Transcript00:00:05 Speaker 1I’m Joanna Lindenbaum, a coach ritualist and all around transformation nerd who is obsessed with helping clients go deep to create more change.00:00:17 Speaker 1And results with their clients.00:00:19 Speaker 1I created the Coaching Revolution podcast to share with you coaching skills, tips and advice, as well as a deeper understanding of human behavior.00:00:29 Speaker 1Of yourself so that you can do even better client work and group work.00:00:34 Speaker 1Grow your business organically and know that you’re making a real difference in the world. This is about creating a revolution in the transformational industry.00:00:47 Speaker 1So that more practitioners feel amazing about what they do. And so that more of our clients experience life changing shifts.00:00:55 Speaker 1Let’s get started.00:01:01 Speaker 1Welcome, welcome.00:01:03 Speaker 1Today I’m going to be sharing a quickie but very important tip about curriculum development, and it’s also an essential piece on how to start each and every one of your group experiences.00:01:19 Speaker 1Whether you are leading a year long group program or a 2 hour workshop, or anything in between.00:01:27 Speaker 1But before we get to our tip for today, I wanted to share with you a little bit about why I’m publishing a podcast episode today, even though I also published one last week.00:01:41 Speaker 1My rhythm over the last five months or so with podcasts has been to publish.00:01:47 Speaker 1Every other week.00:01:49 Speaker 1So for those of you that listen to episode 30 of this podcast, it was my year 2024 in review.00:02:00 Speaker 1And I shared about my year and I also shared about the review process that I do for my personal life as well as my business each year.00:02:10 Speaker 1Was a.00:02:11 Speaker 1Fun episode and I shared a lot.00:02:13 Speaker 1I highly recommend it, and in that episode if you listened.00:02:18 Speaker 1You might remember that I shared.00:02:21 Speaker 1That one of my learnings from 2024 was that people who listen to podcasts are more likely to listen regularly and consistently. If the podcast comes out regularly at least once a week.00:02:38 Speaker 1And that makes total sense to me.00:02:41 Speaker 1You probably guessed one of my pastimes is to listen to podcasts.00:02:47 Speaker 1I am a podcast listener and.00:02:51 Speaker 1The podcasts that I remember to look up regularly or listen to regularly are the ones that publish at least once a week.00:02:59 Speaker 1So.00:03:00 Speaker 1So to that end, one of my commitments to you, my dear listener in 2025, is to publish this podcast every week instead of every other week now.00:03:15 Speaker 1Here’s the other thing that I learned about podcasts last year, especially since it was my first year doing a podcast.00:03:25 Speaker 1Creating a podcast episode that has a lot of quality.00:03:29 Speaker 1And value it takes time to create.00:03:35 Speaker 1It takes a good hour for me, sometimes even more, to craft the episode and think it through.00:03:44 Speaker 1Then write out what I want to share with you, and then it takes time to record.00:03:50 Speaker 1The episode and then write the show notes, etcetera, etcetera.00:03:55 Speaker 1And even though I have an amazing team who help me with so many things, and I’m so grateful for my team, even though I have that I do all of the podcast creation minus the editing of the recording and the posting of the.00:04:13 Speaker 1Of the podcast on platforms I do, all the other things all by myself.00:04:18 Speaker 1Because this podcast is so special.00:04:22 Speaker 1Me and.00:04:23 Speaker 1I really love.00:04:25 Speaker 1To do all the creation pieces.00:04:28 Speaker 1Also, I might be a little bit of.00:04:30 Speaker 1Control freak.00:04:32 Speaker 1I’m sharing all of these learnings about podcasts in case it’s helpful to you, but also so that you understand my plan for this podcast.00:04:44 Speaker 1Since it takes so much time and energy to craft episodes, my working plan is to alternate each week between a full episode and what I’m calling.00:04:57 Speaker 1A mini episode, basically a quickie tip or thought that’s maybe just about fifteenish minutes.00:05:06 Speaker 1This way you’ll still get tons of content regularly from me every week and at the same time I’ll be able to handle the workload, so I’m excited to see how this goes.00:05:22 Speaker 1And also thank you for being in this podcast.00:05:26 Speaker 1With me.00:05:26 Speaker 1Oh, and by the way, if