Research and development
running a digital skills programme– 10 tips
Here are our top ten tips (based on things we’ve learnt along the way) to help you run a successful, engaging and inclusive digital skills programme.1. Think strategically
Rather than keeping digital training separate, try and tie it into existing strategies – whether that is the digital, HR, learning and development or your wider organisational strategy. Not only will this help you get buy in from people across the organisation, it will give your programme longevity.
When thinking about which sessions to run, consider your strategic aims as well as thinking about the skills gaps and the needs of your colleagues. Tailor session content to make sure it is relevant to your organisation.
2. Engage your leaders
If you’re serious about changing the culure of your organisation, support from your chief executive, senior managers and trustees is essential. While you can deliver engaging sessions that demonstrate the value of digital tools and approaches, it’s those at the top that have the influence and authority to drive long-lasting change.
3. Listen and adapt
Detailed planning prior to your programme launch will help you design a more strategic and sustainable programme, however being user-led and agile is also essential. Try to be open and accept that you may need to adapt your programme as it progresses. Your audience (your staff) is key, so make sure you take the time to really listen to their feedback, comments and suggestions. This will increase engagement, attendance and impact.
4. Confidence first, skills second
Remember, you’re not looking to train up a whole new digital team and you don’t need people to become experts. What you do want is to create a culture of curiousityand experimentation. Most people need to feel confident before they try something new, and it’s only really when this happens, that they can start honing their skills. Your sessions should focus on building confidence – through small group discussions, fun and practical exercises, and clear, easy to follow tips.
5. You (probably) can’t please everyone
It’s unlikely that every single person in your organisation will attend every single session. Some people just won’t be interested, while some might just be a little worried about being exposed as lacking digital skills.Focus first on the most engaged(you could even ask them to be a digital champion). Nurture their enthusiasm and encourage them to share this with others. And keep persisting – some people might have busier periods in their work schedules and may be interested in attending sessions when their workload has eased off. Offer everyone the opportunity to book one to one sessions, some people might prefer to have some extra support away from a group environment.
6. Collect data as you go
Collecting as much data (attendance stats, feedback, general comments) as you can along the way will make things a lot easier when it comes to reviewing your programme. Not only will this help you demonstrate the impact of your programme, it will also help you identify what is working and what needs to be improved.
Recording attendance might sound like a no-brainer, but its worth taking the time to keep a record of who has attended which sessions – don’t rely on people remembering themselves. This will give you some great stats you can use to update people as your programme progresses and see how many people are engaging.
Asking attendees to complete either a short online or printed evaluation form after each session might seem like a bit of a faff at the time, but it will give you some really valuable feedback. We also invite people to write blog posts about what they’ve learnt or enjoyed from their sessions. This is a great way of demonstrating the value of the programme from a user perspective.
7. Plan your internal comms
Whether you have a well-used intranet or established internal comms system, or you’re starting from scratch, the more internal comms you can do about your programme, the better. Use a range of channels if possible; as well as email and Yammer posts, you could use printed materials such as posters or desk flyers to remind people about upcoming sessions.
If your organisation is anything like NCVO, people are busy. So focus on reasons why people should attend a session, such as the benefitsfor individuals and teams, ie learning to do x will help them do/ save x.
Use informal language when talking about your programme. You might even want to avoid the word digital in your programme’s name or strapline and focus more on words such as learning, sharing, confidence, effectiveness, efficiency etc.
8. Consider different approaches
People learn in diferent ways. Some people prefer to sit in front of a powerpoint presentation and take notes while others prefer to learn by doing. If your digital skills programme can accomodate a range of learning styles, you’re on to a winner. For example, the Learning Lab consists of short sessions which use slides, but also include practical exercises and discussions. For those who prefer to supplement their learning, we’ve created a library full of guides and external resources. Use your survey to find out how people in your organisation prefer to learn and consider ways you can incorporate these approaches into your programme.
9. Start small
Shifting the culture of an entire organisation is no small task, and the bigger your organisation, the harder this will be. When identifying your sessions, try not to get carried away – you can always add sessions as your programme progresses. The more sessions you have, the more logistics you’ll need to manage and the more time this will require from the session leads. It’s better to deliver fewer but really effective and engaging sessions than offering so many you can’t manage them all.
10. Have fun
Us charity folk work hard. But just because the majority of our work is serious, it doesn’t mean other aspects can’t be more informal. The more approachable and friendly you can make your programme, the more likely you are to engage your colleagues. Remember, digital is a natural part of daily life for some people, but daunting and unfamiliar for others.
Using funny images, quotes, soundbites and videos to liven up presentations, playing games, using a strapline or mascot to promote the programme will help your programme stand out from other stuff going on in your organisation, generate interest and make learning more appealing.
Designed by NCVO. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License