Reporter Upskilling
With hundreds of reporters across 61 stations and 41 markets, this national news and media client was hungry for a consistent onboarding and continuous upskilling experience for a blend of new-to-the-industry and new-to-the-company reporters.
They got just that with my documented step-by-step strategy, including learning technology recommendations, learning events and assets, knowledge base architecture, community strategy and guidelines, internal marketing recommendations, an implementation plan, and evaluation plan.
Desired Outcomes
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Improve quality of news product and increase viewership
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Increase retention of new hires past the typical 18-24 months
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Reduce workload on already-overburdened newsroom management
Results
Improved Confidence
Both new hires and managers reported improved confidence and felt they "knew what they were doing" with the new plan in place. Managers especially appreciated that the blended learning program leveraged the LMS to create a self-paced checklist new hires could use to ensure they were completing the right activities and meetings at the appropriate time.
Reduced Time to Proficiency
New reporters were taking 4 - 12 months to be proficient, but were thrown into the job underprepared anyway. We significantly improved time to proficiency by establishing performance indicators and milestones. Most new-to-the-career hires could meet expectations within 8 weeks.
Highly Regarded Framework
The blueprinting process and implementation of the program were so positively received that the client chose to bring in us to complete additional onboarding and upskilling experiences for their producers and sales teams. Additionally, they provided a 5-Star rating and a NPS score of 10.
My Approach
Key Client Needs:
While the client is known as a "teaching company," they wanted to reduce churn of newly trained reporters and retain their talent.
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At the same time, with some many new-to-the-career professionals joining the ranks, upskilling needed to be more a conscious and consistent effort.
Successful reporting takes grit, writing skill, product knowledge, ethical decision making capabilities, and an ability to operate newsroom equipment. Upskilling needed significant time for knowledge acquisition, reflection, practice, feedback, and opportunities to revise approaches.
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Additionally, overworked managers needed a clear path to follow to support new hires, or they would revert to ad-hoc tutorials and poor professional development, leaving new hires frustrated and overwhelmed.
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Scalability and consistency were key.
Solution:
I led the client and their team of subject matter expects (news executives, reporters, and new hires) through a 7-week blueprinting process to identify key needs and content areas. In addition to a learning and community strategy, I provided an implementation and evaluation strategy using the Learning-Transfer Evaluation Method (LTEM).
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During this time, I produced a blueprint for 12-week upskilling program that leveraged their Workday Learning system to automate and scale the program The holistic experience offered reporters opportunities to learn in the flow of work, connect with colleagues, personalize the program to their individual needs, establish an individual development plan, and take time out to acquire new skills.
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Content recommendations included:
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eLearning built with Articulate Rise
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video content
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automated system emails and nudges
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scavenger hunts and other interactive or experiential learning
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meet and greets with key players
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select manager-led trainings (vILT or one-on-one OTJ training)
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coaching opportunities (with guidance for managers)
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a resource hub for the organization and each station using Sharepoint
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a podcast
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a Teams channel to support collaboration across stations
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I recommended they use their news and media skills to create fun videos, such as the Day in a Life series, capturing each critical newsroom role. Additionally, I curated existing content, sourcing from successful stations.
Tools I Recommended to Create the Experience
Design & Development Tools
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Adobe Creative Suite
Articulate 360 - Rise
Powerpoint
Word​​​
Distribution Systems
(LMS / LXP & Community Tools)
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Workday Learning
Distribution Systems
(Other)
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Sharepoint
Teams