you’ve been wanting more content and tips and wisdom about coaching and about leading groups and about business and about life.00:05:37 Speaker 1From me.00:05:39 Speaker 1In addition to the podcast, definitely join my e-mail newsletter as well as my Facebook community. One of my very long time clients always teases me that I’m the content queen.00:05:52 Speaker 1That’s what he calls me.00:05:55 Speaker 1Because I put out, he says. So much value in lots of different ways.00:06:00 Speaker 1And it’s true.00:06:02 Speaker 1I really take seriously bringing you as much value as I can, so I’ll drop the link for both my newsletter as well as.00:06:11 Speaker 1For the Facebook.00:06:13 Speaker 1Into the show notes. OK.00:06:15 Speaker 1So now let’s dive into today’s topic.00:06:22 Speaker 1For this mini tip episode and today’s topic is an important and I would say an essential skill for being able to create any kind of group experience or curriculum that has your audience or participants engaged and excited.00:06:42 Speaker 1And ready to receive the material that you’re going to share, and this tip that we’re looking.00:06:50 Speaker 1Day is one of seven tips that I share in my free master class called the transformative, powerful curriculum.00:07:01 Speaker 1Create a program that’s as powerful as you.00:07:04 Speaker 1That master class is 90 minutes.00:07:08 Speaker 1Of solid gold tips and tricks to make your group your group programs the kind of experiences that your participants will remember forever.00:07:19 Speaker 1I’ll drop the link for that free master class in the show notes if you want direct access.00:07:25 Speaker 1To it, OK.00:07:27 Speaker 1So without further ado, here is the tip.00:07:32 Speaker 1Include opening content and exercises in your curriculum so that your group participants can become invested ready to learn.00:07:47 Speaker 1And ready to receive your thought leadership.00:07:53 Speaker 1So let me explain what I mean by this.00:07:58 Speaker 1Many group programs lose participants interest or their commitment as early as the first session of the program or the 1st 5 minutes. It is a workshop.00:08:13 Speaker 1The first session or the the first recording. If your program is a home study or the 1st hour if it’s a day long retreat or longer.00:08:27 Speaker 1Is critical in being able to engage your participants in being able to help them build deeper investment in doing the work of the program in supporting them to really be open to receive all that you’re gonna be sharing.00:08:45 Speaker 1Throughout the program with them now at first it sounds counterintuitive because.00:08:53 Speaker 1If someone.00:08:54 Speaker 1In your program, or has your home study or at your retreat or your workshop?00:09:01 Speaker 1They’ve already spent.00:09:03 Speaker 1They’ve already purchased your program, so then why wouldn’t they show up for the program engaged and ready?00:09:13 Speaker 1Well, some of your participants are gonna show up, excited and engaged for sure. But human behavior and neuroscience shows us that from the time someone registers for your program.00:09:29 Speaker 1To the time that you start your program, even if it’s just a few days later.00:09:37 Speaker 1The excitement and the dopamine about the program have already started to dissipate a little bit for your participant.00:09:49 Speaker 1And some resistance to feeling inspired to do the work, or believing that they’re gonna get results usually sets in by the time they start.00:10:04 Speaker 1And then beyond that, even when people register for a program and are excited.00:10:12 Speaker 1The more that you can as the course leader from the very, very beginning of the program, inspire them and get them set up to be crystal clear on their commitment to the results they want to create.00:10:28 Speaker 1That’s when you get much higher student success.00:10:32 Speaker 1That’s when you’re able to create more transformation throughout the course.00:10:37 Speaker 1That’s when you’re able to create more willingness among your participants to go deep and be vulnerable.00:10:46 Speaker 1And so much more.00:10:49 Speaker 1So those first words and those first opening exercises of your program.00:10:58 Speaker 1Of your workshop of your retreat.00:11:02 Speaker 1Are so important, they’re crucial.00:11:07 Speaker 1So then the question becomes, how do you craft opening exercises and content so that your participants are really ready, really engaged, really open?00:11:20 Speaker 1Well, I’ll