Along for the Ride

It was the annual Learning and Skills Group 'Learning Technologies' Conference (#LT17uk) at Olympia in London last week, and I had the privilege of chairing a couple of sessions in the conference. I also made time to catch up with a lot of my friends and professional network (my PLN) in the breaks and downstairs in the Exhibition.

Once again, I was reminded how things have and are changing - and how quickly - in the world of learning. In the echo chamber of social media, those of 'us' who 'get it' often comment (sometimes rather smugly) how, if only 'the rest of them' would wake up, we would transform learning in business and become the trusted partner at the C-Suite table.

'We', of course, are in the minority and the reality for many in the profession and on the supply side is much more complex - budgets, policy, practice, development time, resources, etc - and for many, that's the value of attending these conferences and exhibitions; to get a sense of good (not 'Best') practice, learn from others' experiences, make connections and have some professional 'me' time to reflect and refresh.

After the conference on Thursday evening, I attended the LPI 'Learning Awards 2017' at the Dorchester Hotel in London. I was a judge for a couple of the categories back in November last year, and I was delighted to be there to witness the winners collect their awards and receive the recognition of their peers and the rest of the industry for their achievements. I was reminded that good practice happens and is happening throughout our profession, and that much of it does not rely on technology, but instead relies on on creativity, commitment and a clear vision of outcome and impact. Technology may well enhance the process, but it's not always the cornerstone of success.

That said, my experience at the LT Conference & Exhibition reinforced my view that, whilst technology is a game changer for L&D, we need not be at the bleeding edge to realise its benefits and apply them. Leveraging what you've got is a good way to start. You've probably already got the tech you need to start to make a difference, but maybe just haven't thought creatively enough about how you could apply it for your colleagues' developmental benefit.

Have you thought about asking them? Because they are already using - or are being impacted by - tech in real life, at home, in their leisure activities, even (Gasp!) under the radar at work.

In Donald Clark (@ DonaldClark) and Toby Simpson (@ pretzelsnake)'s session at LT17uk we discussed Artificial Intelligence. Both speakers reminded us that AI is not some future dystopia about robots coming to take over our jobs, but rather that algorithms are already working away in our backgrounds and making dispassionate judgements on what we need, when we need it and how to provide it. Data is gathered from our Goggle searches, Netflix selections, YouTube watches, Amazon purchases, etc) and is then translated into tailored responses and suggestions. Think Siri and Alexa, and notice how relevant to your query or facebook activity the responses and advertising your subsequently receive really are. Many of our learners are using these tools for themselves and in so doing, now have experience, and expectations, of learning being available to them in similar, contextualised and just-in-time manner. 

What they don't want or need is a L&D-centric, push-provided, command & control solution.

The consumerisation of tech is accelerating this change, I'd suggest, putting the learner as consumer in the driving seat. We are still in the vehicle, but as trusted navigator; curating, adapting and contextualising the route for them. We need to ensure that our own knowledge is sufficient to allow us to be able to suggest the most appropriate and relevant approaches and tools for the journey. If we don't, we will find ourselves standing at the roadside, desperately trying to hitch a lift as they zoom past us towards their different, diverse destinations. 

I'll have something to add about the 'research' that Rachel Burnham (@ BurnhamLandD) and I are jointly conducting into Virtual Reality (VR), to understand it's relevance to and impact on learning, and our experiences trying it out at Learning Technologies and elsewhere, in a later blog.

Thought Learnership

Yesterday, for no apparent reason*, I had a  sudden idea "I'm not a thought leader, I'm a thought learner". And without giving it any more thought, I tweeted it. Some people liked it. One or two retweeted it.

My initial reason for tweeting the idea was that I thought it made a pretty cool 'tweetbite', and I thought it might resonate for some of my network, followers and #PLN (Personal Learning Network). But since then I've been reflecting on the idea some more.

The label 'Thought Leader' does not sit well with me for some reason and I'm trying to work out why that's so.  What makes someone a 'TL'? How is it 'earned'? Who decides? Who applies it? Leading who's thoughts? On what? In what spaces and in what media? Do we need to have our thoughts led for us? Are we sheep? "Who made you God?", to coin a well-used phrase...

I think it's something to do with the singularity of the term, the implication that only one person has the knowledge and wisdom and that they dispense it to the rest of us (the masses) as a gift; that we worship at the feet of the guru, the all-seeing one...

As you might have guessed by now, I'm not one for the cult of the personality or for the elevation of one person over another, unless there's very good evidence of their worthiness for such status. And I have still less time for those who describe themselves as 'Thought Leaders'.

And yet, it's a term that is used lot in social media and in my professional arenas of HR, Learning & Development and Learning Technologies. And, indeed, there are many in those spheres to whom I look for inspiration, wisdom and guidance, many of whom make up the bulk of my aforementioned #PLN. I would, however, be astounded if many, or indeed, any of them, thought of or described  themselves as 'Thought Leaders'.

I accidentally came across a new (for me) tweetchat this afternoon, #Bufferchat, hosted by @Buffer.  One of my #PLN had tweeted a response to one of their questions and I felt the need to wade in, referring them to my original tweet of yesterday and then amplifying what I meant. In so doing, and during the rest of the tweetchat, where debate followed and others agreed with me, my thoughts clarified and have resulted in this #blog.

So, here's where my issues sit with the adoption - whether imposed by others or self-assumed - and use of the label, 'Thought Leader' - The arrogance. The assumption of status. The lack of humility. The self promotion. All the things which the tweeps in my #PLN DO NOT DO!

