Tune in for training

Podcasting has spread beyond the entertainment industry and invaded the workplace, and many business owners are making use of the technology.

“Businesses are finding many creative ways to use podcasting,” Boise State Radio Marketing and Special Events Assistant Jay Saenz said. “Companies like Ziff Davis use podcasting as a supplement to their normal periodical publications. Other companies use podcasting as a means of educating the public on their products. Some, like The David Allen Company use podcasting as a means of educating other businesses on work flow and organization. The possibilities are really endless.”

Saenz, a junior at Boise State, frequently works with podcasts.

Businesses and organizations around the world have discovered the low cost and ease of podcasting and are using the technology to get their message to the intended ears: the ears of employees needing training, the ears of customers needing instructions, and the ears of citizens balking at government forms and regulations.

Training via podcast appears to be effective because employees can listen to the lessons as often as needed without tiring their trainer. Workers with headphones and MP3 players can move around the business and see the work they will be doing or the merchandise they will be selling while they learn about it. This hands-on experience caters to most learning styles, helping new employees gain confidence in their ability to do the required work. Businesses are quickly adopting podcasting and webcasting as training mediums because the cost of podcast and webcast production and replay equipment are much lower than DVD and CD costs.

“Podcasting is frighteningly easy to create and setup. A business simply needs a computer, a microphone, voice or acting talent and a method of distribution [Website],” Saenz said. “If you own a newer Apple computer, all the software and hardware needed to create a podcast are provided. This is the strength behind podcasting; it’s simple to create and distribute, and you reach a large audience with minimal investment.”

Hotels and restaurants are now using webcasts, which contain both sound and video, to help their employees learn preferred catering techniques. The portability of this medium makes it possible for trainee staff to move around the facility, learning as they go. Radio Shack also uses similar technology to train both new and experienced staff.

“I think the appeal of podcasts is that you feel like you’re having some sort of conversation,” Mary Frances Casper, who teaches PR courses in the Communication Department, said. “You feel like you’re in the room, like you’re ‘in the know.’ It’s much more engaging than text alone.

“The more interactive you can make any forum, the more likely people are to be engaged. We’ve got five senses; we want to use them all. We like things that are very convenient, we like things that are interactive.” Casper also pointed out that podcast training can help employers with a major concern with their employees. “We have to wonder whether or not people have the ability to read text and get information out of it.”

Businesses using podcasts and webcasts report training time is dramatically shortened when new employees are trained this way. Early data shows that some potential employees view businesses more favorably when they learn that podcasts are part of the training. However, some people are concerned that businesses will become even more impersonal if new employees don’t have face-to-face contact with trainers and supervisors.

“There are people that are reluctant and a little concerned about shifting in this direction. Where, instead of having a trainer with me, I’m looking at an iPod,” Casper said. “Michael Bugeja has a book out called ‘Interpersonal Divide’ that talks about how technology, and these types of technology, literally separate us from humanity and how having these types of thing keeps us from engaging on a meaningful level.

“So, I think, on both sides you have this very positive aspect and idea that this is a great way to get information out to a lot of people. Yet you do have to recognize that by putting it into that forum you are removing that human element. You are removing that interaction. I don’t see my manager as a person I can trust and rely on when I have a problem and I’m given a piece of equipment rather than a response.

“There is this true concern over how much we are turning to these types of things rather than having these interactive forums and what is going to be the long term outcome of using these types of technology.”

Despite concerns of this nature, The Arbiter has joined such esteemed publications as “Time” Magazine in making podcasts part of the services it offers online readers. These podcasts may feature the original interviews with experts or celebrities that the writers gathered to prepare their articles, editors and writers discussing the printed articles in greater depth, or other information the newspapers and magazines want to share.

Publishers of self-help books have begun posting podcasts with the authors, giving short workshops on the information contained in

the texts.

Those interested in starting a business than learning to work in one, podcasts may still be helpful.

The Small Business Administration’s Website leads to dozens of podcast lessons on starting a new business.

It’s amazing how much information they are giving away, and all at your convenience. No need to leave home or put up with lines, bureaucracy or government forms. Just a simple point and click and you’re listening to the lesson you need. Load the lesson onto your MP3 player to listen where you want as often as you like.

“As a business owner, I would use podcasting as a means to further educate my clients on the products and services we provide,” Saenz said. “For example if I sold cooking supplies I might have a chef talk about what products you would want in order to cook certain dishes. Combining advertising with education and entertainment at a low cost, who could ask for more?"

LUCINDA SUTHERLAND
BizTech Writer

Related Posts: