sharing - Blogs - DPG Community2024-03-29T12:00:32Zhttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/feed/tag/sharingTowards Maturity: Capturing and Sharing Company Know-Howhttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/towards-maturity-capturing-and-sharing-company-know-how2017-02-15T13:24:49.000Z2017-02-15T13:24:49.000ZAdy Howeshttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/AdyHowes<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2217181?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>When it comes to the need for knowledge and skills, we are living in truly exceptional times. That's according to Jason Hathaway, Director of Content and Learning Solutions at Cross Knowledge in the foreword of the new Towards Maturity report. Published this week, In Focus: Capturing and Sharing Company Know-How reveals how staff share their knowledge best, along with evidence-based tactics for improving knowledge transfer in your organisation.</p>
<p>This report addresses the concerns faced by C-suite executives to address major talent and capability gaps and considers how L&D leaders can enable and facilitate the sharing of knowledge across their organisation.</p>
<p>You can find out more information and download the report on <a href="http://www.towardsmaturity.org/article/2017/02/14/in-focus-capturing-sharing-company-know-how/" target="_blank">this link on the Towards Maturity site</a>.</p>
<p></p>
</div>Using Flipboard for professional developmenthttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/using-flipboard-for-professional-development2016-03-16T17:21:38.000Z2016-03-16T17:21:38.000ZAdy Howeshttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/AdyHowes<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2216799?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>I've had a couple of questions come in this week that's prompted me to make this short video. One was asking me how to access DPG's free online 21st century magazines. The other was asking for my tips on how best to curate content to share with people in an organisation.</p>
<p>We use Flipboard in each of our zones. There's the 21st Century HR professional in the HR Zone, the 21st Century L&D professional in the L&D zone as well as the 21st Century leader in the Leadership zone. You can access these on the Flipboard website and there's a pretty neat free app for both IOS and Android devices. These magazines are designed to help you keep up with the very latest thinking by providing you with access to articles, vidoes, websites and resources. It's a great addition to your CPD.</p>
<p>Flipboard is also a great tool when it comes to sharing useful resources with others too. At no cost, you can setup your own online magazine, quickly curate content and share with others.</p>
<p>The video below helps you to get started.</p>
<p>I'd love to hear your comments below. How could you use Flipboard in your own organisation?</p>
<p></p>
<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fw4xjaICWPg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
</div>Swimming in the Social Streamhttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/swimming-in-the-social-stream2014-11-03T10:27:40.000Z2014-11-03T10:27:40.000ZMike Collinshttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/MikeCollins<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2216315?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>On the 16th October 2014 the first ever Social HR Conference took place at the rather splendid Old Trafford cricket ground. <a title="@CIPDManchester" href="https://twitter.com/CIPDManchester" target="_blank">Manchester CIPD branch</a> did a fantastic job of organising what was a unique blend of conference / unconference formats that I felt worked really well. There have been a number of great blogs written about the event with some cool Storify action being curated and shared too. You can read about and find out more <a title="here" href="http://cipdmanchester.wordpress.com/">here</a> to get a sense of the conference content and format.</p>
<div id="attachment_787" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="http://www.learningasylum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/2014-10-16-10.50.48.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.learningasylum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/2014-10-16-10.50.48-224x300.jpg?width=224" width="224" class="align-left" /></a>
<p class="wp-caption-text"><strong>Social Learning Gang</strong></p>
</div>
<p>I had the honour of working with <a title="Flora Marriott" href="https://twitter.com/floramarriott">Flora Marriott</a> and <a title="Rachel Burnham" href="https://twitter.com/burnhamLandD">Rachel Burnham</a> on the Social Learning stream and we worked together to co-create and shape what we could do and how the session could be run. We had about 3.5 hours ish and whilst we were facilitating, the purpose of an unconference is to allow the attendees to create the agenda and talk about things that mattered most to them.</p>
<p>In Bruce Lee terms it kinda feels like the ‘<span><em>art of facilitation without facilitating</em></span>‘.</p>
<p>We did decide to put some sort of structure to the day as we wanted to capture the conversations in some way and Flora came up with the fabulous idea of setting a fun challenge to anyone who attended the stream. The challenge was to create a 3 minute presentation on social learning using social media – simple!</p>
<p>To help get conversations going and to help frame the Social Learning topic we each spent a few minutes sharing our own stories and experiences.</p>
<ul>
<li>Flora talked about using a <a title="wiki" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki" target="_blank">Wiki</a> as a collaborative tool to get people to share what they knew.</li>
<li>Rachel talked about her experiences in using <a title="Scoop it" href="http://www.scoop.it/" target="_blank">Scoop It</a> to curate and share content.</li>
<li>I talked about my experience using <a title="social networks" href="http://dzineblog.com/2010/03/top-10-open-source-platforms-that-allow-you-to-build-your-own-social-network.html" target="_blank">social networks</a> to bring people together to form communities of practice</li>
</ul>
<p>It was important to us all that we really conveyed to those who attended that Social Learning isn’t just about Social Media or Social Technologies. It is plain and simply learning through people. The way we have learned since we were able to communicate through grunts and gestures. Social Media helps us to get involved in the conversation and connect with others, enabling tools that allow us to amplify, contribute and share, something that removes geographical boundaries. For me Social Learning:</p>
<p>Is telling stories.</p>
<p>Is sharing experiences.</p>
<p>Is learning from things others do well.</p>
<p>Is learning from things others could do better.</p>
<p>Is listening.</p>
<p>Is talking.</p>
<p>Is watching.</p>
<p>Is drawing.</p>
<p>Is writing.</p>
<p>Is reading.</p>
<p>Is a behaviour (in terms of sharing what you know through all the above ways)</p>
<p>Is a mindset (in terms of understanding the value of sharing what you know and encouraging others to do the same)</p>
<div id="attachment_790" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://www.learningasylum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/2014-10-16-11.38.13.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.learningasylum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/2014-10-16-11.38.13-224x300.jpg?width=224" width="224" class="align-left" /></a>
<p class="wp-caption-text"><strong>Social Learning in Action</strong></p>
</div>
<p>It’s a realisation and understanding that EVERYTHING we do and every interaction we have with other people is an opportunity to learn with and from them. And that in turn they can learn from you, me, us. Unconferences are social learning in its rawest form, people from different organisations, ages and backgrounds coming together to tell stories, discover and learn from each other. No hidden agenda other than wanting to explore new concepts, new thinking and to be inspired and motivated to go and improve what they do and how they do it. Powerful stuff.</p>
<p>After the larger group had introduced themselves and we had told our stories we split the group in to 3. Each took a table and myself, Flora and Rachel sat with a group to participate and provide support if required. There were no awkward silences, no false starts, no egos. Conversations were natural and flowing, jumping and bouncing from how people were using social tools to support their business to what tools were available to how these tools can help people to connect and learn. So much was happening and in true unconference fashion ‘the rule of two feet’ applied so anyone could get up and move to another table or even to another stream.</p>
<p>This format can take a little getting used to as the unstructured nature unsettled some but others were enjoying the ‘chaos’, most importantly everyone had the opportunity to speak, people respected the views and opinions of everyone else and we were all present in the conversation. One big melting pot of learning messiness.  I Loved It.</p>
<p>Of course the conversations weren’t constrained to the four walls we were after all at a Social conference and we were getting contributions from all over the country via the Twitter hashtag #socialHRmcr. When asked what Social Learning meant to those on Twitter we got some great replies:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.learningasylum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Tweets-from-backchannel.png"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-794 size-full" src="http://www.learningasylum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Tweets-from-backchannel.png" alt="Tweets from backchannel" width="588" height="233" /></a></p>
<p>This of course is the power of Social Tools and why they are almost synonymous with Social Learning but we need to ensure that we make the distinction between the two as they are NOT one and the same thing. They are purely tools that when used in a certain way can have a huge impact on how we access content and communicate with each other. As L&D professionals we have a wonderful opportunity to help shape how organisations can use these tools or enterprise versions of them to help people communicate and collaborate. Help them make the most of opportunities to learn from each other, creating and supporting the conditions where learning happens as described above by Con and David.</p>
<p>The water type analogy has been used quite a lot when describing the use of social. For example:</p>
<ul>
<li>You can be scared of jumping in</li>
<li>You can dip your toe in</li>
<li>You can swim with or against the tide</li>
<li>You can jump in and make a splash</li>
<li>You can control the power of the stream</li>
<li>Drip content through or have it as a torrent</li>
<li>You can go deep diving</li>
</ul>
<p>You get the idea.</p>
<p>We had swimmers at every level at the Social HR Conference from those who were scared to death to those who were treading water comfortably to those who were confident and looking for new waters to dive in. It was an eclectic mix but it worked so well as people were sharing openly being supportive and helpful irrelevant of the experience of those involved. Everyone got something out of it and left having learned something new or had had their thinking influenced in some way. It was Social Learning at its best, people engaged in healthy and purposeful conversation. Our presentation summed this up perfectly which I’ll share shortly.</p>
<p>Well done to everyone who was involved on my table. It was a swim I will remember for sometime.</p>
<p><span> </span></p>
</div>Audio Blogging Speed Testhttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/audio-blogging-speed-test2014-02-18T11:35:53.000Z2014-02-18T11:35:53.000ZAdy Howeshttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/AdyHowes<div><p>Hi Folks</p>
<p>Hope you are well. It's just gone 11:35 and it's literally taken me 5 minutes to speed test audio blogging on the DPG Community. Have a listen below and why not try it your yourself!</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357448?profile=original" target="_self">Listen in to the DPG Community Audio Blogging Speed Test</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Ady</p>
<p>@adyhowes</p></div>Getting the most out of your studies with the DPG Communityhttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/getting-the-most-out-of-your-studies-with-the-dpg-community2014-02-18T09:32:18.000Z2014-02-18T09:32:18.000ZAdy Howeshttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/AdyHowes<div><p>Morning All,</p>
<p></p>