share a couple of tips right now.00:11:25 Speaker 1First of all, don’t jump straight into the nuts and bolts into the heart and soul of your content.00:11:34 Speaker 1You don’t wanna just start a program and jump straight into content.00:11:40 Speaker 1Instead, you actually need to wet the palette and include a number of very specific things in your curriculum first.00:11:53 Speaker 1If you jump right into your content, you’re going to lose people.00:11:58 Speaker 1And I always kind of share a little story about this as a participant in a workshop I was at kind of a day long conference.00:12:08 Speaker 1Many years ago.00:12:10 Speaker 1Where you can kind of pick, you know which talks you were going to go to. This was in.00:12:15 Speaker 1And I saw a talk that was on black and white thinking, and I was interested in it. And so I decided to step in. And the woman who was leading the workshop on the black and white thinking.00:12:32 Speaker 1She just as soon as the workshop started, she just jumped in to giving her how to’s on how to move out of black and white thinking.00:12:44 Speaker 1There was no.00:12:46 Speaker 1There was no definition of what black and white thinking is.00:12:50 Speaker 1Was no talking about.00:12:53 Speaker 1Why it would be important to wanna move out of black and white thinking there was no leading the participants in the group to thinking about how black and white thinking was impacting them negatively in their lives.00:13:06 Speaker 1And I’ll tell you.00:13:09 Speaker 1This woman may have had fantastic.00:13:13 Speaker 1Content on how TOS.00:13:15 Speaker 1But people were disengaged.00:13:19 Speaker 1There were quite a number of people who left her talk within the 1st 5 minutes and.00:13:25 Speaker 1I actually left.00:13:26 Speaker 1Shortly after that, I just wasn’t engaged.00:13:30 Speaker 1So what I want to invite you to do with your programming instead.00:13:39 Speaker 1Is to take the time to create a container for your content.00:13:46 Speaker 1I’m going to say this again because it’s so important.00:13:48 Speaker 1Take the time to create a container for your content from the beginning.00:13:55 Speaker 1This is also rooted in neuroscience.00:13:59 Speaker 1The the container is what creates the safety that allows your participants to stick around.00:14:06 Speaker 1Earned.00:14:07 Speaker 1Even if they’re fearful or uncomfortable about the the content about the stretching that they’re about to do through your content.00:14:20 Speaker 1Now you want to be masterful when you create containers for your content. If not, your participants literally are not ready to receive the heart and the depth of your curriculum.00:14:35 Speaker 1Of your content.00:14:37 Speaker 1If your curriculum is really valuable and really cutting edge and is going to really ask a lot of your ideal client, right?00:14:47 Speaker 1We want our curriculum to ask a lot, to stretch our ideal client.00:14:52 Speaker 1Then you wanna do a few key things first.00:14:57 Speaker 1Number one, start with inspiration.00:15:03 Speaker 1Inspiration is what will get your participants excited about the outcomes that they’re gonna achieve in your course or your workshop.00:15:14 Speaker 1Is what’s going to give them confidence that with your support they can overcome the obstacles.00:15:22 Speaker 1In the way of the outcomes that they want.00:15:25 Speaker 1Inspiration is also what will help your participants see that they’re in the right place by being in your program or workshop, and that what they are going to learn is 110% relevant to their needs.00:15:43 Speaker 1So when I say start with inspiration, think about starting with some words about why they’re there.00:15:53 Speaker 1Right. Why are your participants there on this journey with you?00:15:58 Speaker 1Speak to also why you’re there.00:16:02 Speaker 1Why you’re taking the time and the energy to be on this journey with them?00:16:08 Speaker 1Speak to what’s.00:16:09 Speaker 1Through the work you’re gonna do together.00:16:13 Speaker 1Speak to what?00:16:14 Speaker 1The obstacles to the possibilities are and how together you’re gonna overcome them.00:16:22 Speaker 1As part of that inspiration in the beginning.00:16:26 Speaker 1Speak to who is this?00:16:28 Speaker 1For who is this workshop for so that people can identify themselves?00:16:33 Speaker 1In what you’re sharing, right? So.00:16:37 Speaker 1Always towards the beginning you want to start with these types of things.00:16:43 Speaker 1Is what’s