Creating a course? Here are the 6 ‘ws’ you need to answer to assure you have a course–a good course!

Trainers: Here are some tips on how to gain focus on that great course you want to create–that course that’s been bouncing around in your head for years! In my next few blogs, I’m going to give you some specific tips to make your course truly ‘teachable’. Why? From teaching for over 2 decades, I’ve found many courses are not actually very ‘teachable’. In fact, they are either

1) Streams of consciousness

or

2) Information dump

If you’ve picked up someone else’s course’, and tried to teach it, I’ll bet you know what I mean. Unfortunately, too many times, courses are written from an ‘information organization’ perspective, not a teaching perspective. In fact, because so many instructors have expressed frustration, I’ve just finished a resource on how to write a course (see below).

Gaining Focus for your Course

Let’s look at the 6 W’s that you should answer before starting to create your course: The What, Why, Who, When, Where, What Next of your course, so you can clarify what you want to accomplish and gain focus. As I give you these, take time to answer each of these questions.

What course do you want to create?

That’s certainly okay in a course, but not as a whole course. Instead, you have a ‘persuasive presentation’. Sometimes we want to impart our beliefs to people or make them ‘be’ in some way, but that’s not a course. (Be responsible, be customer-service oriented, etc.) Now, it’s true that can be one of the objectives of a course, but, just getting in front of people and telling them how they should be won’t make it as a course!

Do you see this course as an overview? An introduction? Comprehensive? A series?

Why? What are your compelling reason(s) to create this course? Be sure it’s not just all about you….

Who is this course for? What segment of the population do you want to address? One of the mistakes we make is not narrowing our focus to the level of expertise of our desired target audience.

What is their level of learning in your topic right now?

Who would not benefit from your course?

Do you need to narrow your scope for this course?

Where (type of delivery)

Is this course ‘live’? Is it distance learning? Will it be given as a webinar? Your decisions will direct you to the delivery methods (how you will teach).

Note: If you haven’t taken my Instructor Development Workshop, this would be your first step. Or, you can take the distance learning version, Train the Trainer.

Armed with the answers to the 6 W’s, you can gain a laser focus for your course, and go to the next step of course creation.

Expert Guidance to Write that Great Course!

If you’re serious about writing that great course, this is the resource for you. Step by step, Carla Cross, who has written courses for Re/Max, Better Homes and Gardens, Keller Williams Realty, GMAC, Royal LePage, and CRB, shows you exactly how to create your course and your outline. And, for those Washington state instructors, she shares tips on how to get your course approved for clock hours.

Check out How to Write Your Course with Substance, Sizzle, and ‘Sell’.

This resource is digital. You will get access immediately.

Bonus: Keys to a Killer Introduction. Most introductions are boring! Find out how to make yours sparkle AND inform. Plus, your introduction should make people enthusiastic about hearing you and adopting your ideas. This eBook and videos will show you how to make your introduction really work for you.

Includes:

2 instructional videos