Let’s face it: not everyone is a huge fan of technology. A lot of us tend to assume that only older people missed the tech boom, but the truth is that there’s a generation of young people who’ve stayed off social media, have no interest in gaming, and can’t use a computer for anything other than writing a paper in Microsoft Word.
That means that the world of business, of content management systems and different programs everyone has to learn to master, can feel impenetrable and difficult. If you’re working with some of those people, here are some ways to introduce tech to them in a way that’s manageable.
Choose Your Tech Carefully
First of all, be careful when you’re choosing your technology. You need to look for tech that’s easy to use and even easier to explain – look on sites that have plenty of tech options so that you can make informed decisions, and check out online reviews.
Think back to your previous jobs and consider what worked and what didn’t work – your own experience is definitely a valuable thing to fall back on.
Be Comfortable With It Yourself
Secondly, if you’re going to tell your employees that it’s necessary to use a lot of technology, then you need to be comfortable with that tech to begin with.
If you’re going to use an interactive whiteboard to give presentations, you don’t want to have to give up halfway through and get a tech whiz intern to clear the board for you because you can’t figure out how to do it yourself.
Make sure that you put the time in and that you train yourself to understand how to use the technology – otherwise you’ll be seen as a hypocrite, and that’s a pretty terrible thing for a boss to be.
Explain Why It’s Necessary
If people are being introduced to technology that they don’t understand and that they don’t feel confident with, you should prepare yourself for a whole lot of grumbling. This is understandable – things that you don’t understand can be frightening and they may even feel as though their jobs are in jeopardy.
That means that you need to explain why the new tech is necessary – ‘because it’s cool’ is definitely not a good enough reason!
Invest In Training
Make sure that all your employees are fully trained in how to use the new technology, whether it’s a new computer or new software that they need to get to grips with.
Bring in an outsider to train them so that they’re able to relax at the training sessions without feeling as though you’re breathing down their necks – that means they’ll pick it up much more quickly.
Be Patient
Finally, be patient. Remember that not everyone is great with technology and it takes people different amounts of time to pick up different things – we all have varying skills and not all of us excel at computers.
If someone makes a mistake or has an issue, don’t be patronizing or snappy – patience is key to get it up and running as fast as possible.