going to help you set the container.00:16:47 Speaker 1And then.00:16:49 Speaker 1I want to share just a few other things to start to think about at the beginning of your curriculum and you know, we’re just going through this very, very quickly.00:17:00 Speaker 1In the life changing courses training, which is my 10 week hold your hand training so that you create a curriculum that’s deep and has gravitas.00:17:10 Speaker 1And fully articulates your unique thought leadership.00:17:14 Speaker 1We really unpack all of the pieces that you need to do step by step by step, in the beginning of a group program, you get templates of all of this.00:17:27 Speaker 1I also teach you.00:17:29 Speaker 1How to build the container and how to facilitate so that you know exactly how to create all of this for your own course?00:17:39 Speaker 1But I wanna just give you a few other things for today.00:17:43 Speaker 1So in addition to starting with inspiration.00:17:48 Speaker 1You also want to help people get clear on their specific reasons for being in your workshop, for being in your course.00:17:59 Speaker 1Are they there?00:18:00 Speaker 1Literally.00:18:01 Speaker 1Ask them to answer that question for themselves.00:18:04 Speaker 1And.00:18:05 Speaker 1They’re there for what do they really want?00:18:09 Speaker 1Helping people identify why they’ve shown up why they’ve purchased the program, why they’ve made the time for the retreat and what they wanna get out of it is going to help them become more.00:18:24 Speaker 1Invested in being present to the experience.00:18:29 Speaker 1You may also in the beginning want to lead an exercise so that your participants can assess where they’re at on their journey as it relates to what you’re teaching. Where are they starting?00:18:44 Speaker 1What’s not working for them in terms of the topic that you’re gonna be looking at this?00:18:51 Speaker 1Create investment and engagement, and then the last mini tip for now that I’ll share.00:19:02 Speaker 1You want from the get go to get your people talking, right? Whether you’re teaching on zoom or in person, or even a home study. What are the different ways that you can get people talking, whether it’s to each other, to the group?00:19:20 Speaker 1To themselves, community and connection is key to engagement and to being invested.00:19:29 Speaker 1One of our.00:19:31 Speaker 1Life changing courses grads recently shared with me that she applied these tools that I’ve been sharing with you today and the many others that we learn in life, changing courses that you wanna be doing at the beginning of your program.00:19:48 Speaker 1She applied these to the beginning of her.00:19:51 Speaker 1It’s a program that helps formerly incarcerated folks get jobs.00:19:57 Speaker 1And she told me that these beginning pieces made all the difference from.00:20:04 Speaker 1How she’s taught the class before.00:20:08 Speaker 1It went from in the past, where her participants would just dismiss.00:20:14 Speaker 1Just not wanna get through. It felt like they just had to sit through this thing to her, her participants being engaged.00:20:24 Speaker 1And excited.00:20:26 Speaker 1So taking all this into account, here’s a piece of homework I want to leave you with today.00:20:34 Speaker 1What is something that is vital for your ideal clients to hear from you that will have them be excited and inspired to take the journey with you?00:20:47 Speaker 1What is something that is vital for your ideal client to hear that will help them stay inspired as they do?00:20:56 Speaker 1I want you to make notes on that and then make sure you include that at the beginning of your course or your workshop. OK my friends.00:21:04 Speaker 1I hope you enjoyed this quickie Mini tip episode. As always, I love, love, love to hear from you what you’ve learned, what you’re taking away from the episode. Please let us know.00:21:16 Speaker 1And also remember if you want to go deeper with curriculum tips with group facilitation tips with creating an incredibly powerful course that you can feel proud of, please register for free to get that 90 minute master class that I mentioned before called the transformative power of.00:21:37 Speaker 1Gilliam.00:21:38 Speaker 1I’ll drop the links for that in the show notes. And as always, of course, please share this podcast with any friends who you think might really love it.00:21:50 Speaker 1Thank you for sharing your time with me today.00:21:54 Speaker 1And I can’t wait to catch you next time.
