Workplace learning and performance is a pretty broad term. There are a number of factors that impact performance and a number of organizational roles and skill sets that are part of the equation.
One factor that impacts how someone performs is learning: How people learn, what they learn, etc. A few years ago a group of professionals on Twitter decided to explore these questions and invite the Twitter community at large to participate in discussions about how we can help other people learn in formal, informal, social and mobile ways.
And with that, #lrnchat was born.
The Evolution of #Lrnchat
Over the past couple of years, #lrnchat has grown to become an popular chat, attracting a wide variety of professionals from around the globe. It has been an extremely popular chat for those who consider themselves trainers, and has often proposed questions tailored to that audience.
What started as a chat focused on how people learn has evolved into a chat that focuses primarily on training. Even when questions have been specific towards learning, the discussions have often leaned towards and come through the lens of training. It’s an excellent example of communities defining themselves, regardless of the original intent.
It’s with that realization in mind that some of original the organizers of #lrnchat have decided to start new chats that are more targeted on the areas they would like to explore. These new chats will be more focused on topic, and will enable each of the chat organizers to place their resources on chats more tailored to their interests and specialties. As an example, Jane Bozarth and Jane Hart are rebranding #RealWPLearn as #PerformChat, with a focus on working collaboratively. Other industry leaders are also considering starting new chats.
These new chats, along with a few other chats that have emerged in recent months like #Clouduc8 and #Chat2lrn, will provide a much broader array of focused professional development options than #lrnchat alone could deliver. It will also provide a better opportunity to invite participants to discussions that may not be interested in specifically interested in training.
As these new chats emerge, I look forward to including them on my list of Twitter Chats for Learning Professionals, a post I will keep up to date to reflect new twitter chats of interest.
The Future of #Lrnchat
I have been asked to step in as an organizer for #lrnchat, joining Jane Bozarth, Cammy Bean, and Clark Quinn, who will continue to support the chats as well. Going forward, lrnchat will still take place each Thursday, at 8:30PM EST / 5:30PM PST. The morning #lrnchat session, which has taken place sporadically over the last year or so, will no longer be held. However, be aware that chat2lrn, a chat similar to lrnchat, takes place every other Thursday during the daytime (in the US).
I look forward to serving the #lrnchat community and helping manage the chats. I also look forward to inviting input from the #lrnchat community on topics, questions, and the future of lrnchat.
Until Thursday night…
