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Train Your Employees Using Social Media

April 2, 2013
Social media offers a wide array of advantages for groups and companies today. Compared to traditional methods, individuals now no longer have to spend a lot of time, effort and money to communicate. Educational institutions, businesses and other organizations can conduct training, seminars and classes online via social media platforms. There are a number of tools available as well as convenient apps and features that will make the work a lot easier. If you're an employer, before you go on shooting social media as a major time waster, think again. Studies actually show that employees who have some social media experience while at the workplace are happier and more productive. Given that, your office can maximize benefits from this productivity by instead welcoming idea and incorporating work with social media use. Here are some tips for employers.

Merging Social Media Into The Workplace

1. Use it to send word out.

Begin by putting a post to set the schedule for the training. Indicate the exact time and date. Also indicate the kind of platform as well as the particular communication tool or app that you will be using. You can use group chats, hashtags, private messaging or a specific thread to let the concerned employees know about the training program. You can use a separate conversation venue for the preparation phase and create a new one on the day of the training itself. Make sure you post regularly and give updates on the developments to ensure full participation. If majority of employees are on the computer, announcing a tweet chat schedule and agenda is a good way to start. This way, you don't have to tear people away from their desks and encourage discussion, while not entirely saying NO to social media use. work1

2. Start a program.

Think of a good training program that will improve efficiency in the workplace. Indicate the objectives of the program and come up with the proper training approach that will address the specific concerns of the company. Also think of a good name for the program to spark interest and let future participants know about the main theme and objectives. You may cite the specific objectives of the program. This should be based on previous evaluations and assessments. You may also initiate the program based on the previous year?s in-depth review.

3. Cite the advantages.

Let your employees know what to expect about the upcoming training program and sessions. Include photos and videos of previous trainings conducted. Also use different social media features to spark the interest of participants and get them prepared for the session. Invite people into the conversation, especially key personnel who can bring in their own subordinates or colleagues. Come up with fresh content to start giving out helpful information that will be useful for the company. work2

4. Cite the goals.

Share to your employees the things you wish to achieve during the training course. Share the company vision and objectives so that the participants can also exert some effort and make use of the experience to the advantage of the company. Let your employees share their own expectations and the things they wish to accomplish during the session. Start a hashtag or another conversational platform where you can discuss matters as a group before the actual training.

5. Keep them interested.

Social media allows you to conduct competitions and games so that employees can learn in a more interactive way as well as gain advantages. Use game-like approaches that will educate them on the latest developments and techniques in the industry and then provide rewards to the best performers. Social media platforms will provide you with a number of tools and apps that will be helpful in keeping participants interested.

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