We’ve been talking about the importance of opportunity … in this case, we are interested in providing an opportunity for our group to easily create content in the form of podcasts. I am seeing how podcasting can be used to impact an organization in ways that just a few months ago hadn’t even crossed my mind. I have been listening to the Podcast Academy podcasts and although almost all of them focus on corporate podcasting, the series has shifted my perspective.

When the ETS Leadership team went off site last week we spent an hour discussing strategies for encouraging the use of podcasting within our organization. What we came up with were several things to do to make it all go:

• Build a private space in the Penn State on iTunes U platform just for ETS staff so we can create an ETS listening booth filled with both internal and external content. We can use it as a digital professional development environment.
• Get iPods into the hands of our staff … we have some extras and it might be important enough to make sure there are floaters available … walking across campus for a meeting? Pick up a preloaded iPod with ETS and external content on it and listen up.
• Managers are being asked to create orientation podcasts that introduce their staff and their mission to new employees. How nice will it be for new (and old) staff to be able to hear about all the things going on in ETS in the voice of the managers? I think it is a more authentic way of introducing the big picture.
• We have created an open podcasting studio to allow easy creation of content. This is an idea borrowed from the Online IST days — reduce as many barriers to participation as possible. By putting an always on space right in the middle of our offices, I hope to create an inviting environment that our staff will comfortable using. It even looks cool!
• Connect our voices to our stories … we produce a monthly staff newsletter that goes to the 100 or so people in TLT, why not expose smaller versions of the stories externally using our own voices. Our communications team is building a demo of a new ETS Morning Story concept — short 3 to 5 minute interview-rich weekly podcast to share with the outside world. So far what I am hearing impresses me.

So there are a few ways we are working to make podcasting a part of not only our professional development plans, but also part of our organizational strategy. One thing that is exciting to see is that interest is up as is content production. Anyone else doing stuff like this to inform audiences in and outside of your organizations?