Engaging colleagues with new online tools

Getting people to actually use new tools in the workplace is pretty hard.

No matter how cool your new social platform is, your colleagues (except for the super keen) won’t suddenly leap into using it.

Instead, you need to think tactically about how you engage workers with new online tools.

Here are ten ideas for making it happen. If you can’t see the embedded document below, then you can download the PDF version.

[slideshare id=33182070&style=border: 1px solid #CCC; border-width: 1px 1px 0; margin-bottom: 5px; max-width: 100%;&sc=no]

My thanks to Steve Dale and Anne McCrossan who gave me some great advice when I was putting these together.

It would be great to get your views on these ideas – and whether you have any to add?

2 thoughts on “Engaging colleagues with new online tools”

  1. Excellent stuff, Dave. I particularly like the bit about “no rules”. I am continually asked for sets of rules, and I totally agree with you that, if your first introduction is via a set of rules you are unlikely to see a tool as something you want to use.

    Another issue you have highlighted that is often overlooked is that of lack of content in the early stages. People are used to consuming content, not creating it, and lack of content at the beginning of using a new tool can really put them off. At first they need stuff they can react to, until they gain confidence to start creating their own material. Content needs to be seeded at the start.

    • Hi John – thanks, and also thanks for flagging up the content issue.

      Am working on a 10 step guide specifically for collaboration projects and that certainly features.

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