<p>I've just seen a discussion sharing some advice from a collaboration of some level three foundation groups from Autumn 2013.  It's hints and tips around how to get the most out of the programme you are studying.  If you're about to start, part way through or even finished wondering what you could have done better, it's worth a read and you'll find it <a href="http://community.dpgplc.co.uk/group-hub/autumn-winter-2014-cipd-programmes/forum/hints-tips-from-past-learners" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<p>I think for me perhaps sharing a little more knowledge and information during the programme would be a useful addition to my studies.  Whilst I have done some of this, I've no doubt I could have done more.  I'd start by using less of the "I've got no time" excuse that has occasionally prevented me from sharing on the community.  Really, that old time excuse is just a tiny rock that's easily stepped over.  Yes, I've spent half an hour on this particular article but it doesn't always have to be that way.  It's amazing what you can share just on your status of the DPG Community in just 140 characters.  It takes just a minute or two to pop a sentence on saying "Here's a great link I've found on this particular topic - click it to find out more" and sharing it out there.  Of course, when you do have a bit more time, there's blogs, discussions and all sorts to get involved in.</p>
<p></p>
<p>So <strong>here's some suggestions on how to get the most out of the DPG Community</strong>...  You can do as many or as few of these as you would like in whatever order, however frequent you want to!</p>
<p></p>
<ul>
<li>Use the <strong>'SEARCH' function</strong> to type in key words or phrases. In the 4 years the community has been around there have been so many great discussions and resources shared so make sure you make the most of them. You can find the search button in the top right of the community. </li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<ul>
<li>Spend just <strong>half an hour write a listing your key learning points for each unit in your programme</strong>.  Share these on the community and send a link to your group (and also make sure there's an entry in your CPD log).  Do this after EVERY unit and all of a sudden you've nailed an entry in your CPD log every single month</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Review a link from one of your e-lessons, the community or social media.</strong> Think about what it means to you in your role and how you can use it and write down your findings.  Then put your comments on the DPG community about that particular topic in a discussion and ask others what they think.  Don't forget, send a link to those on your group.</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<ul>
<li>As soon as you get an assignment, use the DPG community to carry out your research.  <strong>Use the discussions  to post questions</strong> such as... "I'm just about to write an assignment on x.  What's your views on this subject?  Let me know how this works in your organisation". Use quotes from this discussion in your assignments (using of course the link in the reference section)</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Share a link to a picture</strong> that represents a really good model that you've been learning about</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<ul>
<li>Use You Tube to <strong>find a video that really explains well something you're learning about</strong> and post a link on the DPG Community.</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<ul>
<li>Attend a seminar, training event, workshop, online webinar (which DPG often host from time to time) then <strong>write a blog on what you found useful.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<ul>
<li>Find someone on the DPG Community on <strong>Twitter and ask their advice on or for links to information on a particular topic</strong> you're learning about.  </li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<p>And remember, it's not just about the period of time you're studying.  The DPG Community exists beyond your qualification achievements.  I'm hanging around here on the Community for many years (or at least until the injunction goes through!).</p>
<p>So <strong>what's your ideas</strong>....?  What other ideas have you got for using the DPG Community for your studies?  What have you found that works really well in terms of using this?  How has this community contributed to your CPD log?  Not yet started, which one of these ideas do you see yourself doing?  What other ideas have you got?  Have you shared a link to these discussions with your new group members?</p>
<p>Look forward to hearing back from you....</p>
<p></p>
</div>Why Audio Blogging?https://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/why-audio-blogging2014-02-12T10:32:46.000Z2014-02-12T10:32:46.000ZAdy Howeshttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/AdyHowes<div><p>Morning All (or afternoon or evening!)</p>
<p>I could do with your help for about 7 and a half minutes ish!... Grab yourself a tea break!</p>
<p>I've recorded an audio blog on the subject of audio blogging. It took me three outakes (and a couple of swear words on the cutting room floor). I'd be interested to hear your views on what I have to say on the subject...</p>
<p>The clip below lasts just over 5 minutes, and I wondered whether afterwards whether you'd spend a couple of minutes commenting below about what you think about what you've heard. </p>
<p>So grab a drink, feet up, have a listen and let me know your views.</p>
<p>Thanks loads</p>
<p>Here's the link: </p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357494?profile=original" target="_self">12th Feb 2014 - Ady Howes Why Audio Blogging?</a></p>
<p>Ady</p>
<p></p>
<p>P.S. No pressure, but this may contribute to my final project. Thanks loads :-)</p>
<p></p>
<p></p></div>HRD Level 5: Knowledge Management Assessmenthttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/hrd-level-5-knowledge-management-assessment2013-11-17T12:03:46.000Z2013-11-17T12:03:46.000ZAdy Howeshttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/AdyHowes<div><p>Hi All,</p><p>I've been doing some work on my Knowledge Management Assessment for HRD Level 5. I've put below a few useful links if you are working on this. But also, could do with some help...</p><p><strong>Has anyone got, or can point me in the direction of, any useful reading on "knowledge productivity and competitive advantage"</strong> I need to understand what these mean and how they relate to the world of knowledge management. </p><p>Drop me a comment below if you know any resources where I can read more up on this.</p><p>In the meantime, some useful reading for you on the subject of Knowledge Management:</p><p></p><ul><li>Peter Senge founder and director of the Society for Organisational Learning and author of the book The Fifth Discipline (2006);</li><li>A blog on Knowledge Management (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://knowmgt.blogspot.co.uk/2007/08/difference-between-tacit-and-explicit.html">http://knowmgt.blogspot.co.uk/2007/08/difference-between-tacit-and-explicit.html</a></li><li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cipd.co.uk/onlineinfodocuments/journals/byatoz.htm">“Diagnosing cultural barriers to knowledge management” by clicking here.