comments', easy interaction with your community in one place.

• Immediate publishing of your content without having to understand computer code.

• Unlike web sites, your content is easily found by search engines without requiring special optimisation effort.

• Provides a space for your community to interact on the issues affecting you.

• Shows the development process on a given subject over time.

• Allows the easy introduction of other media such as images, audio, and even video.

• When done right, an opportunity to influence other bloggers and the mass media!

Tips for Writing good blog posts: (I should adhere to these more myself)

• Make your headlines clear. Avoid abbreviation of words, accidental readers could be put off if they don't know your style or understand the subject well.

• Keep sentences short. Web readers often like to skim.

• Use short paragraphs. Use spacing between each one to make reading easy.

• Keep posts to a maximum of 300 words. If there's lots to say, consider attaching a document to your post for readers to download.

• Posts should be easily scannable. Consider using italics and bold to help break up your posts.

• Where possible, link to other people. You'll often find them linking back to you. All this helps build visitor numbers (if that's your aim).

• If you're looking for wide appeal, avoid the use of jargon (specialist technical wording).

Before you 'publish' the posting, ask yourself whether there's an obvious connection between the headline and main content? Some readers will aggregate headlines first, then choose which to follow through to read!

Bringing it all together. RSS (Really Simple Syndication):

As your blog grows in popularity, you will likely develop relationships with other bloggers. How can they keep up with you, and you with them? The answer is to bring together all the blog 'feeds' into one place. Instead of visiting 10 blogs each time you access the computer, simply look for their 'feed' link which will feature on their blog somewhere. Each time you access your 'reader', all their new headlines will automatically be displayed in one place. Think if it like 'blog email', except you decide what you want delivered.

At Activ-Media, we're finding an increased demand to produce 'Event Blogs'. These are designed to produce a chronological record of what took place, incorporating text summaries, audio interviews, and photography. The last one even attracted interest from the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office who approached our British Council client offering further project funding!

Skypecasting: A new paradigm for running events online?

It seems Skype are innovating with what promises to be a means to starting / participating in focused events on any topic you can dream up.

The service facilitates upto 100 participants joining a conversation on a given subject. Theoretically that sounds wonderful, but how on earth could you facilitate anything over five people. Well, it seems they've thought of that as well. Like ageing hippies who 'pass the talking stick', the moderator gets to do the same with a 'virtual microphone'.

Similar to podcasts, you can search a directory, find an event that interests you, and join it at whatever the start time happens to be.

This development looks very exciting. I really like the idea of rapidly convening an event online, with genuinely engaged people. After all, most are unlikely to take part unless it really interests them.

Only one minor downside it would seem. That is, you'll need to download the latest version of Skype to participate in the conversation. (Just found out this isn't actually the case). I wonder if you can record the conversation online too? That way, it'd be possible to create an event podcast, simply using content discussed online. Now, onto try it.

In theory, this could be revolutionary. It's always been straightforward to find participants online for asynchronous communication. Voice, coupled with ease of organisation, opens up a new paradigm for hosting fascinating events!

Focused Flashmobbing Online?

On and Offline are dead......

It's just communication....

Just returned from a second meeting with NMK. (First meeting posting here)

We're developing an event around the theme of organisational communication. The 'strap' is emerging. Something like,

'Online and Offline are dead. It's just communication'.

The point of the event is to focus on key organisational communications challenges, examples being Change Management, Compliance, CSR (and sub themes within them). The event might take the form of a series of short case studies outlining how both on and offline techniques were employed together to solve a problem. This would be followed up heavy duty Q & A. In addition, there'd be a seriously inter-active element, yet to be decided on.

The feeling developing between NMK director, Zoe Black, and I is a more holistic approach to organisational communication means better communication.

Additionally, to expose new (and to some, radical) offline communication techniques such as:

- Unconferencing

- Flashmob meetings (Special thanks to Tony Carey for allowing this to be published here)

We see participants as including:

- CEO's
- Brand Managers
- Internal Comms Directors
- Knowledge Managers
- HR directors
- Marcoms directors
- Web Communicators (less so, developers/designers)

The first step is to shape ideas, then build a steering panel consisting of practicioners, thinkers, buyers, suppliers. Once a basic agenda has been shaped, we'll move onto logistics, then the event itself.

I welcome feedback in the form of comments to the post. In this case, there's no such thing as a bad idea!

All about Identity, and so well done!

A friend sent through this link looking at the nature of modern day identity. It's a short presentation given by Dick Hardt (Sxip Identity) at OSCON 2005. Great pace, comprehensive, and very amusing. I love the way he connects things together. Check it out!

This is what good conference presenting should be all about!

LIFT AND SPIN

So, just got back from the LIFT 06 conference in Geneva. Met loads of fascinating people and set up some new contacts with the International Labour Organisation and UNAIDS. Let's see where that leads.  Will be heading out later this month to speak with David Galipeau, possibly to take forward an online campaign on HIV / AIDS awareness.

A favourite photo from LIFT '06. This is not untypical of what the conference looked like from the inside.

Also, came across some brilliant videos that seem to be in the cause of promoting a book on management, 'The Art of De-motivation'. Check out the one on 'Addressing Employee Complaints'. A real classic!