Learning 2006: Nigel Paine
Nigel Paine recieved one of Elliott’s Learning awards during a general session. I was intrigued by this man who used to lead the Learning for the BBC and attended his smaller session. I don’t know if I really got anything out of the session (although I’ll always happily listen to a British accent) but I did pick up some interesting tidbits.
Nigel focused on collaboration and how use of community within the BBC helped establish and build their internal learning programs. The BBC needs to retain employees throughout a rigourous and extended training process. They now facilitate a collaborative environment with wikis, blogs, and so forth. They depend on, effectively, a culture of sharing.
Internal changes at the BBC led to external changed in dealing with their audience. Internal blogs led to external blogs. Newscasters would blog, recieve audience feedback, and improve their delivery. Internally, information was shared across all levels of learners and across different business groups. The culture of sharing led to emotional engagement, which is necessary to facilitate effective learning.
In addition to the shared community, the BBC delivered small, accessible chunks of learning, which provide the necessary information with the resources to go learn more.
Key thoughts –
- Shifted from courses to collaborative environments
- Shifted from knowledge material to knowledge sharing
- Moved from lockdown of information to free flowing
Nigel no longer works for the BBC and is in fact an independent consultant. (You can visit his web site here.)