</a> (Academy of Management Executive; Nov2000, Vol. 14 Issue 4, p113-127</li></ul><p></p><p>Thanks</p><p>Ady</p><p></p><p></p></div>Holding back? Don't!https://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/holding-back-don-t2013-02-14T17:00:00.000Z2013-02-14T17:00:00.000ZHayley Brownhttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/HayleyBrown<div><p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357231?profile=original"><img class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357231?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="283"></a>I was talking to a colleague yesterday on the subject of helping people and sharing. I explained that in the past few weeks I have been able to help people and get help numerous times through using the fabulous DPG Community. She said, or rather demonstrated something funny, which I liked ‘Why some people behave like this (puts head down and arms around paperwork in a Kevin the teenager manner) I will never know, if I know the answer I will always help".</p>
<p>I totally agree with this way of thinking and I think it’s great that I sit next to someone who has both common sense, company smarts and the ability to make me laugh. In my experience there are a few things which stop people from sharing and participating in person but more so on social media sites and networks
<strike>
.
</strike> I think of them as troublesome little gloopy monsters which get inside our heads and stop us, sometimes before we've even started – the ‘What ifs’</p>
<p> “What if....”</p>
<p><b>I sound silly</b> – We all worry about losing face at times. <i>Please</i> remember you are a smart, talented professional and also remember that you are a human being. You have loads of worthwhile, humorous, cautionary, interesting experiences to share as well as lots to learn. We all get stuck sometimes, need information or guidance. It’s totally OK to ask for help or insight from peers and this doesn't mean that you can’t do your job/are inefficient/naive. What it does mean is that you are committed to doing your job in the most effective way as you are seeking a wide range of opinions in order to choose the <b>best</b> option, rather than the <b>same</b> option. Social helps us to build relationships and to do that effectively we need to make ourselves a bit vulnerable. After all, nobody knows <i>everything. </i>To avoid being too needy I try to observe a 2:1 ratio; for every one thing I ask, I try to share or input my opinion on two more things.</p>
<p><b>I’m giving away knowledge that makes me valuable</b> – If you think that sharing information means you are going to lose your job, or be less marketable as an employee, well you could be right. However, lack of willingness to share, collaborate and communicate in a group is more likely to be the presiding factor in this rather than giving up knowledge. Employers frequently cite silo working as an issue in their organisations; there is a growing trend now for this to be considered when recruiting/promoting. Organisations are increasingly moving from valuing of ‘you are what you know’ to ‘you are what you share’ as performance boosting behaviours take more of a centre stage in considerations when recruiting and rewarding people.</p>
<p><b>It’s already been said</b> – If you are directly lifting information from a source, of course you need to reference it. There is a lot of stuff on the internet, but there is also a lot of stuff not on there. You could be asking the question that 10 other people wanted to, but dare not. Start from a point of writing for your own development - that way it does not matter if you are saying it again. Provide your take on the matter; label it as a personal view and how you came to this conclusion.</p>
<p><b>Someone disagrees with my opinion or challenges me negatively -</b></p>
<p>Firstly, never feed a troll – a troll is someone who goes out onto the Internet with the sole purpose of winding us up! To recognise when a comment requires a response you need to decide if it’s important, relevant and that you understand what the person is saying. I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt and check my understanding first. Always remember that if something is truly a low blow, it normally reflects badly on the commenter rather than you.</p>
<p>I have worked hard to banish my own ‘What Ifs’. Social tools are increasingly becoming a part of organisational life and we in HR need to use all of our CIPD professional behaviours to participate, particularly curiosity, courage and most importantly acting as a role model. Why not start on the DPG Community?</p>
<p>I’d love to know:</p>
<p><em><strong>Do you have any What Ifs?</strong></em></p>
<p><em><strong>How are you overcoming them?</strong></em></p>
<p><em><strong>Is anything stopping you from overcoming them?</strong></em></p></div>Using Social Tools to Support Professional Developmenthttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/using-social-tools-to-support-professional-development2012-12-12T11:00:00.000Z2012-12-12T11:00:00.000ZMike Collinshttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/MikeCollins<div><p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357158?profile=original"><img class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357158?profile=RESIZE_180x180" width="100"></a>I was lucky enough to speak at the recent <a href="http://www.trainingjournal.com/event/marketplace-events-winter-conference-2012-using-social-media-in-learning/" target="_blank">Training Journal Winter Conference on using Social Media in Learning</a>, it was a great event. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the presentations from each of the speakers and chatting with fellow attendees on a subject that is very close to my heart.</p>
<p>My slot focused on how using social tools have support by own career progression and professional development and it was interesting reflecting on the last 6 years since I joined L&D and how social tools have played a part.</p>
<p>From a personal perspective social tools have allowed me to connect with other like-minded professionals and thought leaders and to access a huge amount of information that I would not have known existed otherwise. I believe my development has been fast tracked through using these tools and building relationships as part of my personal learning network. It hasn't been about the tools it's been about the people that I've connected with through the tools. Technology is merely the enabler.</p>
