Podcasts are increasingly being used for educational purposes in schools and universities today: They are perfect for quick bites of knowledge on the go! Learn now how you can successfully use podcasts in corporate training as well.
At the beginning of my media studies in 2012, podcasts were often ridiculed: they were considered outdated, and our professors predicted them to have little "lifespan" left. How wrong they were!
Since around 2015, podcasts have become increasingly popular, especially among younger people under 30. However, due to their great success, older people are also becoming more aware of podcasts – rightly so, as I would like to present to you now.
What exactly is a podcast?
The term "podcast" is a mix of "broadcast" and "iPod" – one of the first devices used to listen to podcasts.
Wikipedia defines a podcast as follows:
A podcast is a series of mostly subscribable media files (audio or video) distributed over the internet.
The difference from a simple audio or video file is that a podcast always consists of multiple parts and is usually broadcast regularly. You can find many podcasts on various topics today, for example, on providers like Spotify or iTunes.
Interesting to know: Many people understand podcasts to be pure audio files. However, by definition, videos or other forms of imagery are also podcasts, as long as they are sent at regular intervals and are related to each other!
Advantages of podcasts in further education
Diverse alternatives to reading
Very wide variety of topics
Perfect for on the go
Opportunity to let participants choose their own topics
Basis for discussions / critical thinking
Especially motivate younger participants
Look for suitable podcasts on the internet for your next training! At least for inspiration and personal research, podcasts are excellently suited. And maybe you'll even feel like recording your own little podcast?
Tips for trainers
If you want to use podcasts in further education, you can't do much wrong. However, our following tips will help you implement podcasts successfully from the beginning.
What you should pay attention to when using podcasts
The sound must be good! Therefore, use a good microphone.
Use podcasts that are as short as possible (max. 10 minutes) or give a specific excerpt (e.g., minutes 3-11).
Record a podcast yourself or choose from a large pool of freely accessible podcasts.
If it's someone else's podcast: Choose a provider that is freely accessible (without registration) – or get permission to include it in your online course.
Podcasts are particularly suitable for
In general, podcasts are suitable for all topics, especially
language learning
providing in-depth information
incorporating interviews
And one more extra tip: How about training soft skills using podcasts – entirely independent of the podcast's content? For instance, let your participants create a short presentation based on any podcast to train their communication skills. The big advantage: The topic pool is large, and the participant can choose what interests them the most.
Examples of podcasts in blended learning
So much for the theory of podcasts. To help you better picture how a podcast is used in further education, I will show you two concrete examples: once in a stress management seminar and once in sales training.
Both examples are part of blended learning and are integrated into the accompanying online course. The important thing: Think about a call to action! What exactly should your participant do with the podcast, how should they proceed?
Example 1: A podcast in the stress management seminar
Choose three relaxation techniques and record them in a calm voice. Tip for the technique: The blink.it kit is completely sufficient for this.
Cut the recording into three parts (e.g., using Filmora Go).
Integrate one recording into the online course each week for three weeks.
Provide an exercise: Participants should apply the relaxation technique and comment on their experience directly in the course.
Example 2: A podcast in sales training
Choose a suitable podcast (e.g., from a respected colleague).
Integrate it into your online course, possibly also as a download.
Refer to it in the next face-to-face training to clarify any questions.
This is what this sales training example looks like in blended learning with blink.it:
Example: Podcast in blended learning with the blink.it platform.
Interested in the content of the sales training podcast? You can find it on the website of trainer Thomas Bottin.
Start now with your first podcast
Do you have any questions about the topic of podcasts in further education or specifically in blended learning? Feel free to write me a message!
Perhaps you feel inspired to incorporate a podcast into your training or coaching. Then one more extra tip to conclude:
The method "podcast" is included in one of the 40 cards in the blink.it rocket pack! You will find not only more tips for application but also the example presented above for sales training – along with 39 other methods for blended learning in the online course.
Have fun podcasting!
