Feeling overwhelmed by training that just doesn’t keep up with the pace of change? If you spend too much time updating old content, it’s time to try something different. Fortunately, you already have a treasure trove of knowledge at your fingertips: your people.

Employee-generated learning (EGL) transforms internal expertise into learning experiences that are a win-win. Staff get to share their unique skills and everyone enjoys up-to-date, practical information that keeps everyone’s knowledge and skills relevant.

Putting Employee-Generated Learning to Work

When faced with slow adoption of a new AI platform, one organization turned to employee expertise — and saw major results. Teams were clinging to old ways and struggling to make the transition. Instead of investing in external training or using the bland materials that came with the software, they tried an alternative solution: employee-generated video tutorials.

Armed with smartphones and screen-capturing software, they got to work. They rallied a small team of “software champions” from different departments, each focusing on the features they found most helpful. The resulting wiki library of bite-sized videos was a hit. Employees could quickly find answers to specific questions, watch tutorials on their phones during their commute and learn at their own pace. Software adoption skyrocketed and efficiency improved dramatically.

The experience was also beneficial for the employees who created the content, providing an opportunity to connect with their colleagues and demonstrate strong communication, agility, persistence and expertise. As a result, they gained recognition and leadership opportunities.

EGL works for employees, training teams and leaders because it’s:

• Relevant: EGL focuses on the challenges and processes of the people actually doing the work.
• Engaging: Learning from a familiar face is more effective than a manual or generic tutorial.
• Accessible: EGL preserves valuable institutional knowledge and ensures it stays within the company.

Getting Started

We’ve all sat in those trainings where someone talks at us for 45 minutes and then asks for questions at the end, all the while we are internally screaming, “Telling isn’t training!” Not everyone instinctively knows how to create compelling learning content — and that’s OK.

Start With Storytelling

Provide templates with a logical structure so employees can focus on the content they’re delivering rather than how to organize it. Sharing examples and showing how it was done is incredibly effective. Even better, collaborate on the first video with a trusted team member.

Prioritize Policies

Include reminders about safety, copyrights, intellectual property and other company policies that might apply. For example, there might be a policy against using personal phones to take pictures or videos. Have alternatives ready so that everyone is able to participate while still adhering to the company’s expectations.

Provide Ongoing Support

Support isn’t a one-time event. Set up ongoing opportunities for the contributors to work with the trainees. As colleagues become more comfortable sharing information, they will want to grow and expand their capabilities. To facilitate this, provide office hours, additional templates, tool training and other resources.

Fostering a Sharing Mindset

A supportive culture is essential for EGL to thrive. Here are the pieces that must be in place for success with this approach:

1. Get leaders on board.

When leadership is visibly excited about EGL and jumps in to help, everyone notices. Encouraging senior employees and subject matter experts to actively contribute sets a positive precedent and demonstrates the value of knowledge sharing throughout the organization.

2. Communicate the advantages of EGL.

Employee creators gain new skills, increased visibility and even career advancement, while the company benefits from better training, keeping knowledge in-house and cost savings.

3. Celebrate everyone who shares their knowledge.

Whether it’s a shout-out in the newsletter, a quick “thanks” at the team meeting, or even a small token of appreciation, recognition reinforces a culture of learning and encourages continued participation.

4. Minimize any friction in the process.

Streamline content creation and sharing as much as possible, providing readily available templates, clear guidelines and user-friendly tools.

5. Build a strong community around EGL.

Provide opportunities for staff creators to connect, exchange ideas and learn from one another through online forums, regular meetups, or even informal coffee breaks.

Making Information Accessible

For EGL to be truly effective, it must be organized logically. This means establishing a clear structure for categorizing and tagging content, perhaps by topic, department, skill level or content type. A robust search function is also essential, enabling everyone to quickly locate information in their moment of need.

Actively promote the EGL library and make content discovery easy. This could involve featuring new or relevant content in newsletters, on intranet pages or during team meetings.

To ensure the quality and relevance of EGL, designate individuals or teams to curate, review and update the content. This process will help maintain consistency and weed out any outdated or inaccurate information.

Feedback: The Continuous Improvement Loop

Feedback is crucial for the long-term success of the EGL program. To start, select a specific team or department to pilot the program before rolling it out company-wide. Based on their feedback, refine the EGL strategy, processes and tools. Once there’s success with the pilot, gradually expand the program to other teams and departments.

Regular surveys are a great way to gather input from both content creators and learners. Hold focus groups to gain more in-depth insights into the program’s effectiveness. Create open communication channels, like online forums or suggestion boxes, to make it easy for everyone to share their thoughts anytime. Track content usage data like views, downloads and comments to see what resonates with folks and what doesn’t. Then, take action. When employees see their input making a difference, engagement grows.

Conclusion

Remember the AI software adoption problem? It was solved with employee-generated video tutorials, boosting adoption and efficiency while also highlighting the talents of employee content creators. EGL works because it’s relevant, engaging and accessible.

No one knows your business better than your employees. EGL captures valuable knowledge and keeps it within the company even when employees leave. Take the first step today — identify a pilot team and start building your internal knowledge base. Your team’s genius is waiting to be unleashed.