<p>From a career perspective social tools have provided opportunities for me to be brave and try new things, they have allowed me to challenge tradition and to bring networks and social tools in to the workplace that evolve the methods of communication and the way information can flow through an organisation. Social tools aren't a fad or a time waster they bring genuine and tangible business benefits that can be harnessed and directed by both L&D and HR. In fact I believe that L&D and HR MUST understand the value that social can bring to an organisation and the impact it can have on (to name a few) leadership, communication, engagement, recruitment, learning, performance management and CULTURE.</p>
<p>The world has changed, sounds a cliche but it has. The ways and means in which people can share, connect and access information has evolved, why won't this change the way in which we work?</p>
<p>It will.....the rate of this change in your business is likely down to you, so it is time to start thinking in new ways about professional development and what is (and who is) available to support this development. The need to understand the business benefits and the value that these tools can provide is no longer an option it is a necessity. Saying I'm not in to technology or I don't have time or that it is something that kids do is not a valid reason, it's an excuse.</p>
<p>This is why I'm excited about the DPG Community as it can really support people on this journey and demonstrate the value of using social tools and networks. Next year we will be focusing on running some webinars on using social tools to support your professional development so watch this space.</p>
<p>Here is my presentation that I used, it's a bit different but tells a great story - what's going to happen next? Who knows that's the exciting thing:</p>
<p><a href="http://prezi.com/pcrmorfpsq3s/social-media-to-support-professional-development/?kw=view-pcrmorfpsq3s&rc=ref-11823700" target="_blank">Using Social Tools to Support Professional Development</a></p>
<p>If you have any questions about the conference or any of the things I mention in this blog then I'd love to hear them.</p>
<p>Some questions for you to ponder over if I may....</p>
<p><em>What social tools are you currently using to support your professional development?</em></p>
<p><em>What does your online identity say about you?</em></p>
<p><em>Who is having the conversations around social in your organisation?</em></p>
<p><em>What the barriers you see personally or professionally to using social tools?<br></em></p>
<p>Be great to hear from you</p></div>#ldshare #globalsharingday Wednesday 14th November 2012https://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/ldshare-globalsharingday-wednesday-14th-november-20122012-11-13T12:27:12.000Z2012-11-13T12:27:12.000ZAdam Harwoodhttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/AdamHarwood<div><p>Did you know that- </p><p><b>8 out of 10 Britons say that sharing makes them happier.</b></p><p><b>1 in 6 People would choose to hire something over buying.</b></p><p><b>1 in 5 People under the age of 55 are sharing more than they were a year ago</b>.</p><p>Wednesday 14th November marks the World’s first ever global sharing day. It is one hour where sharers around the world will unite by actively sharing something of their choice between the hours of <b>1pm & 2pm</b> (local time). It coincides with people all over the world sharing at the same hour in time. All with the aim of raising awareness of the Sharing Economy. Check it out at <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.compareandshare.com/global-sharing-day/">www.compareandshare.com/global-sharing-day/</a></p><p>Sharing for me is something I've always enjoyed, whether it's car pool for a mate or even a mixtape for an Ex-Girlfriend (Adam's love songs), I've always done it and I aim to continue doing it. I've also never been too precious about any of the training material I've designed- If it can help someone else, then I'm happy to share it. Sherdian Webb from Keystone Development has a whole host of free material on her fantastic site <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.keystonedevelopment.co.uk">www.keystonedevelopment.co.uk</a> and she writes that "If a trainer hands over their materials, many pieces of the learning 'puzzle' are still missing". <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.keystonedevelopment.co.uk/news.php">www.keystonedevelopment.co.uk/news.php</a></p><p>We all know that training material by itself doesn't complete the learning experience, it takes much more than that! I believe that's why in L&D, we should not be afraid or too precious to share more, as the material (training notes, handouts, articles etc) are just a small thing on the scale of things. </p><p>I know that sharing on Twitter is already infectious between tweeps in the L&D World . However if there is still learning people out there, who are like Gollum perhaps, then on Wednesday 14th November - you can celebrate the greatest share on earth! Even if you are a professional twitter sharer then please still get involved- just do more of it than you usually would between 1pm-2pm :) </p><p><b><u>Make a difference,</u></b> share something you’re thinking about or even something you’ve written. Share a treasured resource, useful links, top tips, memorable quotes or even a super slidedeck- Share absolutely anything that will benefit others!</p><p>So don’t forget share on Wednesday 14<sup>th</sup> November between 1pm-2pm using the hashtags #ldshare #globalsharingday. As a Thank you for getting involved I’ll curate everything that is shared using the hashtags – every link, every articles every blog and then curate them all and post them my blog for one big sharefest.</p></div>I'm a member of a community of practice - so what?https://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/i-m-a-member-of-a-community-of-practice-so-what2012-08-22T15:00:00.000Z2012-08-22T15:00:00.000ZMike Collinshttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/MikeCollins<div><p>It's a very exciting time for DPG as we start to use our online community to support our CIPD programmes from September. This network is a community of practice (CoP) for Learning & HR Professionals, but what exactly is a CoP?</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357074?profile=original"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357074?profile=original" width="160"></a></p>
<p>A Community of Practice (CoP) is defined by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_of_practice" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> as</p>
<p><em>"a group of people who share a craft and/or a profession. The group can evolve naturally because of the members' common interest in a particular domain or area, or it can be created specifically with the goal of gaining knowledge related to their field. It is through the process of sharing information and experiences with the group that the members learn from each other, and have an opportunity to develop themselves personally and professionally. CoPs can exist online, such as within discussion boards and, or in real life, such as in a lunch room at work, in a field setting, on a factory floor, or elsewhere in the environment."</em></p>
<p>The DPG Community is a community of people brought together through an interest in Learning & HR and consists of both face to face and online elements. Our online community includes all the features covered below and in the case of CIPD programmes is used to support face to face workshops designed around a CIPD qualification. It's primary aim to provide an online space for people to connect, share and network.</p>
<p><span class="font-size-4">So how can you use the DPG Community?</span></p>
<p><strong>Home Page</strong> > The 'hub', all activity can be seen by the forum latest activity stream. Community members can see new content being posted and people can see their activity and what others are posting and are up to. The web parts (or widgets) for each feature can edited, added or removed and feature all the current tabs seen at the top of the page</p>
<p><strong>My Profile</strong> > You can add your own profile and tell other community members about yourself and your experiences. This page also lists groups that you belong to, any discussions or blogs you've added and also who you've connected with (friends).</p>
<p><strong>Resources</strong> > There are some great resources on the DPG Community which you can find in the <a href="http://community.dpgplc.co.uk/page/resources-1" target="_self">resources section</a> and we also share a daily newspaper and an online magazine to share interested news articles and posts relating to Learning, HR and Leadership. Keep checking for new resources added on a weekly basis.</p>
<p><strong>Network Tutorials</strong> > A number of short screen casts explaining what the features on the community do and how you can use them e.g. add a profile picture, change email notifications etc</p>
<p><strong>Groups</strong> > There will be specific CIPD groups by location and a number of interest groups. Groups can be used to share experiences and knowledge and for facilitators to provide help and guidance on work.</p>
<p><strong>Forum</strong> > The <a href="http://community.dpgplc.co.uk/forum" target="_self">main community forum</a> is split in to a number of categories so any discussions can be defined by content or question. These discussions are accessible to any community members who can respond and comment.</p>
<p><strong>Chat</strong> > Another great feature of the community is that chat can be used to provide real time support to learners. The chat feature shows who's online and has a main chat room as well as private chat. We also run community chats where any community member is welcome to join and discuss a subject of interest</p>
<p><strong>Blogs</strong> > Anyone can add a blog and latest blogs are added to the <a href="http://community.dpgplc.co.uk/profiles/blog/list" target="_self">Home Page Blog Feature</a> - you can identify blogs by popularity or search as you can tag all blogs.</p>
<p><strong>Events</strong> > Add any event, conference or programme specific events such as a webinar or a community chat so the community know about them and can look forward to them or comment / wish people luck etc</p>
<p><strong>Videos</strong> > Upload any <a href="http://community.dpgplc.co.uk/video" target="_self">video</a> or embed a video from YouTube or any video site that provides the embed code. Comments can be added and all content can be rated or 'liked'. You can also feature videos / photos and blogs</p>
<p><strong>Photos</strong> > You can create albums e.g. Group albums or event albums, you can tag them so they can found by search. Community members can add their own <a href="http://community.dpgplc.co.uk/photo" target="_self">photos</a> and add to their album.</p>
<p><strong>Members</strong> > You can easily view or find community members across all groups</p>
<p>The community will continue to grow in membership as our CIPD programmes are delivered and also as we use the community to support our other products and services and provide a space for people to connect.</p>
<p>It's a community that we hope will support you throughout your career and become a valuable asset to your professional growth and development.</p>
<p>What do you think? Does this answer the <em>so what</em>?</p>
<p>Are there any other benefits you can see to being a member of the DPG Community?</p>
<p>Be great to hear your thoughts</p>
<p>Mike</p>
<p></p></div>You can't force social......or can you?https://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/you-can-t-force-social-or-can-you2012-08-22T13:30:00.000Z2012-08-22T13:30:00.000ZMike Collinshttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/MikeCollins<div><p>The picture below shows my artistic scribblings on a table cloth from the (now not so) recent Connect HR Unconference “<a href="http://www.learningasylum.co.uk/2012/06/chru4-visual-minutes/">The power of a social engaged organisation</a>“.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.learningasylum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Cant-force-social.jpg"><img class="align-left" src="http://www.learningasylum.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Cant-force-social-196x300.jpg?width=259" width="259" /></a>We were asked to write things down for the afternoon sessions that would give us some meaty topics to discuss.You can see from what I wrote the sort of things that were going through my head at the time. The thing that stands out and what I wrote in bigger writing with a squiggly circle (symbolising importance of course) were the words “<em><strong>You can’t force social”.</strong></em></p>
<p>So a few months on and now in new employment, do I feel the same? Well actually no I don’t. I believe you can force social, in fact you must, otherwise it’s not going to happen and things will not change now or in the future. I know the cliche, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink” but who’s leading the horses?</p>
<p>If given a choice, it’s easy to choose not to do anything, it’s easy to leave things the way they are, driving and managing change is difficult in any setting. Making change happen is relatively easy compared to making change stick.</p>
