Full Transcript for Mental Models, Not Features: The SharePoint Training Revolution

00:02:53.919 --> 00:02:55.520 How had all started? 00:02:55.919 --> 00:02:59.439 Well, about five years ago, I had a breakthrough moment. 00:02:59.680 --> 00:03:05.039 I was conducting a SharePoint workshop for a group that was particularly struggling with all the concepts. 00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:15.360 I could tell because they had glazed eyes, looking confused, politely nodding, but I could tell they weren't just understanding any of it. 00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:19.520 So I put down my prepared materials and grabbed a marker. 00:03:19.759 --> 00:03:22.479 On the whiteboard, I drew a simple house. 00:03:22.719 --> 00:03:25.680 I said, let's think of SharePoint as a house. 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:28.960 The house itself is your SharePoint site. 00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:32.240 These rooms are like your document libraries. 00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:36.240 So different spaces for different types of content. 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:44.960 Then I drew windows and said, these windows are like your views, different ways of looking into the same room. 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:48.800 I could see the confusion starting to lift. 00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:55.599 People were now nodding, but this time with comprehension, not just with politeness. 00:03:56.319 --> 00:04:06.319 One participant raised her hand and said, So my marketing materials would go in the marketing room and finance documents in the finance room. 00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:10.400 I said yes, because they were finally getting it. 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:14.960 So over the next few years, I refined this approach. 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:17.360 I experimented with metaphors. 00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:19.519 Some were better than others. 00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:24.720 At one point, I even tried a sushi box and restaurant metaphor. 00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:26.000 Yes. 00:04:26.560 --> 00:04:32.000 I used bento boxes as views, different restaurants were content types. 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:33.360 It was funny. 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:40.160 It worked in parts, but honestly, I started confusing myself as much as the participants. 00:04:40.639 --> 00:04:45.680 If you can't keep your own metaphor straight, it's probably time to retire it. 00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:55.279 So that trial and error is what eventually led me to the simpler, universal concept of containers. 00:04:55.759 --> 00:04:57.040 Everyone gets it. 00:04:57.279 --> 00:05:00.079 A container holds related things. 00:05:00.720 --> 00:05:11.759 Inside, you have filing cabinets, which are your libraries, drawers, which are your folders, and labels, which is metadata. 00:05:13.839 --> 00:05:16.160 The transformation was remarkable. 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:26.399 Training sessions that once produced confusion now produced those wonderful aha moments where you can literally see understanding dawn on people's faces. 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:36.399 So what makes this approach so effective is that it maps SharePoint's abstract concepts to mental models that we already have.

00:05:36.720 --> 00:05:42.480 We all understand containers, filing cabinets, drawers, and labels. 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:47.279 We've been organizing physical information this way for centuries. 00:05:47.519 --> 00:05:54.879 The container method simply applies these familiar concepts to the digital world of SharePoint. 00:06:02.800 --> 00:06:05.279 How the methodology works. 00:06:05.920 --> 00:06:08.879 So how exactly does the container method work? 00:06:09.360 --> 00:06:11.680 First, we start with containers. 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:17.600 In the physical world, containers are separate spaces that hold related items. 00:06:17.920 --> 00:06:26.879 Your kitchen contains cooking items, your garage contains tools and vehicles, and your bedroom contains personal items. 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:31.519 In SharePoint, containers equals sites. 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:34.959 A marketing container holds marketing content. 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:38.560 A projects container holds project content. 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:42.560 And a department container holds departmental content. 00:06:43.279 --> 00:06:53.199 This simple mental shift from thinking about sites to thinking about containers immediately makes SharePoint more intuitive. 00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:57.199 When someone asks, where should I put this document? 00:06:57.439 --> 00:06:59.839 the answer becomes obvious. 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:02.720 Which container does it belong in? 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:09.040 Next we have filing cabinets, which are document libraries. 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:16.879 The marketing container might have filing cabinets for campaigns, brand assets, and market research. 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:20.639 Then we have drawers, which are the folders. 00:07:20.879 --> 00:07:28.639 The campaign's filing cabinet might have drawers for 2025 campaigns, 2024 campaigns, and so on. 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:32.480 Finally, we have labels, which is metadata. 00:07:32.800 --> 00:07:40.319 A campaign document might be labeled with campaign name, target audience, and launch date. 00:07:40.720 --> 00:07:42.879 Here's the really powerful part. 00:07:43.199 --> 00:07:54.480 You learn these concepts first using the container method, and then by the end of the course, you know both the intuitive model and the actual SharePoint terminology. 00:07:54.800 --> 00:08:03.839 So when IT says site or library, you know what they mean, but you also have the everyday mental model to guide you. 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:09.920 That bridging of intuition and technical knowledge is what makes this stick. 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:34.799 The first example is for HR onboarding. 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:37.440 Imagine an HR container. 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:40.720 In SharePoint, that's an HR site. 00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:51.679 Inside, you set up filing cabinets, or in SharePoint language, document libraries for policies, training, and employee records. 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:54.559 Within those cabinets, you might have drawers. 00:08:54.799 --> 00:09:00.720 That's SharePoint folders for things like new hires, contractors, and compliance. 00:09:01.440 --> 00:09:06.000 And of course, you then need to add labels, which is SharePoint metadata. 00:09:06.240 --> 00:09:11.120 And those labels might be employee type, start date, or region. 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:16.000 So HR can filter and instantly find what they need. 00:09:17.039 --> 00:09:20.320 The next example is a marketing campaign. 00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:25.759 A marketing container in SharePoint, which is a marketing site. 00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:32.879 This holds cabinets, document libraries for campaigns, brand assets, and market research. 00:09:33.200 --> 00:09:42.639 Inside the campaigns cabinet, the drawers or folders could separate 2025 campaigns from 2024 months. 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:50.000 Then every file gets labeled with metadata with a campaign name, product line, and launch date. 00:09:50.320 --> 00:09:56.480 That way, someone can filter show me your campaigns for product X in 2024. 00:09:57.440 --> 00:10:01.200 Then another example is of project workflows. 00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:07.039 You would use a project container, which is a dedicated project site in SharePoint. 00:10:07.519 --> 00:10:14.639 In the cabinets or document libraries, we would hold contracts, design files, and progress reports. 00:10:14.960 --> 00:10:23.039 The drawers or folders separate each project phase, such as initiative, design, construction. 00:10:23.519 --> 00:10:30.559 And then our labels or metadata track things like milestone, approval status, or risk level. 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:39.120 And when the project wraps up, the entire container or site is archived as a package so nothing gets lost. 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:42.960 This is the real strength of the container method. 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:50.399 You learn it first with simple intuitive terms like containers, cabinets, drawers, and labels. 00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:59.759 And by the end of the training, you not only know those concepts, but also their SharePoint names, sites, libraries, folders, and metadata. 00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:07.840 So when IT says we need to set up a new library in this site, you know exactly what they're talking about. 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:11.440 And more importantly, you know how to use it. 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:20.480 And now for the announcement. 00:11:20.720 --> 00:11:35.519 After years of refining this methodology and seeing its impact across organizations, I'm excited to announce that I finally packaged the container method into a comprehensive training course that's available starting today. 00:11:35.759 --> 00:11:49.840 I'm beginning with the container method end user course, designed specifically for the everyday SharePoint user who just needs to navigate, find, store, and share information effectively. 00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:55.600 In just 60 minutes, this course will transform how you think about SharePoint. 00:11:56.080 --> 00:12:18.080 You'll learn how to visualize SharePoint structure using the container method, how to navigate around your site, how to find any document in seconds, not minutes, how to add, edit, and manage your documents, and all about collaboration and how to use the different SharePoint features to collaborate with your team. 00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:28.879 Just the basics and the methodology to get you started with working with SharePoint quickly and to understand SharePoint. 00:12:29.519 --> 00:12:31.600 And this is just the beginning. 00:12:31.840 --> 00:12:40.639 Next week, I'll be releasing the container method foundations course for those who manage document libraries and build SharePoint sites. 00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:46.720 This course includes the different types of containers and how to plan and build them. 00:12:46.960 --> 00:12:53.679 You'll be able to choose between project, resource, and team containers and pick the right one every time. 00:12:53.919 --> 00:12:58.960 You'll learn what libraries you need and designing metadata that actually works. 00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:04.320 You'll have step-by-step guidance on building governance into your structure. 00:13:04.639 --> 00:13:09.440 And then in the advanced modules, you'll actually create those containers. 00:13:09.679 --> 00:13:18.399 You'll set up structures that scale, add metadata that saves hours of searching, and apply governance without drowning in red tape. 00:13:18.639 --> 00:13:28.399 You'll also learn when to use different components such as content types, document sets, and workflows, and how to create them. 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:43.200 Think of it like this: the end user course helps everyone be productive tomorrow, and the foundation and advanced courses teach you to architect properly, fixing the mess before it happens. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:51.279 So it wouldn't be a launch without a special offer. 00:13:51.600 --> 00:14:06.080 So if you're tired of SharePoint confusion and ready to embrace a methodology that works the way your brain already thinks, check out the container method and use a course at simplysharepoint.com. 00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:13.519 For the launch period, I'm offering the course at a reduced price of$67 instead of the regular$97. 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:17.279 Thank you for listening to the Simply SharePoint podcast. 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:24.159 I'm Liza Tinker and I look forward to helping you make SharePoint simple, intuitive, and actually enjoyable to use. 00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:45.600 Make sure you join me next week when we're staging an intervention for a SharePoint document library, which is buried under final underscore version seven underscore really underscore final dot doc few documents and transforming it into a clean, simple container your team will actually love. 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:47.120 Bye for now.