Content curation is the process of discovering, gathering, organizing, and sharing relevant and valuable content from various sources to a specific audience or for a particular purpose. It involves sifting through a vast amount of information on the internet or other media channels and selecting the most pertinent and high-quality content to present to your target audience.
Key elements of content curation include:
Discovery: Content curators actively search for content from a wide range of sources, including websites, blogs, social media, videos, podcasts, books, and more. They use various tools and techniques to find content that aligns with their goals.
Selection: Curators evaluate the content they discover to determine its relevance, accuracy, quality, and usefulness. They choose the best pieces of content that meet the needs and interests of their audience.
Organization: Once selected, curated content is organized and categorized to make it easily accessible and understandable. This can involve creating curated lists, topic-based collections, or thematic playlists.
Presentation: Curators present the curated content to their audience through various means, such as blog posts, newsletters, social media shares, or content curation platforms. The goal is to provide valuable information in a clear and engaging manner.
Contextualization: Curators often add their insights, commentary, or context to the curated content to help their audience understand its significance and relevance. This helps bridge the gap between the content and the specific interests or goals of the audience.
Sharing: Content curation typically involves sharing the curated content with a target audience, whether it's a group of professionals, social media followers, or a community of interest. Sharing can be done through various channels to reach the intended audience effectively.
Content curation serves several purposes, including:
Knowledge Sharing: Sharing valuable information and insights with an audience interested in a particular topic or field.
Content Marketing: Curating content can be part of a content marketing strategy to engage and educate your audience, ultimately building trust and authority.
Research and Learning: It can aid in research efforts by aggregating relevant resources and supporting continuous learning and development.
Community Building: Curating content can help build and sustain online communities by providing members with valuable content and fostering discussions.
Time Efficiency: It allows individuals and organizations to stay informed and relevant without having to create all content from scratch, saving time and resources.
Content curation is a valuable practice in today's information-rich digital landscape, helping individuals and organizations cut through the noise and deliver meaningful content to their audience.
Leverage Content Curation to Scale Your Corporate Training Program
Leveraging content curation can be a highly effective strategy for scaling your corporate training program. It allows you to provide a wide range of high-quality learning materials to a larger audience without the need for significant additional resources. Here's how to do it:
Identify Learning Objectives
Start by clearly defining the learning objectives and goals of your corporate training program. What skills or knowledge do you want participants to gain?
Understand Your Audience
Determine the needs and preferences of your target audience. Understand their skill levels, learning styles, and any specific challenges they face.
Curate Relevant Content
Search for existing content that aligns with your training objectives. This content can include articles, videos, online courses, webinars, books, and more. Ensure that the curated content is of high quality and from reputable sources.
Organize and Categorize
Create a structured system for organizing the curated content. Categorize it based on topics, skill levels, or learning stages. This makes it easier for participants to find what they need.
Add Value through Context
Provide context and guidance for each curated resource. Explain why it's relevant, how it ties into the training objectives, and how participants can benefit from it.
Create Learning Paths
Develop curated learning paths or modules that guide participants through a sequential progression of content. This helps learners follow a structured path and build on their knowledge step by step.
Interactive Elements
Integrate interactive elements such as quizzes, discussions, or assignments to reinforce learning and engagement. These can be added to the curated content or within the learning management system (LMS).
Feedback and Assessment
Implement assessments and feedback mechanisms to gauge participants' understanding and progress. This allows you to adapt and refine your content curation strategy based on learner performance.
Use a Learning Management System (LMS)
Invest in a robust LMS to host and manage your curated content. An LMS can help you track learner progress, automate certain aspects of training, and provide a centralized platform for content delivery.
Promote Engagement and Collaboration
Encourage interaction and collaboration among learners. This can include discussion forums, group projects, or virtual classrooms to foster a sense of community and peer learning.
Regular Updates
Continuously update and refresh your curated content to keep it relevant and up to date. Remove outdated materials and add new resources as needed.
Analytics and Data Insights
Utilize analytics and data tracking tools within your LMS to monitor learner engagement and performance. Use this data to make data-driven decisions for program improvement.
Feedback Loops
Collect feedback from participants and instructors to identify areas for improvement and make adjustments accordingly.
Scalable Delivery
With the structured content curation in place, you can easily scale your corporate training program to accommodate a larger number of participants without a linear increase in resources.
Support and Resources
Provide access to support resources, such as online mentors or subject matter experts, to assist participants in their learning journey.
By effectively curating and managing content, you can create a scalable corporate training program that offers flexibility, personalization, and continuous improvement while efficiently serving the learning needs of a growing audience.
Fifteen Content Curation Sources for Corporate Training Programs
Here are some sources you can consider for content curation in corporate training programs:
Industry-specific Websites: Look for industry-specific websites, forums, and blogs that provide valuable insights, articles, and case studies related to your training topics. These sources often have up-to-date information and expertise.
Online Learning Platforms: Platforms like LMS Portals, edX, LinkedIn Learning, and Udemy offer a wealth of courses and training materials that can supplement your program.
TED Talks: TED Talks cover a wide range of topics and can provide engaging video content for training programs. They often feature experts sharing their knowledge and experiences.
YouTube Channels: Many subject matter experts and organizations have YouTube channels with informative videos and tutorials. Be sure to review and curate content from reputable sources.
Podcasts: Educational podcasts can be a valuable resource for corporate training. Platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher have a vast library of podcasts on various topics.
Academic Journals: For more in-depth and research-based content, consider accessing academic journals and articles through platforms like Google Scholar, JSTOR, or your organization's library resources.
News Websites: Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in your industry by curating content from reputable news sources like BBC, Reuters, or industry-specific news outlets.
LinkedIn Groups: Join relevant LinkedIn groups in your industry to discover discussions, articles, and resources shared by professionals.
Ebooks and Whitepapers: Many organizations and experts publish ebooks and whitepapers that delve into specific topics. These can be excellent resources for in-depth learning.
Social Media: Follow industry experts, thought leaders, and organizations on platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. They often share valuable articles, videos, and insights.
Webinars and Online Events: Keep an eye out for webinars, virtual conferences, and online events relevant to your training program. They often provide valuable content and networking opportunities.
Open Educational Resources (OER): Explore OER repositories like OER Commons and MERLOT to find openly licensed educational materials that can be used in your training program.
Subject Matter Experts: Don't forget to tap into the knowledge and expertise within your organization. Encourage subject matter experts to contribute to the training program by sharing their insights, experiences, and resources.
Custom Content Creation: Consider creating your own content, such as video tutorials, articles, and infographics, tailored to your organization's specific needs and objectives.
Content Aggregation Tools: Use content curation tools like Pocket, Feedly, or Flipboard to collect and organize articles, blogs, and videos from various sources in one place.
When curating content for corporate training programs, ensure that the materials align with your learning objectives, are up-to-date, and come from reputable sources. Always respect copyright and licensing restrictions when using external content, and consider seeking permission or proper attribution when necessary.
About LMS Portals
At LMS Portals, we provide our clients and partners with a SaaS-based, multi-tenant learning management system that allows you to launch a dedicated training environment (a portal) for each of your unique audiences.
The system includes built-in, SCORM-compliant rapid course development software that provides a drag and drop engine to enable most anyone to build engaging courses quickly and easily.
We also offer a complete library of ready-made courses, covering most every aspect of corporate training and employee development.
If you choose to, you can create Learning Paths to deliver courses in a logical progression and add structure to your training program. The system also supports Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) and provides tools for social learning.
Together, these features make the LMS Portals platform the ideal solution to leverage content curation strategies for your corporate training program.
Contact us today to get started or visit our Partner Program pages