Archive for August, 2008
Janet Clarey found a Wall Street Journal article lamenting the informal communication style of many young job seekers and what it means for business communication. As Clarey wrote in response:
… I think the communication disconnect is significant for educators. How can we support a ‘recruit/retain/train’ strategy targeted at younger workers if the organization bans their preferred methods of communication?
I suspect businesses probably have enough “proper” letter writers on staff (you remember the baby boomers don’t you?) so perhaps hiring people who communicate differently will appeal to a new (or evolving) group of customers. …
Communication, as many people who are happy to help your self-help along will tell you, is about what people hear more than about what you say. And what people hear from business communication is changing, as it has been, as it will continue to do.
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Jay Cross was interviewed for a recent TechRepublic whitepaper entitled, “Informal Learning: Extending the Impact of Enterprise Ideas and Information.” (Free registration is required, search the site’s white papers for ‘informal learning’ and you’ll turn it up easily.)
This exchange illustrated a key difference between Cross’ idea of where formal and informal learning are best used, based on whether the highly structured information is part of the course or the learner’s own understanding:
Wagner: How does informal learning differ from formal learning? And how, if at all, is it the same?
Cross: Formal and informal learning are both learning. They both involve building new neural connections in the brain and adapting to new conditions. They are very much the same. They co-exist.
Imagine a spectrum of learning. One band along the continuum is formal. It frequently takes an industrial-age approach. It’s regimented. Instructions come down from above. Inspectors check on productivity. Frequently, it’s a production-line approach to learning. It’s useful for indoctrinating groups of people with similar needs, for example, novices in a technical environment.
… Just as formal learning is appropriate for novices, informal learning is frequently the best route for people who have already structured the way they see the world or an area of expertise. They aren’t looking for courses or the big picture; they just want to learn what they need to plug a hole in their mental tapestry—just what it takes to get something accomplished.
These things are natural as can be, but we’ve become so inured to confusing schooling with learning that we miss what’s really going on. …
Some thoughts on learning tools and how our brains work …
Life, the Universe and Everything About Learning and Content Development: A personal review of top 10 learning tools and techniques.
Seth Godin: A few of the intangibles that make business interactions memorable in a good way.
Weblogg-ed: Digital illiteracy.
E-Learning Curve: M-Learning authoring for the iPhone, and more ideas for mobile learning.
Brain Rules: A tip for memory formation and a look at how the hormone oxytocin can influence trust and economic decisions.
Dave’s Whiteboard: Getting learners to blink and think.
Informal Learning Blog: The consumerization of enterprise software.
If more than one person is involved in a project, politics happens. It’s inevitable. But for all that calling something ‘political’ is supposed to be derogatory, there’s no need to dread it.
Bryan Chapman addressed this issue in a webinar discussion on reusability 2.0, where the topic centered around the getting learning content management and enterprise content management working together. One of the audience members wanted ideas on how to handle the political aspects of unifying people, processes and systems to get everyone working together. From Chapman’s response:
