Ran across an excellent presentation by Paul Isakson. Well done Paul!

Although this presentation has a marketing focus…there’s a secret layer(s) in this if you’re a learning designer. After all, aren’t learning solutions are a type of marketing? As Paul states (and I have here), it’s not about the tools…it’s about getting the learners to do something AND getting business partners to think differently about design. So how do you get business partners and learning leaders to understand strategic design direction if you’re trying to design and implement social media as part of an overall learning strategy? See this presentation and note how it’s message can be leveraged.  Quick Starter Step: Thought-starters within presentation can be used verbatim as a ready-made script you can ask SMEs or business partners for initial learning design phase work. (Note Creative Commons licensing arrangements for Paul’s work. )

Try replacing the following words in your head as you view it. Call it a mental mash-up of sorts:

company = learning designers/strategists
people/customer = learner
social media = learning design
we = learning designers
buy = use
“thought starters” = questions to ask business partners and/or SME’s

Paul’s presentation here: Social Media: It’s Not What You Say That Matters

Is this the kind of approach you use to influence learning strategy with your business partners? What other approaches do you use?