We are gobbling up content in crazy numbers.
And, we’re often producing a ton ourselves as women entrepreneurs and business owners. As they say, “content is king” but quality content is queen.
We are in such a rush to produce ever more information that many people are slapping up a few videos and calling it training. We’ve all seen those videos where clearly the content wasn’t well thought out and as a result was a huge waste of our time.
Even worse… they throw up some videos call them training and really they’re a blatant sales video thinly disguised as educational. Sad!
By doing either of these things you have lost any chance of attracting the people you really want to work with.
If you’re going to take the time to teach, take the time to create something of value. You will distinguish yourself from a very loud and crowded marketplace if you do!
Here are a few tips to help you teach better online.
1. Use stories.
Stories ground the concepts you’re teaching and make what you’re teaching much more interesting and entertaining. The stories don’t have to be elaborate or complicated often a simple story is enough to illustrate your point perfectly.
2. Use visuals
People are much savvier these days and want to engage with beautiful, thoughtful images. Please no ugly stock photos of women in suits rushing off with their briefcases. They have been used to death. Make sure your visuals are aesthetically pleasing and are relate-able to your audience and their dreams and goals.
3. Good ol’ 3 Ts
This method has been used for years with good reason. The Three Ts: 1. Tell that what you’re going to tell them. 2. Tell them. 3. Tell them what you just told them. Repetition is key for learning and hearing it three times in different ways helps to really plant the information in their brain.
4. Ask interesting questions
Don’t just talk at your audience. Use questions to get them thinking. Our brains automatically go into active search mode when you ask a question.
5. Chunk content
Don’t present material in one long session. People’s attention spans are shorter than ever. If I hop on a video and see that it’s 45 minutes long, I will often jump right off (unless the material is wildly compelling which is rare). Respect people’s time. Make it digestible for your audience and break the content up into reasonable bites.
6. Visual. Auditory. Kinesthetic.
Provide your material in different formats because everyone learns differently. Some people need to hear the content to learn it while visual learners need to see it. Others need to work with the material through written journal prompts and other interactive methods. Preferably use all three to drive your content home!
7. Relate information
Relate the information to something more common. You can even use references to pop culture – Lady Gaga anyone? Pop figures or common cultural references can illustrate a point like nothing else and make it memorable as well.
8. Know your audience
Is your audience composed mainly of Millenniums? Are they baby-boomers? Is your audience mostly men, mostly women or a good mix of both? Are they newbies or highly experienced in the area you’re talking about? Are they moms? Are they nomads? You really need to have a good idea so you can gear your material to them.
9. No professorial speak
Refrain from fancy language that sounds like you’re trying too hard as well as professional jargon and acronyms. Yes you may have your MBA, JD and MD (that would be some crazy student loans, right?) but if your audience is a bunch of regular “Jane’s” and you use the word “redact” or “idiopathic” you may lose them. Use common terms and common sense.
10. And, no robots please
Even though you may be speaking into your computer alone in your home office, throw your personality into the course. Don’t be stiff and sound stuffy and robotic when your presenting your material.
11. Be yourself.
Make jokes, be ok if you stumble a bit over your words, infuse humor or authenticity and most importantly have fun. Allow for the real YOU to come through. Authenticity is appreciated by those on the receiving end so allow them to see who you really are so they can enjoy your perspective on the topic and your overall presentation.
12. Keep it pure
For the love of all things holy… do not sell while you’re teaching. If you want someone to really soak up the information you’re providing the worst thing you can do is subtly switch gears and start selling. As savvy consumers these days we can smell someone selling miles away and we will immediately shut down all openness and receptivity to new information. Instead your audience will put up their shields and promptly tune you out. You don’t want to lose the opportunity to teach quality material and for your students to learn it by trying to sell. With most things – there is a time and place.
We all have something to teach! We hope you get out there and teach to your hearts content.
If you’re ready to take your knowledge and share it with the world – we welcome you to submit your class proposal to us here at LearnSavvy. For more information – click here.
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