How can you use social and informal learning opportunities to improve your training and development programs?

1 Use social media platforms

Social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook, can be powerful tools for facilitating social and informal learning. You can use them to share relevant content, such as articles, videos, podcasts, or infographics, that can spark discussions, feedback, and insights among your employees. You can also create groups or communities where your staff can ask questions, share experiences, and offer support to each other. Social media platforms can also help you connect with external experts, influencers, or peers who can provide valuable advice, perspectives, or resources for your learning goals.

2 Encourage mentoring and coaching

Mentoring and coaching are effective ways to foster social and informal learning among your employees. Mentoring is a long-term relationship where a senior or experienced employee guides a junior or new employee on their career development, goals, and challenges. Coaching is a short-term intervention where a skilled employee helps another employee improve a specific skill, behavior, or performance issue. Both mentoring and coaching can help your staff learn from each other, build trust and rapport, and develop their potential.

3 Create learning spaces and events

Another way to promote social and informal learning is to create physical or virtual spaces and events where your employees can interact, exchange ideas, and learn from each other. For example, you can set up a learning lounge, a library, or a bulletin board where your staff can access and share learning materials, such as books, magazines, newsletters, or posters. You can also organize learning events, such as workshops, webinars, brown bag sessions, or hackathons, where your staff can participate in hands-on activities, presentations, or projects that can enhance their skills and knowledge.

4 Incorporate gamification and microlearning

Gamification and microlearning are two strategies that can make social and informal learning more fun, engaging, and accessible for your employees. Gamification is the use of game elements, such as points, badges, leaderboards, or challenges, to motivate and reward your staff for their learning achievements. Microlearning is the delivery of learning content in small, bite-sized chunks that can be easily consumed and retained by your staff. You can use gamification and microlearning to create social and informal learning opportunities, such as quizzes, polls, surveys, or flashcards, that can test your staff's knowledge, reinforce their learning, and encourage their participation.

5 Support self-directed learning

Self-directed learning is the process where your employees take charge of their own learning needs, goals, and methods. It allows your staff to choose what, when, where, and how they want to learn, based on their interests, preferences, and motivations. You can support self-directed learning by providing your employees with the resources, tools, and feedback they need to pursue their learning objectives. You can also encourage your staff to set their own learning plans, track their progress, and reflect on their outcomes.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?