<p>When the change in question is encouraging adoption of social tools however, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this would be easy. After all over 700 million people use Facebook, millions of people use Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn so the knowledge of using these tools and what benefits they bring is out there. People have the capability to use these tools and many do so every day in their personal lives. So why is the shift to using these tools to work, to learn and to share in a professional capacity so difficult?</p>
<p>I wrote about the hardships of encouraging the use of networks in the workplace recently in <a href="http://community.dpgplc.co.uk/profiles/blogs/6489007:BlogPost:827" target="_self">WARNING socialnetWORK AHEAD</a>. The post came about after working on an online team community for over 12 months, I was told at times by my colleagues to stop going on about it and at one point was told quite openly in a meeting to “give it a rest, we get it you don’t to keep going on about it”. Looking back I had enough eye rolling moments and “here we go again's” to last a lifetime but it served as inspiration rather than anything else. This was a team of Learning & Development professionals and it was hard going making breakthroughs but they came at different times through different people. As I left the organisation the same community had grown and matured. It was being used by a much larger number of people and the person who had benefited from it the most and provided the most value was a certain Mr “give it a rest Mike”.</p>
<p>It’s fantastic to see people who were once sceptical really benefit from using social tools to engage with others and to achieve things that they couldn’t have done without them. The light bulb moments rock!</p>
<p>So what prompted the change in this particular person?</p>
<p>This person found the need. The network provided a means to connect and talk to people that were directly involved in their work. It enabled suggestions and feedback to be collated from a large number of people in a very short space of time. Improvements were made in days rather than weeks and people across the team were able to give their ideas and opinions on things that mattered to them. Feedback before had been collated in silos and rarely acted upon. This was different, it was open for all to see and as a result things happened. Social added a layer of accountability and credibility and those who had something to say and could add value started to appear.</p>
<p>I’ve written about the importance of <a href="http://community.dpgplc.co.uk/profiles/blogs/find-the-need-demonstrate-the-value" target="_self">finding the need and demonstrating the value</a> in relation to using something new or different before. This is just as critical when it comes to changing work practices, learning habits and traditional communication channels when using social tools.</p>
<p>You can’t force people to be social but guess what, you don’t need to, people are social by their very nature. It’s what comes with being human so that shouldn’t be our aim or focus, instead our aim and focus should be to create conditions and means for people to connect in the workplace or in communities where a common goal, objective or interest is shared. To show them the possibilities and help people find their own need that in turn provides value for them.</p>
<p>Here is another cliche <em>“You don’t know what you don’t</em> <em>know</em>” and this is why we must force social technologies and practices in the workplace or  to educate and raise awareness where there is currently little or none. I joined the latest @chat2lrn Twitter chat last week entitled <a href="http://chat2lrn.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/what-will-training-departments-be-doing-in-2020/">What Will Training Departments be doing in 2020</a>, I only made the last couple of questions but I recommend you check the <a href="http://chat2lrn.wordpress.com/transcripts-summaries/transcript-2082012-training-departments-in-2020/">transcript</a>.</p>
<p>2020 is only 8 years in the future and think back to 2004 have things really changed that much? I was having a chat with <a href="https://twitter.com/lesleywprice">@lesleywprice</a> of the <a href="http://www.learningandperformanceinstitute.com/">Learning and Performance institute</a> and Lesley mentioned she was using a Virtual Learning Environment in 1998. So whilst somethings have undoubtedly moved on they haven’t moved onto to the point where social is part of what we do. What it is and what is does is still misunderstood, misrepresented and not recognised as the power that it can be.</p>
<p>So what’s the answer?</p>
<p>Be open to change and trying something different. Don’t be afraid to introduce your beliefs that social is good and share your ideas on how the tools can be used to drive value. Engineer those conversations with IT, HR, Operations and people who openly admit “I don’t do technology” or “I don’t get these social tools” even if they are your managers or senior leadership teams. Challenge those who resist and look for opportunities to introduce social technologies to support your current team, your current project, your next learning solution. Be the positive disruptor, role model and lead from the front, even if it means starting small you can demonstrate the benefits and begin to create the sort of cultural shift that WILL make 2020 feel different.</p>
<p>With DPG using a social community to support CIPD programmes it's going to be an interesting journey as people new to Learning & Development and Human Resources will see how social tools can support learning and collaboration and provide a much more open way to communicate and share amongst each other. It's about building confidence and capability in using these tools in a professional context and I for one can't wait to see where the journey takes us.</p>
<p><em>I'd be interested in your social journey so far and understanding is social tools are being used in your organisation?</em></p>
<p><em>How are they being used and what has your experience been like so far?</em></p>
<p>Mike</p>
