6 Steps to Follow to Build a Thriving Community of Practice

Collective learning sparks organic growth in like-minded communities

The term “communities of practice” follows the theory that a community itself can form a living curriculum—one that improves its field of focus through organic growth and collective learning.  It might be a group of learning pros looking for innovative course design solutions or a place to share examples they’re proud of. It could involve members of local communities joining together to achieve common goals. It could even be a group of entrepreneurs, knitting fanatics, or dog trainers interested in building a vast knowledge base accessible to learners of all levels.

Whoever they are and whatever their shared passion, the net benefits are clear. Based on shared knowledge, open collaboration, and a collective learning mentality, communities of practice don’t just benefit the individuals within them, but the organizations they work for as well.

Learning professionals may be curious about how to join or start a community of practice—an informal avenue for learning and growth where you can regularly interact with like-minded individuals who share your passion. While joining a CoP like Articulate’s community is fairly simple, starting one on your own can be daunting, but there’s a proven process to follow.

In this post, discover the key elements that make up a well-established community of practice, and learn the 6 steps to creating your own community of practice from the ground up.

What are the 3 key elements of a community of practice?

To be considered an established community of practice, the group needs to fulfill three key elements: domain, community, and practice. In other words: What are we passionate about, how do we regularly interact with each other, and why are we putting our shared expertise to work to further the knowledge of our field?

It may sound familiar to a work group or team you’re part of in the office, but there are a couple of clear differences. One, they are meant to last beyond any deadlines, monetary goals, or budgets, and two, they’re informal. Members are free to participate and practice at their own discretion, regardless of skill level or ability.

Let’s take a closer look at the three key elements of a community of practice.

1. Domain

Starting with a shared area of interest—course design, bird watching, civil engineering, puppeteering, you name it—the domain is the glue of your CoP. It may be a common goal or concern that first brings you together, or the need for a space outside of work to renew your passion, uncover diverse perspectives, and find innovative solutions.

Above all, the subject is your centerpiece. Regardless of goals or concerns, celebration and sharing of the craft itself is the heart of your community.

2. Community

It goes without saying, but you can’t have a community without people! The difficult part is cultivating, maintaining, and nurturing that community. So, how might that happen? There are a number of ways to form a sense of community, including:

• Virtual discussion boards
• Live webinars
• Social media groups
• Face-to-face meetings
• Group retreats

Regardless of how you decide to meet—daily discussion boards, weekly coffee shop meetings, monthly webinar watch parties—it’s the sense of community fostered by those meetings that matters. As a kid, I may have met with my piano teacher weekly and met the other students for monthly rehearsals, but that doesn’t mean I enjoyed it.

3. Practice

Simply put, community of practice members use the power of collective learning to advance knowledge in their field. They generate new ideas, help the newest members get off their feet, set up a knowledge management system, and interact regularly to maintain and refine their chosen learning model.

Again, while there may be underlying goals here, the group’s main prerogative is to enjoy their shared passion, help each other learn best practices, and cultivate a community of support and celebration for the domain.

6 steps to build a thriving community of practice

Knowing the three key elements of a community of practice is a bit like getting an incomplete ingredients list for a nameless dish without baking directions. Large eggs, mild Italian sausage, one cup of cheddar cheese, and some chopped scallions. It could be an omelet, a quiche, or a breakfast burrito.

Here’s how to take your key elements and transform them into a Michelin-starred entrée of community-baked goodness.

Step 1: Define your domain

Clearly defining your domain—or shared area of interest—allows potential members to know if it’s the right group for them. Sometimes, it helps to be more specific than general, and vice versa. Let’s use bird watching as an example.

A community of practice named “55+ Bird Watchers for Habitat Protection of Northern Minnesota Loons Only” excludes a great deal of people—and birds, by the way—and, once habitat protection is achieved, the group no longer has a purpose.

Instead, go with what builds connection and longevity. Something like “Bird Watchers of Detroit” or “Bird Watchers of the Northern Plains.” That way, you’ll attract a diverse group of people with similarly diverse perspectives, continually bring in new members, and build a vast network of knowledge.

It can be helpful as well to outline some underlying goals, like:

• Creating alternative avenues to formal apprenticeship systems
• Introducing accessibility into your field
• Establishing open lines of feedback
• Building a vast knowledge base for users to contribute to and learn from

Step 2: Recruit members

Finding the right people to start and lead your community can be difficult. Maybe you already have a core group of subject matter experts from work, your neighborhood, or an adjacent social media group that has a range of expertise. Start there—with what you know and who you know.

Encourage people to introduce themselves, share their level of expertise, where they’re from, why they’re here, etc. We’ll discuss your choice of platform next, but you can do this via survey, interview, or discussion board online. A formal introductory meeting for the first 10 or so members may be a good idea as well. There, you can refine goals, nominate moderators, define community rules, and more.

Step 3: Find your platform

The most common arena for communities of practice to meet is online. Some use Facebook groups or similar social media platforms, while others prefer robust e-learning platforms to fulfill the group’s needs.

When considering a platform, it’s best to find one that can accommodate the following features:

• Discussion boards to share examples, best practices, and ideas
• Rich multimedia sharing for pictures, video, and more
• Vast storage for resources like user guides, tutorials, live webinars, etc.
• Blog posts and articles from resident experts

Step 4: Build your resources

Before officially launching your community of practice, it’s a good idea to collect a library of baseline knowledge and resources that can get any new member off their feet or rekindle a veteran’s passion. For a group of instructional designers, this could mean basic tutorials on course creation, accessible e-learning, and specific product operation. For those bird watchers, it could be basic photography techniques, equipment tutorials, and regional user guides.

It’s good to remind yourself that collective learning is at the center of communities of practice, making the resources available to your users an important cornerstone of their growth.

Step 5: Engage and grow

This is where the fun comes in! Engaging your community—whether it’s learning professionals or remote-controlled car hobbyists—means creating content and opportunities they’ll love and grow from.

• Launch weekly challenges for your members to test their knowledge, push the craft, and spark new ideas.
• Build a discovery page where members can browse other members’ projects, search for specific subtopics, and explore best practices.
• Schedule regular meetings, events, and webinars for members to attend and discuss.

Step 6: Maintain, refine, repeat

To keep the passion alive, you’ll need to set up support and feedback loops for your members. Allowing for open dialogue, discussion boards, and direct member surveys will help you keep your finger on the pulse of the group. Your members may be able to point out weak points you’ll want to strengthen and underappreciated ideas you’ll want to showcase.

Not only will this help your group build a stronger sense of community, but it will keep information fresh, relevant, and engaging.

The intersection of shared knowledge and the workplace

Individuals who belong to communities of practice not only improve their understanding of the field. They carry what they’ve learned into the workplace, as well. Open collaboration and peer support outside of the workplace can improve employee performance and production. A sense of belonging and purpose, reignited within a community of practice, can transfer to well-being and balance in the workplace.

Ready to act? Give yourself and others the opportunity to regularly interact with other e-learning pros in a thriving community. Create your own or join our community of practice, E-Learning Heroes. Check out the community blog, join a group, and find the support you’re looking for!