{"id":588,"date":"2016-03-11T10:24:25","date_gmt":"2016-03-11T10:24:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitalactionplan.com\/?p=588"},"modified":"2021-03-19T12:52:07","modified_gmt":"2021-03-19T12:52:07","slug":"tips-running-successful-social-media-surgery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helpfuldigital.com\/fr\/tips-running-successful-social-media-surgery\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for running a successful social media surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Tuesday afternoon, Tim (@timolloyd<\/a>\u00a0on Twitter) and I delivered some social media training for staff at the Office of Rail and Road<\/a> (@railandroad<\/a>\u00a0on Twitter) in London.<\/p>\n

The training was made of up two parts: a lunchtime presentation by Tim on the characteristics of effective digital engagement followed by an informal \u2018social media surgery\u2019, which I delivered.<\/p>\n

In case you\u2019ve not come across the term social media surgery before, it\u2019s the name given to informal get-togethers where people with digital skills (referred to as surgeons) provide practical, one-to-one help to people wanting to get more from the web and social media, typically by helping them using Facebook, Twitter, and blogging to achieve specific goals.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m pleased to say our training at the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) went well and I was able to help four members of staff in just over an hour. We\u2019ll be providing further support to staff over the coming weeks and months as part of our Digital Action Plan learning programme<\/a> but I think holding the social media surgery really helped break the ice.<\/p>\n

Interested in holding your own social surgery? Here are some tips<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re looking to develop your organisation\u2019s digital skills and confidence, holding a social media surgery could be a great first step. Here are some tips to make sure your social media surgery is a success.<\/p>\n

1. Make sure you have enough helpers<\/h3>\n

Surgeries work best when helpers can provide one-to-one practical support. Having a handful of helpers on hand will avoid people having to wait around for help and allow people to provide in-depth support.<\/p>\n

2. Choose a suitable venue<\/h3>\n

Social media surgeries are designed to be friendly and relaxed and your choice of venue should reflect this.<\/p>\n

I held the surgery in ORR\u2019s open plan reception\/breakout space rather than a conference room. This allowed people to drop in on their way to and from meetings and grab a drink from the kitchen if they wanted one.<\/p>\n

3. Make sure your WiFi is up to the job<\/h3>\n

Where possible, stress test your WiFi beforehand by enlisting some friends or colleagues and getting them to work off the WiFi all at once. If you think your WiFi will struggle, consider investing in a MiFi dongle, which will allow people to share a 3G or 4G mobile connection.<\/p>\n

4. Keep your surgery voluntary and opt-in<\/h3>\n

Running your work social media surgery on a voluntary, opt-in basis creates a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Everyone who attends is there either because they want to help other or they are keen to get help. Furthermore, by keeping surgeries separate from work performance, you find people are willing to be more honest about the areas in which they need help.<\/p>\n

5. Remember to seek feedback and look for ways to improve<\/h3>\n

Social media surgeries are about practical help and giving people the skills and confidence to use digital tools in their everyday tools. To make sure your surgery is working as it should, it\u2019s important to honestly assess how thing went.<\/p>\n

While I\u2019m pleased with the help I was able to give ORR staff yesterday, particularly helping Andy send his first Tweet, if I were to run the sessions again I\u2019d make some improvements:<\/p>\n