Guest Commentary: The Benefits of Developing Employee Talent by Using Social Learning Tools

Professional development has never been more convenient. Thanks to online platforms like  Masterclass or even social media such as TikTok or Youtube, organizations can connect their employees to learning opportunities wherever they are and whenever they want.

The only problem is that most of these platforms don’t deliver the specific results organizations really need. They are convenient, but not effective; they provide content, but fail to inspire the type of engagement that is transformative. LinkedIn Learning is a great example of this.

However, there is an exception. Social Learning platforms have emerged in the world of professional learning as an option that effectively empowers organizations across all industries to build high-performing teams because employees actively use them to engage ideas. 

Social Learning is interactive and linked to both personal and business goals, providing real-world access to leaders within or outside the organization who are implementing their methodologies rather than academic theories. Social learning is professional upskilling with real impact.

Social Learning leverages human connections

Social Learning platforms bring a powerful human element to the traditional and outdated world of learning management systems (LMS). Rather than providing a “download” of material from instructors, Social Learning gives employees the opportunity to have an ongoing discussion about the ideas that are most meaningful and helpful to them. It delivers real-world insights from people who are succeeding now, rather than theoretical concepts. And it is social, which means there is a community of learners who can provide encouragement and support. 

Traditional LMSs force students to sift through dry, outdated material in the hopes that something will be relevant. Social Learning lets employees connect with mentors, learning from those who are active in the field and overcoming current challenges. By mimicking the features and functionality of the social media experiences employees spend time on every day, Social Learning optimizes accessibility and flexibility. It revitalizes talent development, making it personalized, actionable, and fun.

For today’s workforce, Social Learning is not only more attractive, but also more impactful. Statistics show that adoption rates for the average learning platform range from 5 percent to 25 percent. Companies that use the Tigerhall Social Learning platform experience adoption rates that range from 80 percent to 90 percent.

Social Learning also creates more “repeat customers” than their less-effective counterparts because it’s being driven by the company’s leaders — such as a first-time manager assigning relevant content to employees to help them on their journey — who are ensuring the learning is relevant to the individual and team’s goals. Whereas traditional systems see only 1 percent to 4 percent of an organization’s employees become active monthly users, Tigerhall’s platform inspires between 35 percent and 50 percent of employees to access learning every month.

The user experience is central to the heightened impact that Social Learning provides. Social Learning platforms leverage the familiarity users have with social media platforms, presenting talent development in a context that is intuitive and comfortable. This includes integrating bite-sized features that tap into behaviors that are already common — such as scrolling through feeds, listening to podcasts, watching stories, and chatting with others — to leverage shorter attention spans so learning can be layered on top of daily activities, rather than carved out.

Social Learning also mimics social media by adopting a mobile-first approach versus focusing on desktop engagement. Statistics show that the average person in the US spends 5.4 hours on their phone daily. Rather than try to create new patterns of behavior, Social Learning taps into those already in place. 

Overall, Social Learning not only gives employees a reason to log in, connect, and learn, but it also makes it convenient and intuitive.

Social Learning boosts relevance

For training to be impactful, it must be relevant, which is where traditional learning platforms fail. While its content may be relevant, its context is not.

Social Learning dramatically boosts the impact of talent development by putting real-world, in-the-now information and content in a context that serves the unique needs of the organization. Rather than providing a catalog of generic videos on topics such as sales, communication, or inclusion, it gives employees content that is curated and customized for the particular organization. Often content is developed internally to respond to challenges that have evolved within the specific organization, which means it provides real-world training that addresses the actual issues employees face.

At Tigerhall, we achieve this by combining subject matter experts from within the organization with vetted, global industry experts we call “Thinkfluencers.” Thinkfluencers are invite-only, based on what they are achieving in their current roles. This allows Tigerhall users to provide laser-focused learning that perfectly serves the needs of the team or individual, supporting career development as well as company goals and initiatives.

Social Learning delivers bite-sized content

The top Social Learning platforms further boost talent development by acknowledging that employees are busy. If their only option for learning a new skill is watching a 60-minute training video, many will skip it.

To address this issue, Social Learning leverages actionable, bite-sized content, driving insights into tangible things employees immediately do in their role. Providing employees with content that takes less than 10 minutes to experience produces higher engagement rates than when the content requires 30 to 60 minutes.

Shifting to bite-sized content also makes it easier for organizations to produce and share in-house videos. These videos feature internal experts who know the organization best, sharing content that addresses the latest issues or opportunities in an authentic and relatable way.

Organizations that cling to legacy systems ignore the fact that they no longer deliver. They are also losing out on the benefits that Social Learning brings to the overall employee experience. Outside the workplace, social platforms have emerged as the people’s choice for sharing and receiving information. Now is the time for the same shift to take place inside the workplace.

— Nellie Wartoft is the founder and CEO of Tigerhall, a mobile Saas platform for Social Learning that is revolutionizing how professionals learn from one another. Nellie challenges mass education formats that fail to prepare future leaders for success in the real world. Her vision and execution are taking the corporate world by storm, attracting clients that include HP, New Relic, and BNY Mellon. She has raised over $10 million in funding from visionary investors including Monk’s Hill Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and the XA Network. Fueled by the mission, “where you come from should never get in the way you want to go,” Nellie continues to lead Tigerhall in Fundraising, Sales, and BD while scaling the team across APAC and the US.

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