Most of my Personal Learning Network (PLN) resides in Twitter and therefore it is here that I find the most value in my networks. Over the years I have done well to streamline and focus my PLN so that much of my time within is efficient and deliberate. However, I do subscribe to serendipity. I think it's critical to venture away from your focused interests even if that departure is only a mere step away as opposed to a mile - there is much value to be gained.
Recently I had a meta-cognitive moment as I scrolled my Twitter lists. I wondered, after the fact, "why" I clicked on a particular Tweet over others in my more serendipitous streams. With only 140 characters to work with there's not too much about the link can be revealed but something makes you take action.
The Tweet below serves as a pretty good example of a one I selected that's a step away from my focus and bit about why.
Tozier, Bill, Twitter post, January 5, 2014, 7:08 a.m., http://twitter.com/vaguery
I was able to boil my triggers down to 3 as I retraced my steps. In the tweets I tend to explore beyond the surface I find they must be:
1. Relevant - connects to my current focus based on subject or author
2. Resonant - added context piques my interest
3. Reliable - historically trustworthy source of curation or creation
I'm sure this is not unusual however I wonder what triggers you to take action and further explore?
"To be called an innovation, an idea must be replicable at an economicalcost and must satisfy a specific need. Innovation involves deliberate application of information, imagination, and initiative in deriving greater or different value from resources, and encompasses all processes by which new ideas are generated and converted into useful products."
Innovation should not always be equated to a grandiose product or service that takes a business to the next level. Rather innovation is more often in the form of micro bursts (which never get the press they deserve) that bring value in even the smallest of situations.
The need for speed
The real winners in the 21st century will be those who can navigate the chaotic and complex quickly. To do this, people must be problem solvers and critical /creative thinkers. Euan Semple (@Euan) in his book Organizations Don't Tweet, People Do made a strong point that an entrepreneur within an organization (Intrapreneur) should work to release Trojan mice - or small uses of social media to garner interest and results. These tools, by expanding connections and collaboration, help to solve problems faster. Furthermore, when people reach outside of their org using social tools to find solutions, they can share their results and the approach helping propel tool adoption; making a stronger case for support of deeper, external networks.
Minn-ovation
Earlier this year a key director sought my assistance in a presentation she was planning. With only 2 days to go she lacked sound equipment to project her voice to over 40 people and thought I had a quick solution. I did not. Rather than pay (a highly inflated) price to rent equipment at the venue she simply wanted to plug a mic into her laptop and project out a set of auxiliary speakers. The problem was - its not that easy. But could it be done? I set out and took the natural course of action - I dialed up the IT department and discovered that they hadn't a clue.
I then Tweeted the request to my PLN and in about 18 minutes Dave Havis (@dochavis) in the UK replied with a series of tweets on how it could be done as he, using Audacity, had a misstep once and discovered his voice coming through the speakers. About 20 minutes later he had produced the following for me:
I sent a link to the Director and boxed up a wireless mic and receiver. She set it up, executed the meeting, and it went off perfectly.
The effort was small in a business sense, but innovative none-the-less as it saved time, money, and frustration. And the participants experienced a more effective event. Win-win. My immediate response for this success was to credit the social tools and the network it fostered as the solution is terminal but the ability to generate solutions in the future - perpetual.
Networks drive continuous minn-ovation and minn-ovation matters. This is how work gets done.
I've been thinking more and more about the words we choose and the connotations they drive.
A few years ago Cognitive Linguist George Lakoff wrote a book called Don't Think of an Elephant which speaks of how politicians leverage language to control the debate. He uses examples like "Tax Relief" where support of lower taxes (on the wealthy) can be more easily justified if we place the connotation in people's minds that taxes are a bad thing by indicating we need relief. Also, naming a law the "Patriot Act" in a time of crisis makes it much easier to vote for regardless of the fact that some of the provisions of that law may be quite intrusive for many Americans. My favorite however is how he breaks down the "Gay Marriage" issue. By framing the debate around homosexuality and the "institution" of marriage many politicians have gained support for initiatives that, for many, basically means allowing the Government to determine who you can and cannot marry. Scary thought, eh?
Recently Harold Jarche shared a link on Twitter to a post by Dan Pontefract titled "Call it Collaboration, not Enterprise 2.0 or Social Business" In this post Dan is speaking about the language we choose (maybe a form of edu-speak) that disconnects us from the business leaders.
I agree and empathize with Dan when he says:
"I have to evolve and stop using it (Enterprise 2.0). I’ve had to explain the term Enterprise 2.0 more often than I would have liked over the past 18 months, and if I’m doing that too often, then something is definitely not sticking."
Not only is it not sticking or resonating, its downright distancing learning professionals from the C-suite. To an exec focused on the bottom line, we are mumbo-jumbo speaking shaman when we use this lingo at the strategic level...
But allow me to take this down a bit further and say we are not helping ourselves at the tacticallevel either.
It may resonate in one circle when you refer to your PLN as tweeps, but in another (the folks who basically pay your mortgage) you likely equate to a counter-culture hippie during the 60's.
Recently a higher executive (who knows and acknowledges my belief in social learning) sarcastically remarked upon hearing my phone chirp; "Just get a tweet?"
At a basic level, yes...yes I did just get a Tweet. but the content of that Tweet was a response and a link to a specific request I made to a prominent expert in Europe regarding the use of QR codes in learning. Which, if we employed, would help to extend learning opportunities to our most mobile employees giving them JIT access to performance supporting resources which ultimately would enable them to do improve their coaching ability. i.e. a major business impact!
