Work/Life Trends
Prenatal/Breastfeeding Classes Go Online at Cisco Systems
By Carol Ann Friedman, RN, IBCLC, and Program Director of Mothers at Work^®

I’ve given hundreds of breastfeeding classes over the years, and I’ve helped to educate new mothers (and fathers!) on how to prepare for a baby and on basic prenatal and parenting skills. While each group is unique, one thing has remained constant: the classes have been on-site, personal programs in which I talk to a group of people face-to-face. So imagine my surprise when Mothers at Work^® client Cisco Systems, a worldwideleader in Internet networking and a supporter of e-learning, recently informed me that one of my upcoming prenatal and breastfeeding classes was going to be filmed for a Video on Demand (VOD) presentation and another would be broadcast live via the Internet.

No one had ever taken such a high-tech approach toward sharing these classes with employees, and I was intrigued and delighted by the approach. After all, sharing much-needed prenatal and breastfeeding information through progressive and creative avenues is paramount to my ongoing work as a lactation consultant and program director of LifeCare’s Mothers at Work program.

The first class took place at Cisco’s headquarters in San Jose before a live audience. It was filmed so that it could be digitized and viewed on an ongoing basis by employees throughout the company as a VOD presentation. The second class was broadcast live via the web to employees at all of Cisco’s U.S. locations. Employees across the country even had the opportunity to participate in a live question and answer session via computer link. For employees who weren’t able to view this live broadcast, the complete class and Q/A session were archived as a VOD so that employees can access it at a more convenient time.

After leading this class, I’m a big fan of e-learning technology! It’s a wonderful way to reach out to a tremendous number of employees simultaneously, regardless of time or distance. It also gives seminars and other training classes an indefinite “shelf life,” since employees can access VOD when it suits them best. E-learning technology can save an organization—and the seminar presenters—a great deal of time and money.

Based on my experience with Cisco, it’s clearer now to me than ever that we can and should transform the ways we think about educating employees regarding their life events. Whether it’s preparing for a new baby, caring for an older loved one, or even planning for your own future, VOD is a cost-effective and efficient way to educate your employees. While face-to-face seminars may never go out of style, VOD convincingly shows that there are other ways to leverage technology to educate widely dispersed audiences while maintaining the “personal touch.”

I’d like to personally thank Cisco for giving me a chance to experience this exciting and highly effective communications tool firsthand. As always, their progressive thinking truly benefits their employees and their organization.

If you’re interested in learning more about LifeCare’s breastfeeding, prenatal or parenting classes, please contact me (cfriedman@lifecare.com or 626-431-2744) or your account manager.