Weekly Wonder: How to Enrich Your CUG Experience with Training

[#1]

Hi CUG Members!

Before you head off into the weekend, in this week's Weekly Wonder, we’re diving into an exciting topic that many of you have been buzzing about:

“What strategies can we implement to integrate training into our Company User Group?”

Training is vital to growth and development, and integrating it into your CUG can enhance your user's collective knowledge and skills while keeping things fun and engaging!

One fantastic resource at your fingertips is Atlassian’s free Learning Paths and courses. These tools can help structure your team's training sessions. Here are a few suggestions on how to leverage them:

• Kick-off with a Training Needs Assessment: Start by surveying your members to figure out what training topics they’re most interested in. You could ask questions like:

  • What skills or tools do you feel you need more training on?

  • Are there any specific Atlassian products you’d like to explore further?

This will help you tailor your training sessions and show your members that their input matters!

• Utilize Atlassian’s Learning Paths: With a variety of Learning Paths available, you can select specific paths that align with your team’s needs. Whether it’s getting started, building admin skills, or boosting productivity and collaboration, these structured paths can serve as a roadmap for your training sessions, ensuring everyone is on the same page and learning progressively.

• Explore Courses by Product: If your users are eager to explore courses for Jira, Confluence, Jira Service Management (JSM), Jira Align, Trello, Rovo, and more, you can easily browse all available courses by product. This allows them to maximize their learning experience with each solution.

• Leverage Live Training Options: Atlassian offers several live training formats, including team training sessions, public classes, and community-led classes. Organize a session for your group or encourage members to sign up for these available classes to enhance their skills. This way, everyone gets the chance to learn directly from Atlassian experts!

• Mix and Match Formats: Training doesn’t have to be all about lectures! Consider incorporating a variety of formats to keep things lively. Think hands-on workshops, interactive webinars, or even short, engaging video tutorials. You could invite guest speakers or industry experts to share their insights and experiences.

• Incorporate Real-World Scenarios: Use case studies or real-life scenarios relevant to your group’s work. This not only makes the training sessions more relatable but also encourages discussion and problem-solving among members.

• Encourage Peer-Led Sessions: Empower your members to lead training sessions on topics they’re passionate about. This fosters a sense of community and allows everyone to learn from each other’s expertise.

• Gather Feedback Post-Training: After each training session, gather feedback to see what worked and what didn’t. You might ask:

  • What did you find most valuable from today’s training?

  • How could we improve future sessions?

This will help you continuously refine your training approach and ensure it meets the needs of your members.

• Celebrate Achievements: After training sessions, take a moment to recognize those who participated and any milestones achieved. This could be through shout-outs in meetings or even a fun blog to add to your CUG Space on Confluence!

By weaving training into your CUG and leveraging Atlassian’s resources, you’re not just enhancing skills but creating a culture of learning and collaboration that can take your group to new heights.

We’d love to hear your thoughts! What training ideas have you found effective in past experiences? Are there any unique approaches you’d like to share? Drop your comments below!

And don’t forget, you can submit your questions for future Weekly Wonder posts here or by replying to any of the Weekly Wonder posts.

Happy training, everyone!

[Andy Gladstone]

Thanks! This article gave me some ideas on how to approach the launch of Loom subscriptions at my company by leveraging existing training modules on Atlassian University for learn and earn sessions at the CUG.