The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) invited Taylor Paschal, Knowledge & Information Management Consultant at Enterprise Knowledge, to speak at a Knowledge Management Lunch and Learn hosted on June 12, 2024. All Office of Administration staff were invited to attend and received professional development credit for participating in the voluntary event.
The objectives of the Lunch and Learn presentation were to:
- Review what KM ‘is’ and ‘isn’t’
- Understand the value of KM and the benefits of engaging
- Define and reflect on your “what’s in it for me?”
- Share actionable ways you can participate in Knowledge Capture & Transfer
Upon review of a comprehensive list of Knowledge Capture & Transfer techniques, Taylor noted that the common denominator is the act of storytelling and listening. In addition to providing a definition and best practices, she outlines the benefits:
- Shares the organizational knowledge, wisdom, and insight often missed during more formalized knowledge sharing processes
- Offers opportunity for real-time dialogue (Q&A)
- May be facilitated or occur organically
- Nurtures existing and budding expertise
- Builds trust and interconnectivity between participants
Participants engaged in a live poll to determine the frequency in which they currently engage in telling and listening to stories in the workplace. Taylor facilitated a healthy dialogue around the importance of frequency, structure, span, and the individual outcomes for participating in knowledge capture and transfer techniques, even if it’s through the simple act of storytelling.
The presentation concluded with 15 minutes for participant questions and the shared sentiment to “Tell Your Stories” and “Learn from Each Other.”