Embracing Podcasting in the Enterprise

By Kim Boatman

Adam Sarner, a Gartner analyst, figures he spends as much as six hours a week listening to podcasts, on topics as varied as technology trends and National Public Radio segments.

"I can do it in the car, I can do it in the shower,'' he explains.

And that's just one reason he thinks podcasting can be such an asset for organizations.

Podcasting can foster internal corporate communications, support marketing initiatives, and drive informal learning modules. It can be aimed at customers and employees alike, and it can be narrowly focused to provide in-depth information to a target audience. While podcasting is unlikely to replace more formal communications at a corporation or other large enterprise, a 10-minute podcast has the potential to grab the listener's attention and to render critical information in a memorable manner.

For CIOs, it's a matter of communicating the value of podcasting across an organization -- and of helping others evaluate how the tool can be used most effectively.

Certainly, "we have to expand the way we communicate with people,'' says Claire Schooley, a Forrester Research analyst and author of the recent report, "Podcasting: 10 Things You Should Know."

Increasingly, both workers and clients have little tolerance for dry communications delivered in a predictable manner.

The Forrester report suggests podcasting has myriad uses, such as:

• Regular communications from executive management
• Explanations from human resource departments on benefits changes
• Training reinforcement by reviewing critical information
• IT updates and change management reinforcement
• Updates or information about products and services for clients

Experts cite several reasons why organizations are embracing podcasting with such enthusiasm. Here are just a few:

1. Portability Young workers in particular, says Schooley, dislike being tethered to their desk. Just as Sarner listens to podcasts while driving, workers can listen to a training segment while running on a treadmill or sitting in traffic during the evening commute. Ironically, that multi-tasking can actually mean the podcast reaches a more attentive audience, according to the Forrester report: "Unless employees are away from the work site for training activities or internal meetings, it's very difficult to focus on corporate communications because of competing work activities.'' Some companies are providing MP3 players for their employees, enabling them to listen to podcasts away from the office environment.

2. Consumer-like demands Workers bring high internal IT expectations and demand "easy-to-use, consumer-like'' tools, according to the Forrester report. Although young people are certainly early adopters of new technology, MP3 player use spans the generations.

3. The personal touch A podcast has the potential to feel more intimate. "It's making a little bit more personal connection with clients and prospects,'' says Sarner of the podcast as a marketing tool. "It's a more one-to-one feeling than something like a flat press release, and it can even be a bit more conversational than a blog." When used by executive management, a podcast can work by "narrowing the distance between management and employees,'' says Schooley. The podcast puts a human face -- or voice -- to management.

Technologically, the costs of developing a podcasting program are minimal. The content is delivered via the Internet to a Web site or an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed. Access is through an MP3 player, laptop, or desktop. The real investment comes in sweat equity, says Sarner. Quite simply, podcasting won't work if the material isn't right. Just as there are expectations about the tools used in business communications today, there are also consumer-like expectations about the content. And there's little tolerance for the boring and mundane delivery of routine information.

Organizations must evaluate the appropriateness of material for the format. Remember podcasting is a form of one-way communication. It's important to keep the information conversational and entertaining; otherwise the podcast might sound too much like a lecture.

"The danger in podcasting is it becomes very one-sided,'' says Sarner.

The content simply must be of high quality, adds Schooley. And some thought must be given to the format, whether it's a serial production with multiple podcasts, whether the organization employs a host, or whether there are regular, repeating features such as interviews.

Also, take into account the length of the podcast. Sarner calls it "short attention span-friendly.'' Podcasting is best suited to brevity, perhaps 10 minutes or so.

Ideally, the organization will offer a vehicle for responses, in which case "be prepared to accommodate negative feedback,'' says Sarner.

Finally, it's important to retain a balance in communicating both internally and externally. Only about one-third of adults learn best by listening, according to a study cited by the Forrester report.

Although podcasting shouldn't be the only delivery method for information, "it's a terrific tool for those savvy enough to be able to pull it off,'' says Sarner. "The commitment has to be shown, and the interest has to be shown."

Kim Boatman is a freelance business journalist in Silicon Valley, Calif. She spent more than 15 years reporting for the San Jose Mercury News.