My #PLN shares, works out loud, challenges, gets into gnarly conversations and arguments, meets online and face-to-face in structured and unstructured, informal social and learning exchanges, with humility and compassion, and is authentic and human. They do not aspire to the status of, nor do they describe themselves, as 'Thought Leaders'. And yet, they influence, challenge and inspire not only my thoughts, but much more importantly, my behaviour and actions.

Now seriously, do your 'Thought Leaders' do that for you? Maybe it's time to drop the label and value our interactions with those who actually walk the talk.

* Perhaps I was subconsciously channelling Kandy Woodfield (@jess1ecat), who posted this tweet yesterday, unbeknownst to me...

Milestone or Millstone?

I have written before about how my understanding of and participation in social media is 'not a numbers game', not about counting followers or retweets or favourites, but should be about showing up, sharing, interacting, learning and having some fun along the way.  

On Thursday, I came across the #myfirsttweet meme and was surprised to be reminded that my first tweet was in June 2010 and that I had wanted to explore Twitter's micro-blogging potential to support learning. 

Coincidentally, I realised yesterday evening that I had passed the 10,000 tweet mark earlier in the day.  That seems like a lot of twitter time!

So has it been a good use of my time? Has it been worth the effort and the risk? Have I indeed, showed up, shared, interacted, learned and had some fun?

I joined Twitter in 2010 to try and get an understanding of this new medium in relation to my professional practice, but what I discovered along the way was quite unexpected. I discovered a number of communities, professional and interest-based - who generously welcomed me in, shared their knowledge and experience with me and - astonishingly - wanted to know what I thought, engaged me in conversation and sought my opinions. And I was immediately and irrevocably entranced and engaged.

Not only that, but by the simple use of the magic trick called 'hashtags' and the ability to embed links to Internet sites, I could focus in on topics of interest, conversations (tweetchats) and resources in support thereof. 

My #PLN (Personal Learning Community) has grown digitally and has been enhanced by being able to cut through the 'Loneliness of the Disconnected Conference Attendee' and has enriched my conference (and un-conference) experiences. I've enjoyed not attending many such events, by following the twitter stream, via #hashtag, that others have shared live from the floor. And I've learned to do the same myself.

I now share photos via Instagram and Flickr. And I have learned to, if not, love facebook, at least to appreciate it and connect with friends and family in a more considered and adult fashion, even if I do think some of them need to get out more... I've also finally started to get my head around Pinterest, which has been a complete mystery to me up until just recently.

More work still to do: I could spend more time interacting with my LinkedIn communities, and I really must get to grips with Google+, particularly as so many PLN have kindly added me to their circles and, quite frankly, it's getting embarrassing that I have not afforded them at least the courtesy of acknowledging and reciprocating their validation.

To put all of the above in perspective, yesterday evening someone accused me - in a loving way, of course - of having 'twittertourettes', because I tweeted something just before we left a local restaurant. They may be right.

It's now part of my DNA. It's given me a voice that I had forgotten I had and enabled me to grow, develop and 'show up' personally and professionally. Indeed, as this tweet yesterday, nearly four years later shows, even my boss has expressed a view on it.

But has it become an unhealthy obsession? Do I feel the irresistible need to tweet/blog/post/pin/comment every day? Has social media become a millstone round my neck, a distraction from the real work and the real world, a demanding child requiring constant attention?  

Not so far. Not as long as I keep remembering that it's not a broadcasting channel; it's a walkie-talkie, a two-way street. Dialogue and authenticity are my watchwords here.

And on that note, here endeth a blog that's been a long time coming. Thanks for reading; thanks for being in my PLN (whether you knew you were or not), and thanks in anticipation for any comments/thoughts/challenges that you would like to add.

The Best Conference I've Never Attended

It was the CIPD's 100th Anniversary Conference and Exhibition in Manchester this week.  I couldn't attend - had too much to do at work and travel planned accordingly.  But I did manage to multi-task (men can do it too!) and follow the live backchannel on Twitter. Many of my Twitter PLN (Personal Learning Network) were either attending, presenting, facilitating, blogging or just simply commentating via social media during the two days and, whilst I couldn't keep up with the constant flurry of tweets and blog links being shared, I did what I usually do in these circumstances, which is to 'favourite' the tweets of particular interest, so that I could revisit them in my Twitter 'faves' column later and work my way through them in slow time.  This also allows me time to absorb and reflect, 'cos my brain can't take it all in at the same speed as the 'flying fingers' of my PLN can push it out.

So now it's Saturday and I'm starting to work my way through the list, only to find that most of the individual tweets and links I had saved had already been curated and replayed on the CIPD Tumblr site http://cipd.tumblr.com/ by Doug Shaw ( @dougshaw1 ), along with many other tweets and links that I had missed. Top Man, Doug!  Now I can use the Tumblr site as a reference book and take my time reading, absorbing, thinking and maybe even commenting on the wisdom and commentary therein.

The CIPD is changing. I now understand the new focus and direction of the organisation and have heard its new voice, not only from the conference floor, but from the breakouts and the coffee shops and the pubs and restaurants around the event itself, where everyone meets and discusses the news of the day.

And that's why I love Twitter and the community of people I have grown to know and respect through it, active in my professional field. Much time, effort and wisdom is shared freely and enthusiastically by way too many people to mention, but suffice it to say that I cannot think of a better explanation of why social media should be considered as a vital part of our individual and collective professional development.  I wasn't at the conference, but I am as well informed and engaged, sitting here at my breakfast bar at home, as if I had been, and it's thanks to those people that I am able to say so.

Now, back to catching up on the rest of those Conference Blogs....