Too much information, too much noise is not good for productivity or developing leaders. And for learning professionals, the task of getting the right information and knowledge to the corporate leaders amidst the cacophony of news and inputs makes the task even more daunting.
Our research* completed earlier this year revealed that as much as 80% of people are struggling to ‘fit’ everything into the working week which now extends well beyond the old 9-5, Monday through Friday period. Many (55%) are distracted frequently throughout the work-day with more than half unable to disregard these distractions and get on with the job.
Harvard Business Publishing wrote a fantastic white paper on the subject – “Combating Information Overload for Your Developing Leaders” (co-authored by Sara Devitt, Practice Director, Corporate Learning Services and Elisa Friedman, Senior Editor) – offering some basic tips for learning professionals to get the content that matters.
Before anything else, the authors encourage a basic step: pinpoint what information and learnings are important to your company, leaders and workforce. Relevance to corporate goals and vision are important in ensuring the information and corporate growth fit.
Tip #1. HIGHEST-QUALITY CONTENT IS A MUST. Engaging leaders on the go requires top-quality content, so make sure what you offer for their attention is timely and most useful.
Tip #2. CONTENT & CONTEXT GO HAND-IN-HAND. Personalised information that references the individual’s tasks and responsibilities or an enabled path to appreciating learning programs and their impact on corporate goals will help leaders appreciate the information on hand.
Tip #3. CONTENT MUST FIT THE ORGANISATIONAL AGENDA. The corporate goals provide the foundation for leaders’ actions and decisions. This requires that the input and information for developing skills are in line and in sync with the corporate needs.
As subject matter experts and teachers our responsibility to any person who chooses to provide us with their attention is to ensure relevance and value to the individuals listening.
*You can download a copy of our Productivity Research and a copy of the whitepaper.
