From business strategy, to photo editing, to coding, there are lots of skills you can pick up from the comfort of your desk thanks to the expansion of online learning. Videos, podcasts and digital courses all provide ways to develop your talents and improve your understanding of new topics. For businesses, this is a fantastic way to provide you and your team with access to new ways of working, and has a myriad of other benefits.
Self improvement
Although it feels awkward to listen to yourself talk or watch yourself on film, it is a fantastic way to understand how others perceive you. Try setting up a video recorder during a meeting (with everyone’s consent, of course) and then watch it back. You’ll be able to see whether you touch your hair too much, say um between every word or talk in a monotone. Such insight will help you identify actionable changes you can make. You will become aware of your strengths, learn how to bring them to the fore, and how to compensate for your weaknesses.
Access to experts
When you look at the most popular Ted Talks of all time, business insights are top of the leader’s board. Talks such as aYour body language shapes who you are, How great leaders inspire action and How to speak so that people want to listen, have been given by experts and researchers in their field.
In How to speak so that people want to listen for example, Julian Treasure goes through some of the sins of talking, such as negativity, gossip, complaining, exaggeration and dogmatism (the confusion of facts with opinions). He advises speaking from the chest to add weight to your voice, because we associate depth with power. Tips like this are invaluable and can be applied to both your work and your personal life.
The power of podcasts
Audio learning tools, such as podcasts, are an increasingly popular resource. A recent Princeton study found that a certain kind of storytelling – that which podcasts use – stimulates activity across the brain, and recommends people do even more of this type of learning. Head to the Freakonomics website for example, for useful lessons such as How to make a bad decision, Why haven’t we found a better way to get what we want?, and How to be more productive. Other useful sites for business skills include 99% Invisible, EconTalk, The Allusionist and No Such Thing as a Fish.
Motivating staff
Continuously improving your skills and knowledge is a crucial part of any career path. Offering online courses can help workers remain competitive and motivated, and make them feel valued at your company. There is a wide numberof online resources available, so you will be able to offer a variety of topics without it being a logistical nightmare.
Tutorials on YouTube, career development videos and sites such as Lynda.com can be just as effective as face-to face education and are a great deal cheaper. If, for example, your marketing team need more help with search engine optimisation, allow them time each week to take a course and have regular catch ups about how they’re getting on.
Keeping track
There are some disadvantages to introducing online learning to your business. It’s harder to keep tabs on the progress of your team and not everyone will respond well to online learning styles. Make sure your employees know that it is a resource open to them and talk to them about setting learning goals – ask whether they can learn independently, how organised they are with their time, whether they are comfortable with a computer, and if they have the time spare to do it.
Although there are some drawbacks, online learning opportunities should not be ignored. It’s cheaper, it offers more variety, and can be done at an individual pace. In a broader sense, employees will feel they work in an ambitious environment and that you want your team to remain informed and prepared for new challenges. It will also show staff that you are serious about their career development and help you retain your workforce. Once you find the right method and course, online learning is the perfect fit for any business.
Content on this page is paid for and provided by Kia Fleet sponsor of the Guardian Small Business Network Accessing Expertise hub.
