Social learning is a subset of knowledge management in which employees learn from one another.
Video has quickly been adopted for a wide range of uses in many organizations, including facilitating peer-to-peer, informal social learning. At many of today’s most forward-thinking companies, video is used alongside email, instant messaging, and other methods of communication as just another option for employees to share what they know.
There are three notable reasons why video is an effective tool for social learning:
- Video is visual—complicated concepts don’t need to be described, just shown.
- Video is fast—recording is faster than writing, and watching is faster than reading.
- Video is available—files can be stored in a secure library and shared on demand, meaning we retain internal expertise.
5 Ideas for Building a Video Knowledge Base to Support and Scale Corporate Social Learning
Every organization develops unique strategies for sharing know-how. Here we share a few of the most common types of videos our customers’ employees develop for everyday use.
1. Subject matter experts use video to share how-to knowledge, best practices, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and more.
Basic skills videos are an important part of employee onboarding and ongoing employee training—and many of those videos are created by SMEs rather than the learning and development team.
2. Sales teams use video to share sales demonstrations, role plays, reviews, and other nuanced communications.
Sales strategy social learning videos range from role playing to how-tos to “understanding the buyer” re-enactments. Video conveys the style and delivery, not just the substance, of the selling interaction.
3. IT teams use video to communicate recent process changes and technological how-tos.
Quick visual tutorials, complete with multiscreen capture and (for hardware-based processes) real-world demonstrations, are not only more effective than in-person tutorials—they’re easy to create.
4. Learning and development teams gather best-practice videos from long-term employees.
Teams can enable SMEs to capture FAQs and best-practice videos—then to share them with anyone who needs them.
5. Learning and development teams use social learning videos to cross-train employees.
One of the best ways to accomplish cross training is through social learning videos created by departments.
Social Learning Works Best When it’s Easy to Create—And That’s What Video Does Best
A modern video platform like Panopto is software as a service (SaaS), meaning organizations can install it instantly on any or every employee’s PC, Mac, or mobile device. With Panopto, employees can record with any device—from the webcams already built into their laptops or smartphones to specialty recording equipment or high-end camcorders. And when the recording’s complete, Panopto automatically uploads the video to a secure, centralized video library where it is transcoded for optimal playback on any device, ensuring team members can always reference the information, no matter where they are or what device they are watching on.
Best of all, modern video platforms make searching for information inside videos possible. Panopto automatically indexes every word spoken, shown onscreen, or included in presentation slides for every video in your library and enables employees to keyword search and instantly fast forward to the relevant insights they need.
With Panopto, there’s never been an easier or more effective way for your employees to exchange insights, learn from each other, and perform to their potential. Empower your employees to share their insights, expertise, and best practices throughout your organization.