The curious case of content curation

Today, an average person will come across hundreds of content pieces every day. This is a staggering amount of content, and it only continues to grow. The problem with this vast content landscape is that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to sift through everything and find the gems. This is where content curation comes in.

You might be wondering what content curation has to do with your learning and development strategy. Well, content curation can be a powerful tool to help you surface the most relevant and useful content for your team.

What is content curation?

Content curation is the process of sorting through the vast amount of content on the internet and selecting the best and most relevant pieces to share with your audience. This content can be from your blog or website, as well as from external sources. In terms of learning and development, content curation is a life saver.  It allows you to quickly find and surface the most relevant content for your team, without having to spend hours sifting through everything yourself.

Here are some reasons why you should take content curation seriously.

1. Save time and resources.

If you’re like most instructional designers or learning and development professionals, you’re always on the lookout for new and relevant content to share with your team. The problem is that this can be a huge time sink. With content curation, you can quickly find the best content and make your job a whole lot easier.

2. Relevant content.

When you’re able to curate content from a variety of sources, you can be sure that your team is getting the most relevant and up-to-date information. This is especially important in fast-paced industries where things can change rapidly.

3. Increase engagement.

When learners can access relevant and useful content easily, they’re more likely to be engaged in the learning process. This is because they know that the content is valuable and worth their time.

4. Boost knowledge retention.

By curating content that is specific to your team’s needs, you can help them retain more information. This is because the content is more relevant to their daily work and they can see how it applies to their lives.

How does content curation work?

There are a few different ways you can go about content curation.

You can do it manually,  which involves sifting through all the content yourself and selecting the best pieces to share.

You can use an automated content curation tool, which will do most of the work for you. These tools typically use algorithms to surface the best content based on certain criteria that you set.

You can use a combination of both manual and automated content curation. This can be a great way to get started if you’re not sure where to begin.

No matter which method you choose, there are a few key steps that you’ll need to take to curate content effectively.

1. Define your audience.

The first step is to define your audience. This will help you determine the type of content that would be most relevant and useful for them.

2. Set your criteria.

Once you know who your audience is, you need to set your criteria for what makes a piece of content worthy of being shared. This could be anything from its relevance to your team’s needs to its quality and accuracy.

3. Find your sources.

Now it’s time to start finding content. You can use search engines, social media, or even hand-pick websites that you know to produce high-quality content.

4. Filter your content.

Once you have a list of potential content, it’s time to start filtering. This is where your criteria come in handy. Only select the pieces that meet all of your criteria and are truly worth sharing.

5. Add value to the content

Even if a piece of content is great, it might not be enough on its own. That’s why it’s important to add your thoughts, insights, and commentary. This will help your team understand why the content is valuable and how they can use it in their own lives.

6. Organise the content

The final step is to organise the content in a way that makes sense. This could be anything from creating a custom playlist to writing a course. The important thing is that your team can easily find and consume the content.

7. Share the resulting content

The final step is to share the content with your team. This can be done through a variety of channels, such as email, social media, or even via LMS.

Improving your L&D

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s more important to have an agile L&D strategy that can keep up with the constant change. By using content curation, you can quickly and easily find the best content for your team. This will help you keep your L&D  strategy relevant, engaging, and effective.

Content curation can also support continuous learning in your organisation.  It can supplement formal learning programs and provide just-in-time resources when employees need them. It’s a flexible way to provide learning content that can be customised to each individual’s needs.

If you’re looking for ways to improve your L&D strategy, content curation is a great place to start. It’s a great way to ensure that your team has access to the best possible content and that they can learn continuously.  It could be just what you need to take your team’s performance to the next level. So why not give it a try?