Over the last decade – and especially over the last 3-4 years – courses, workshops and retreats in the transformational industry has exploded. There is a deluge of learning opportunities, and it’s so easy for your program to get lost in the sea of other programs that sound just like it.
Plus, many of the programs that are being churned out are not wow-ing participants.
Because the content is boring.
- Or the content is hard to implement into results.
- Or the content simply doesn’t move or inspire participants.
- Or…because the course or workshop didn’t, in the first place, draw participants to it.
I speak to a lot of teachers and course creators who are GENIUS when it comes to their expertise….and yet, their programming never quite lifts off – participants fall away or get distracted or keep on showing up but don’t move forward towards their goals.
And then you feel like your work isn’t good enough or that you need to go back to 1:1 work only because that’s the only way to be effective.
One of the main keys to ensuring your program or workshop or retreat isn’t boring, ineffective, or ignorable is…creating a solid & potent curriculum.
Curriculum is at the heart of it all – your methods, your exercises, your ability to move your audiences to results.
Curriculum is also your delivery system for your own, unique thought leadership.
But maybe most importantly: a really excellent curriculum is part of what helps you stay in-integrity to your marketing promises as well as in-integrity to leading your clients through a process that can really help create transformations.
I’ve been creating trainings, programs, retreats and workshops for the last 20 years, and have learned a LOT when it comes to what works and what doesn’t work for course creation.
I’ll be sharing ALL of it in November, over the course of 13 content-packed weeks in Life Changing Courses, but for today, I wanted to share with you just a few key intro tips to start thinking about:
1. Less is More (so you don’t lose them to overwhelm)
One of the biggest mistakes course creators make in curriculum is that you over-stuff your program or presentation with EVERYTHING you know on the subject. Or, you tackle a scope that is just too big and broad (btw, this also leads to less people signing up for your program). Your course participants will learn and receive SO MUCH MORE when you go deep instead of go broad, and when you include less content but more opportunity for processing and exploration.
2. Slow it Down (so you don’t lose them to frustration with the process)
You are the expert in what you teach, and so your brain has already created bridges, threads and neural pathways that can short-cut you through your material. But…your workshop and program participants aren’t experts on the topic, and they need more bridges in order to take effective action in your program. Often times, a curriculum is weak because the course creator is short-cutting through steps instead of slowing it down and creating a step-by-step bridge from where participants are when they begin their journey with you and where they want to be by the end.
3. Activate all 4 Levels of Learning & Processing (so you don’t lose them to lack of investment)
I cannot stress this enough: don’t allow your curriculum and curriculum exercises to stay on the cognitive level only. If you do, you are cutting out experience on the emotional, spiritual and somatic levels – all things participants need in order to TRULY learn and TRULY take action and do their homework in your course. As you craft your curriculum, make sure you are weaving the 4 levels of learning and processing in for the best client results (& for more client engagement!).
An additional tip here: In addition to the content journey that you create with your curriculum, also be mindful to create an emotional journey that your participants will move through – don’t let your curriculum flatline on any one emotion.
4. Get More Specific in your Scope (so you don’t lose them before they even sign up!)
Want to know one of the biggest reasons potential students pass over your program offering? It’s not specific enough to them. If you create a curriculum (& program) that is too general, it will seem bland and not tailored enough for your prospects’ needs. The more specific you can get about the scope of your curriculum – and who it’s for – the better chance it will both attract more aligned people + be perfectly suited to their needs once they are in session with you.