But my simplistic acknowledgement of it as a "Tweet", recognizing only the vehicle used to carry the communication, reduced its importance drastically.
Two years ago I spoke at a local conference and shared this Newsweek article, Don't Tweet on Me, with the participants. In it, the author states that "Twitter has become a playground for imbeciles, skeevy marketers, D-list celebrity half-wits, and pathetic attention seekers."
OK, we all know that this isn't the complete story but guess what? That is the perception and I find that beyond the professional circle I move in, a circle with folks of great intelligence, this is STILL the prevalent belief. Perception is Reality.
So, what are you talking about? Are you Tweeting? Blogging? Texting? Networking? on a Wiki? watching You Tube? etc...
Or
Are you Researching? Validating? Reading? Testing? Connecting with experts? Collaborating? Observing?
Knowing your audience is a fundamental rule for designers and presenters. We need to show we know our audience in the c-suite too when using and promoting collaborative media and work to reframe the language.
Last Friday I met with a colleague (a trainer) who had, several weeks ago, asked me to observe her training and help her improve its effectiveness. Prior to the observation I asked her what the goal was, I asked: “What is it the participant should be able to do after your training?”
After observing and taking detailed notes of her session with the participants, we met for an hour to discuss the activities and revisit the goal.
I asked her one question: "Does this content warrant training?" After a bit of discussion we agreed that the solution that was needed was a simple system enhancements with IT and more authentic practice. In the end we cut out the lecture, the memorization and regurgitation. We reduced the time down by at least 2 hours which provides more opportunities for practice, collaboration, and reflection.
Simply put, training was not needed to enable performance.
It probably doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal to you but if it were not for the action I took over two years prior, on May 9, 2008 at 8:51pm, I would most likely have had been helping her rewrite her learning objectives, creating worksheets and developing a leaders guide.
That May evening in 2008 is when I opened my Twitter account. And like so many I lurked for a while before jumping in on June 10th with this ironic statement:
Since that date I have read numerous books and articles and blogs on social media, social & informal learning, and the importance of both the learnscape and workscape.
I'm better at steering stakeholders away from the creation of large info dumping courses and have helped design and deliver JIT performance supporting resources.
I founded the Social and Informal Learning Special Interest Group (SIL-SIG) in my local chapter of ASTD. Today, I’m promoting our chapter’s first Pacha Kucha or unconference.
I have embarked on a successful crusade to use Wiki’s as collaborative learning tools to enhance formal training; leveraged SharePoint blogs to build community between geographically dispersed newly hired employees; I started my own blog; and I brought Yammer into the enterprise for organizational PLN’s.
I am currently directing the transition of my organization's classroom on-boarding program to one with virtual support in a workplace context.
Finally, I have designed the framework for a Learning Portal that will house learning assets and connect experts to novices, which is all aligned to the key business metrics.
My current title is an ISD, which now seems too limiting since designing formal training is not at all …all that I do. I work to improve performance throughout the organization; informally and formally.
Prior to that Tweet I pretty much saw the answer to performance problems as formal, top down training only. That Tweet led me to creative thinkers and their great books, blogs, articles & webinars. I found a community of like-minded professionals who challenged my core beliefs. They shared and I shared, we collaborated...I saw the benefits personally and I brought it to my organization.
What's next, I don't know... but Twitter continues as the catalyst in advancing my professional evolution.
So are you still wondering what’s so great about Twitter? Not me.
Recently I held a live #lrnchat event for members of CNYASTD. About 8 of us met in a facility where each had their own computer and we could project Tweetchat on a large screen.
The reason I did this live is to help people dispel myths about Twitter and social media tools being for dimwits and b-level actors. To show them that new insights and ideas can be shared through this medium, ones that serve to enhance their own understanding and ultimately their performance. By doing it in person, people could share insights, thoughts and ideas in the medium they have typically been most comfortable in; Face-to-face.
So, how'd it go? Here is some feedback from the participants.
"I think I may be on to something after our experience last night with lrnchat. If there are principles to getting reluctant newbies to adopt new social networking tools one such principle might be to do it together in a group! I would not have been nearly as hooked without the rest of the group there to explore the new tool with. How about this for another principle: The earlier you "retweet" a newbie's comment the more engaged and convinced they will become that the new tool is useful! Thanks again Mark for introducing us to lrnchat."
"Learning with others in the same room was motivating for me. I might also participate if I knew the topic ahead of time. I google searched lrnchat and found the blog but did not see a topic listed for this week yet. Is the blog the place to look? Long-term benefits for this less-than-enthusiastic learner of social networking tools: 1. My confidence and motivation to continue exploring these tools is way higher than it was before I attended the event. 2. I am more literate in this style of communication which can only help me continue to learn about learning. 3. It was a low risk way to jump in and try it. 4. I'm inspired to learn and experiment more with these tools. 5. I'm aware now that I can learn with a global network of learning professionals without the airfare and dog sitting arrangements! Short-term benefits: It was great fun!"
"if someone has not tried twitter before, I highly recommend meeting with others with a room full of computers to help familiarize yourself and take away the intimidation and the feeling of being overwhelmed. Joining the discussion for learn chat helped me 'listen' to perspectives from others around the world. The questions directed the discussion well. My only experience with it simply served to familiarize me with twitter, the concept of Learn Chat, and the 'culture'. I see value in learning from others which will bring me back."
