Overwhelmed with course creation? How to solve it with the results-focused approach
Which animal has the fastest punch in nature?
You might be surprised to hear that it's a tiny animal called the mantis shrimp. Its punch is as fast as a 22-caliber bullet. It's so strong it can blast through a crab's hard shell. It creates this mighty punch by storing tension in its limbs, similar to what we do when we snap our fingers. Once the pressure is high enough—snap—its arm releases a devastating blow.
The mantis shrimp's punch is so powerful because all its energy is put into a single action. In other words, the energy is focused.
When we try to create courses, we are rarely this focused. We try covering our topic and covering it well. But there are too many choices.
What to include
What not to include
And it often feels like each decision is arbitrary.
How can we have the incredible focus of a mantis shrimp's punch when it comes to creating a course?
We can do that by creating a course focused on results, which I call a results-focused course (RFC).
What is it?
It's a course that promises to help your customers achieve a specific goal. This contrasts with courses that promise to teach you a topic.
For example, you could buy a dozen courses on "online marketing," but a result's-focused course might offer to teach you something more precise, such as "How to write an email that sells your products or services" or "How to create a strategy for your website that turns browsers into buyers."
Why does defining results for your course reduce your overwhelm?
Remember the choices I mentioned earlier about what topics to include and what not to include?
People struggle with these choices because they feel unfounded. You could create an argument to include all or none of them.
A specific result gives you a true-north sense of what your customers will need to get from Point A to Point B. Your choices are no longer arbitrary.
If you had decided to take a trip through the Sahara instead of to Antarctica, you know you don't need your parka or snow skis. The choice isn't indiscriminate. It's obvious because you know your destination.
Once you know where you're taking your customers, you know which ideas to give them and which they don't really need.
Recently, I had a challenge when creating a new module to replace an old one in a coaching course I've been running since 2016
I wondered why it was so hard since I've created so many new sections to courses over the years without much struggle. Then it hit me. I hadn't defined the results for that module yet. Once I did, I wrote it up in a day.
Defining results gave me the clarity I needed to move forward.
The same is true for my clients. Once we define their course's results, many of the details fall into place without strain. We still need to work on outlining each section and converting those outlines into engaging lessons, but the effort will feel much more focused and efficient once the desired results are clear.
But what if I can't promise the outcome people desire?
Never promise what you can't deliver. If you sell a dating program, you can't promise that they find the person of their dreams in 5 weeks. So what can you do? You can promise to help them improve dating skills that will move them closer to their goal. You might teach them three listening skills that make people open up to you or how to dress to impress without breaking the bank. A good course helps customers develop skills or take actions they wouldn't take otherwise. It cannot promise the world will obey its wishes.
So, let's sum up what we've covered so far
Creating a results-focused course reduces the overwhelm of building a course
Deciding what to include or not is easier because your destination is known
If you can't promise an outcome, promise to help them develop skills or take action instead
When our energy is focused we can break through just about any challenge. By creating a focused course, you'll overcome the challenges of creating a program and help your customers overcome their challenges too.
How to create a course without the overwhelm factor
Creating courses is overwhelming for most people. There are just too many pieces to manage all at once. What to include, what not to include. How to make sure it holds together and isn’t a boring mish-mash of content.
We want a course that customers love and that gets them results. We want them sending us glowing testimonials singing our praises.
How do we achieve this?
Presenting: The Atomic Course Blueprint
In this course, you learn a recipe for creating courses. You gain a system that takes you from not being sure what to do, to knowing each step you need to take. You follow a structured sequence that ensures you complete your course in record time.
See for yourself: