At First Blush …
The thought struck me as I was leaving an offsite meeting I spoke at not long ago. The presentation was about using social media to share your story. The group was all from the same company, but to a person their experience with social media was varied. Some were avid fans who logged onto Twitter daily. Some were curious and experimenting. Some were living in fear of the stories that if they tried anything horrible, unforgivable things would happen.
As I headed home after a fabulous conversation that got the group thinking, I found myself realizing that sharing information about how social media works is a lot like sex education.
5 Ways Social Media Is Like Sex Education
At first blush, it might seem a reach to you to connect these two topics. But as I look back on my experience in that corporate meeting and other meetings like that and compare them to my experiences as both a student and a teacher of sex education certain compelling similarities stand out. I’d like to share them.
- Beginners, experimenters, and the experienced In every group and every meeting, we have those who know nothing, who know some, and who have experience. To make it interesting for all of them, storytelling is still the best way to relate new information or give context to those who might need a refresher.
- Definitions and history The simple definitions are necessary, but deep explanations and history of best practices are only fascinating to folks who already know the basics.
- Pictures, diagrams, and conversation Powerpoints and pictures might underscore what the presenter is saying, but they’re not the same as hands on experience. No matter the room or the age group, the role of the presenter needs to be like a blog post — a short burst of information followed by comments, and questions. If the meeting becomes a guided conversation the participants ask their questions and follow their curiosity. The whole group learns more from each other than they could ever take from a presentation.
- Safety and reputation Frank talk about keeping ourselves safe from “malware” and viruses is crucially important. And in our enthusiasm for these new “fun” interactions, we all need to touch base with our values to decide how we will be appropriately social without being promiscuous or shameless in our relationships.
- Revisiting the information If you are, like I am, a student of social media, you know that scaffolding — returning and revisiting the information as we gather experience — is important. After we try a few things, it’s good to explore what we know, what want to learn, and what we didn’t understand the first time we tried what we’re doing.
And the test for success of great social media presentation can be likened to a test for a great talk on sex education …
If you
move the audience from fascination with the tools and the transaction,
steer them clear of harassing behavior and selfishness
show them the marvelous and meaningful relationships
that are enhanced through sincere concern for others,
then your social media class will be better because they knew you.
(and so will your class on sex education.)
Be irresistible.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!