I’ve been asked to produce an online video series to help you be better in human resources.
I haven’t jumped at the chance, mostly because this is not my dream, but, also, because the verdict is still out on whether video is the great platform disruptor in learning.
Just because video is hot right now doesn’t mean it’s useful or lasting. In fact, this delivery mechanism is so new that we may discover that it corrupts the learning experience. We think we know, but we don’t.
What’s An Online HR Video Series?
It goes like this: Technology companies want me to take chunks of substantial content, boil the knowledge down into five-minute increments, and teach you how to be better human resources professionals through your favorite mobile device.
I’m not opposed to micro-learning because there isn’t a day that goes by where I’m not on YouTube learning how to bevel-curl my hair or make myself something to eat. But the benefit isn’t in the instruction. It’s in the doing.
What’s Great About Quick Hits?
Quick hits are great for diagnosing an error code on your car, learning how to spank a pomegranate, or pulling a snag out of your sweater. And colleagues of mine believe that brief videos are helpful for resolving minor communication issues, reminding people not to be perverted at work, and covering the essential points of cybersecurity when you first get your company laptop.
Quick hits are also useful for entertaining people, making human-to-human connections, and offering encouragement. I love listening to podcasts and watching my friends on YouTube because it feels like my participation is part of a bigger conversation. I’m not necessarily learning, but I’m part of a squad.
But any substantial training endeavor requires a multi-pronged instructional strategy that weighs factors such as a business strategy, intended results, how you’ll measure the impact of the training, existing competency levels, and, finally, the audience’s learning styles.
I can tell you how to be a better HR professional. But are you paying attention? Do you want to learn? Will you do anything with my directions? Or will you watch the video, multi-task, and go back to bickering with Janice in procurement over who can sign off on staffing agreements?
Online Learning and HR
Ultimately, I am not the face of HR. That role belongs to Robin Schooling, who is America’s HR Lady™®. But I am interested in helping my friends and former colleagues know better and do better in human resources and recruiting.
You can’t learn how to be a better HR professional by studying human resources in college, watching online videos, or even taking the SHRM certification exam. You learn it by doing it. And you need ten years in HR before you have seen enough human behavior to be any good at solving problems.
So, I won’t be delivering online classes on how to be a better HR leader. Your lesson begins and ends right here and right now. Time and action are the best instructional tools. Now get off the internet and get back to work.