Adding Podcasts To Your Microlearning Program
Who doesn’t love listening to a good podcast while running errands, commuting to work, or getting a few miles in on the treadmill? True crime, interviews, self-help, news — in the ever-expanding podcast universe, there’s something for everyone.
There should be something for everyone in your learning ecosystem, too. Some workers simply prefer to consume information auditorily. Others spend the majority of their time away from their desks driving to sales calls or service appointments. These employees need a way to learn without adding more time to already demanding days.
Since podcasts are so ubiquitous in our make-the-most-of-every-moment culture, why not leverage their popularity as a way to add some zest to your learning programs?
You don’t need a studio, tons of fancy equipment, and a professional audio engineer to pull this off. What you do need is 1) an easy way to deploy your podcast library and 2) a content strategy that keeps learners coming back for more.
The best part? Right now you are three steps aways from adding compelling audio content to your training programs.
1. Choose the Right Mix of Learning Technologies to Record and Deploy Your Podcasts
While it would be fun to replicate the sound-controlled studios of NPR or Wondery — or have access to a commercial-grade podcast deployment app — you can skip all that and still introduce quality podcast content to your workers. All you really need is some basic recording technology and an easy way to put this new learning modality in the pockets of your workforce.
What You’ll Need to Record Your Podcasts
You could conceivably start producing podcasts simply by recording a conversation with a subject matter expert over Zoom or Teams. However, the sound quality will certainly be better if you invest in a decent USB mic and some inexpensive recording and editing software. Likewise, a quiet room in which to record will give you a more consistent sound quality than an online platform. Why deal with connectivity issues and audio drop-offs unless you absolutely have to?
Once you get your equipment in place, be sure you have someone on board who knows how to use it. They don’t need to be a composer, musician, or audio engineer, but they should have some basic editing ability. They need to know how to cut out verbal utterances, create segues and transitions, add some intro and outro music, and deliver a fairly polished final result. We’ve all listened to jarring ad breaks delivered in the middle of a sentence, so you don’t want to be that kind of podcast. With some decent equipment and a few editing skills, you can definitely give your learners a better listening experience than that.
What You’ll Need to Deploy Your Podcasts
We’re pretty sure your existing LMS and SharePoint servers aren’t built to deliver engaging, serial-based, media-rich content – aka Podcasts. That means you’ll need to look for a tool to deploy these to your learners. The good news is there are plenty of podcast creation tools on the market today. The bad news? They won’t easily integrate with your existing learning ecosystem — and the last thing you need is more siloed information to manage.
Where does that leave you? Whatever you do, resist the temptation to retrofit a bad solution into your LMS and invite workers to tune in. An audio file is not a podcast. If it turns off when your phone’s screen goes to sleep or doesn’t function over Bluetooth the way a normal app does, forget about it. You won’t be doing your learners any favors if you hand them a bad listening experience. You’ll just leave a bad taste in their mouths.
Instead, reach for a platform that functions similarly to popular podcast apps on the market while integrating seamlessly with the rest of your training tools. For example, SparkLearn’s podcast module:
Is inherently mobile-first and intuitive — easy for learners to navigate in about 2 clicks and 10 seconds
Operates well for windshield time — displays listening information and playback time on a car’s dashboard
Supplies good audio over Bluetooth for car playback or via headphones and earbuds
Provides engagement metrics that are tracked just like the rest of your training curriculum and microlearning options
The right tools can make it easy to give learners the seamless, user-friendly podcast experience they expect.
2. Create a Content Plan that Meets Learners’ Needs — and Sparks Their Ongoing Interest
How you record and deliver your podcasts is important. Still, the most crucial piece making podcasts an appealing part of microlearning is the content itself. That’s why you need a solid content plan that’s designed to keep listeners engaged.
When developing your podcast content strategy, incorporate the following tips and best practices:
Chart out your topics and publishing schedule several months in advance to avoid ending up in a content desert. A great way to do this is to break a larger theme down into small segments. You can even repackage training materials you’ve already created as an easy way to get started.
Recruit engaging speakers. No one wants to listen to a monotone voice drone on and on. Consider inviting multiple speakers to have a dialogue rather than expecting one person to carry the momentum alone. Switch up your lineup of speakers to keep it varied and interesting.
Keep it tight. Remember the principles of effective microlearning and narrow each episode’s focus down to a singular learning objective. Keep the length in check. If your speaker is particularly loquacious, cut out unnecessary rabbit trails and asides. It’s better to err on the side of brevity and leave your listeners wanting more than to lose their interest while your speaker tries to find their point.
Deliver both generalized content that will appeal to all your employees and specialized content that is salient for particular departments or business units. For example, you might offer a five-episode arc devoted to leadership or a series devoted to sales or product development.
Once you’ve created a podcast library that is populated with useful, engaging content, consider using communications tools you have in place such as personalized recommendations directing listeners to the content most relevant to them. You can also thoughtfully deploy push notifications to draw learners back in when new episodes are released. Don’t be noisy or overly demanding and you might get the traction you are seeking.
3. Gather Data To Help Improve Your Podcast Curriculum Over Time
While you’re getting started honing the tone and cadence of your podcast, don’t forget that this media can be tracked and the metrics attached will quickly give you the feedback you need to tailor your topics and resonate with your listeners.
The KPI’s most useful to you will be:
Number of listens per episode. How many people tuned in? Do certain topics attract more listeners than others?
Engagement and reengagement. Do users come back to an episode? Are they subscribing, liking, and sharing? How many listeners view related content mentioned in the metadata and show notes?
Use and traffic patterns. Where did listeners come from? Did they search for the topic, click on a link from another piece of content inside the system or follow the recommendation engine?
Don’t just look at metrics and user behavior. Ask for feedback as well. Offer a place for listeners to leave reviews and tell you what they like and what they don’t like. Use that to refine your approach and improve as you go.
Learning and Training Don’t Have To Be Static — Extend Your Reach Through Podcasts
As an innovative thinker attuned to your workforce, you strive to provide your employees with the training and education they need to do their jobs effectively. Podcasts are just another way to do that. By presenting your material in palatable ways and engaging as many of your learners’ senses as possible, you’ll increase the odds that they’ll absorb and retain the information you need them to know.
The right technology makes it easy to give your learners the mobile-first, varied learning experiences they crave. When you’re ready to explore how SparkLearn’s podcast feature can diversify your microlearning offerings, just let us know, we’re here to help you Do digital learning differently.
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