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Earlier this year, we released our TikTok-style Microsoft Office Resources. They are:
We’ve since conducted research on 250 participants to find out how they use social media when learning. The results were interesting.
We asked this question, and 92% of respondents said they did. This suggests that social media-style learning, think #LearnTok, has a place in an organisation’s L&D offerings. Furthermore, 96% of respondents with managerial responsibilities said they find it helpful to learn in this style.
We also asked the respondents what they learn on social media; 34% of respondents said they use social media to learn practical skills, e.g. how to lay flooring; 28% learn soft skills, e.g. how to become a better manager; and 20% learn technical skills, e.g. coding.
16% selected ‘other’, and responses mentioned cooking, how to save money, history, haircuts, and car maintenance. The skills arguably fit into the categories above and could impact the percentages if reclassified.
So, there is a need for more easy-to-consume learning. This could be in the form of short videos, audio lessons, or user-generated content where your employees learn from each other.
Busy, time-poor individuals might not embrace or benefit from hours of traditional eLearning. Still, they would happily engage with convenient content that answers their questions, fills knowledge gaps and delivers an actionable solution. Quick, ad hoc learning provides flexibility and efficiency that longer, more involved programmes can’t match.
We were also interested in finding out whether individuals use social media to learn intentionally. Turns out they do, with 53% saying they learn intentionally and 32% ending up learning unintentionally. This could suggest that employees are turning to social media to find answers to questions, so why not provide them with resources in a style they’re already familiar with?
We’ve all been victims of doom-scrolling at some point, so using the platforms isn’t something we would promote. Instead, consider licensing or curating content that’s in a similar style. Doing this could create a similar experience and increase engagement and motivation to learn.
Another objection we’ve heard is that social media-style learning is only for younger generations. However, our research suggests that this isn’t the case. Whilst 100% of Gen Z respondents said they found social media an effective way to learn new things, 91% of Gen X and 91% of Millennials said the same. A crucial point is that age does not determine interest and engagement in short-form learning in any meaningful sense.
Therefore, as long as this learning style provides valuable information to employees, they are willing to access and learn from it.
Whilst there will always be topics that require hours-long courses, there is also a place for short videos in the style of TikTok or Instagram reels in learning. It provides information in a quick and easy-to-consume method that employees can revisit quickly without having to troll through a long course to find what they are looking for.
So, is it time to consider this style of learning for your business? We offer a free 30-day trial on our TikTok-style Microsoft Office content. Why not take a look and see if it works for your business?
