Watch Your Step
I really, really, really care about how well participants learn your content. Understanding how people learn is at the core of my work.
I also care that your content is planned and delivered in such a way that people are even better as a result of your course and are inspired to take action.
My tagline is, “Inspiring professionals with a passion to share.”
Because I care so much about how well your participants learn your content, I am telling, begging, pleading with you to NOT plan your course by your lonesome.
Today I’ll share reason # 1...
YOU MAY GET TRIPPED UP.
Great educators practice, rehearse and test their activities...over and over and over again. One of my colleagues, BJ (as I affectionately call him) is my role model for this reason.
I love watching BJ teach!
He told me, he uses everything he learned as an actor when he plans a course.
He writes his content like a script and gives the audience lines of their own. You see for BJ, the audience’s lines are what they are thinking while they’re learning.
In other words, he tries to understand what questions the audience might have then uses those questions to make his content even better.
Let me repeat, because this advice is like gold when you want to know if what you're doing and saying in front of an audience will help them to take action - predict where THEY might stumble and help them BEFORE they stumble.
This is so good, I have to say it again. Anticipate your participant’s questions then use it to help them get greater results.
Next, take a close look at the activities and questions you are going to use.
Scrutinize your activities and questions by asking:
How will this help participants better understand the topic?
Help them to take action?
Help them to get better results?
This is where flying solo gets hazardous. You need another person (a knowledgeable colleague you can work with) to answer these questions honestly.
I was honored to co-design with BJ and experienced the fastest way to nail down content and know if activities are going to help people take action.
To avoid tripping up:
Predict where participants might stumble and help them before they stumble
Scrutinize your activities
Rehearse
Get feedback from a trusted knowledgeable colleague
Adjust and rehearse again
If not, you’re alone, dancing in the dark, listening to your favorite tune and wishing you had a partner. (~BJ)