</div>A blog about blogs (Part 1)https://community.dpgplc.co.uk/blog/a-blog-about-blogs2012-07-23T12:00:00.000Z2012-07-23T12:00:00.000ZMike Collinshttps://community.dpgplc.co.uk/members/MikeCollins<div><p><span class="font-size-2"><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357090?profile=original"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1357090?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="303"></a></span><span class="font-size-2">The DPG community is a community of practice, a shared space for professionals with an interest in Learning and Development & HR to come together and share their experiences, ideas and good practice.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">It's a collaborative and social space that supports our CIPD programmes, provide evidence for CPD and is a space for our customers to discuss our products & services in an open and transparent way. It's about conversation and more importantly around people; people who are willing to share and learn. This sharing drives value in both personal and professional development and in turn drives value for others.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">The most popular discussion on the community so far as been Fiona Chatham's discussion <a href="http://community.dpgplc.co.uk/forum/topics/taking-time-out-to-reflect" target="_self">Taking Time Out To Reflect</a></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">There are some excellent points around how to reflect and gather CPD evidence the reflection process and it got me thinking about the role of blogs and the impact they have had on my own personal development over the last two years.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">I think blogs can be misunderstood and that got me thinking about how this community can start supporting its members get more from blogs either through starting a blog or finding really good blogs that are interesting, thought provoking or even controversial. So here it is the blog about blogs (Part 1).....</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Reading blogs</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">Time is often cited as the main reason for a lack of personal development yet it can only take a few minutes to read a blog. OK reading a blog won't perhaps give you practical skills in running a team or facilitating a training session or help you through a large change programme...BUT it will stimulate ideas and provide an insight in to others' experiences who have done or are doing this. It's this reading processes that provides access to new ideas and rich sources of information, if there are comments it may also provide reasoned argument or other resources and even more peoples' experiences that they have been willing to share. To get ourselves set up to get access to blogs with the minimum of fuss we need a RSS reader to aggregate the blogs so it takes the effort out of finding these dynamite development tools.<br></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">I would suggest using something <a href="http://www.feeddemon.com/" target="_blank">Feed Demon</a> but there are <a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/goodbye-google-reader-or-the-best-rss-reader-alternatives.html" target="_blank">others</a> out there for both PC and MAC users. All offer similar functionality but it's down to personal preference which one you use.<br></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2"><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Finding blogs</strong></span><br></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">There are plenty of blogs out there, some of which are fantastic and others well.....let's say they are less read. This is where this discussion can help as I'm calling all members to add a link to their favourite blogs (or even their own blog) in the comments to help others find those belting blogs that cause us to think and help us to innovate, change and disrupt what we do normally. So here are 12 blogs I enjoy reading to get you started:</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://www.aconventional.com/" target="_blank">http://www.aconventional.com/</a></span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://tmiket.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">http://tmiket.wordpress.com/</a></span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.co.uk/</a></span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://ryan2point0.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">http://ryan2point0.wordpress.com/</a></span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://itsdevelopmental.com/" target="_blank">http://itsdevelopmental.com/</a></span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://www.learningcafe.com.au/" target="_blank">http://www.learningcafe.com.au/</a></span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://www.learningasylum.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.learningasylum.co.uk</a></span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://clive-shepherd.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://clive-shepherd.blogspot.co.uk/</a></span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://www.internettime.com/" target="_blank">http://www.internettime.com/</a></span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://www.jarche.com/" target="_blank">http://www.jarche.com/</a></span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://change-effect.com/" target="_blank">http://change-effect.com/</a></span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-2"><a href="http://www.changecontinuum.com/" target="_blank">http://www.changecontinuum.com/</a></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span class="font-size-2">I hope you find these blogs interesting, exciting, challenging and thought provoking. All you need is to open the link and look for the '<strong>Subscribe To</strong>' button, once clicked you can then add the RSS feed in to your RSS reader and boom, you're away - every time there is a new post it will automatically appear in your RSS reader ready for reading.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">It really is easy to read one blog a day.....you just need to get in to the habit of reading them. Finding 5 minutes during your day to support your development is no great sacrifice is it? I guarantee that by doing this you will be exposed to far greater information and knowledge than you would have without reading them, this can then help inform and develop your own ideas. This is Continuous Professional Development, you might not see it like that but it is a great way of keeping your professional knowledge up to date and continually refreshed and indeed at the cutting edge of thinking in your profession.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">So that's your task, get your RSS reader up and running and start reading a blog a day to support your CPD. If you have any questions post them below and share your favourite blogs below as well - we'd love to read them too.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">Part 2 will follow shortly (commenting on blogs and starting your own)</span></p></div>