About 10 minutes into class, all 25 students are tapping on their smartphones, not even trying to conceal the devices from the instructor. A contagious case of bad business etiquette? Nope. It's a requirement for Managing a Social Media Presence, one of 18 free courses offered through Duke ProComm, a professional development program for communicators at Duke University in North Carolina.
The university's decentralized nature can make a traditional career path seem like a labyrinth for communicators. There's little room for career progression within many of the units where Duke's 200-plus communicators work. Low turnover further exacerbates the problem, especially when it comes to leadership positions. In the past, career development for many Duke communicators was often limited to attending a conference, landing one of the few opportunities for promotion, or worse, leaving the institution for another job. Rather than resigning ourselves to these frustrating outcomes, we did what communicators do: We crafted a new story for professional development at Duke.
A new look at an old problem
Launched in October 2013, Duke ProComm trains communicators with varying levels of expertise and at different stages of their career. Many of our entry-level communicators arrive with a specific skill set, but in today's environment you need to know how to tell a story using text, images, audio, and video, and you must promote your work on a variety of platforms and channels.
We began working with human resources in early 2012 to review communicators' job descriptions and responsibilities, identify core competencies, and build a program with three distinct career tracks: job skills, communication manager, and communication leader. By early 2013, we were working with Duke's own communication experts to design classes to develop staff in all three areas. The ProComm program helps communicators enhance their skills, find mentors, and prepare for future communication opportunities.
As part of the program, communicators learn and adopt best practices, such as making data-informed decisions and understanding Duke's brand identity and strategy. Because Duke is a highly decentralized institution, ensuring brand consistency can be a challenge, especially in evolving areas such as social media. Educating staff about best practices helps ensure the university presents a unified Duke to our internal and external audiences.
"Having people in the same room to talk about all the resources available and to learn about brand and tone is a great benefit," says Cara Rousseau, Duke's manager of social and digital media strategy, who is teaching Managing a Social Media Presence for a fourth semester.
Since Duke ProComm's introduction, approximately 100 people have enrolled in the six courses held each semester, on average. Some take more than one class. Staff members have completed courses such as Demystifying the Web Redesign Process, Think Like a Producer, and Developing Communication/Marketing Plans. Providing this program sends a powerful message to our communicators about their value to the institution and that leaders want them to develop their careers at Duke.
Connecting communicators
Supporting employees in their work is an important component of job satisfaction, which is one of the objectives of Duke ProComm. In addition to gaining new skills and experience, participants can network with fellow communicators, collaborate with other units, and find mentors.
"I got to know about other communicators' ideas and best practices, and I know I can call on them later," says Vilay Nidiffer, a technology analyst and multimedia supervisor for Duke's political science department.
We believe the program will also help retain employees when prospects for promotion are limited. When people feel their only career development option is leaving the university, Duke loses its investment in those individuals as well as their institutional knowledge. Through the ProComm program, we can encourage emerging leaders to teach a class in their area of expertise. This is not only a meaningful professional development opportunity but also an acknowledgement of what they bring to the university. Encouragement of this nature can help build our bench for internal promotion and groom people for future advancement.
"Teaching a class got me thinking about ways to expand my career," says Megan Mendenhall, who designed and instructs Photography Basics for Communicators. "It forced me to do public speaking, which I'm not a big fan of, but it gave me the opportunity to practice. I also had to learn how to break down concepts and techniques so that I could explain them to others."
Because the classes are created and taught by internal experts, the program is highly relevant to our campus communicators. The situations, case studies, tools, and examples are specific to Duke. People who are knowledgeable about the university's environment, challenges, brand, and communications strategy field participants' questions and have the opportunity to work closely with up-and-coming talent.
Our approach is paying off: 97 percent of staff members rated the classes as very good or excellent in surveys conducted after the first year, and the majority of respondents said they apply the knowledge and skills they gained to their daily work.
As the program completes its third year, we continue to evaluate institutional needs and emerging trends to develop new courses that will meet communicators' needs. We should have enough data by year's end to assess whether internal transfers and promotions have increased among communication positions and what role the ProComm program may have played in the outcome.
But numbers only tell part of the story. Our participants' words may convey the value even better.
"I thought I knew social media before this class, but the amount of information I learned was unbelievable," wrote one communicator, who has used what she mastered in two positions at Duke and trained several colleagues within her department.
Such feedback reflects a program that is making the grade and making a difference.