Sunday Newsletter - 5 Steps to Designing Killer Training and More - 21st Jan 2024

Hello and Happy Sunday!,

We're moving fast toward the end of January and it feels like the world and the speed of change is accelerating.

I hope this finds you calm, happy, healthy and centered and prepared for whatever the universe has in store.

I am sitting with a cup of Earl Grey watching the rain pour down and reminding myself how life giving water is.

What are you drinking? What’s the weather like there, with you?

Like the rain, a sometimes unwelcome but life giving aspect to our businesses (and life), is constructive feedback.

Without that, it can be difficult to know if what we are doing is working and is being well received. Even with our kids, it's good to check in an see how they are really doing.

With feedback, we can make changes to get better results, better outcomes, happier relationships.

How often do you ask for feedback?

I know I don’t ask as much as I should, especially in my personal life.

This past week I have been on a “ get out of my comfort zone” mission and began asking for testimonials. I also did an exercise (from Ray Edwards) and requested feedback from 20+ people who know me, on what they think my number one (almost effortless for me) skill is – my superpower if you like.

You see, I want to narrow my niche and get my messaging hitting the sweet spot.

I mentioned in last weeks newsletter that focus (power of one) is one of my three words for 2024.

And in the spirit of that I want to let go of the fluff, the things that don’t really serve my customers, so I can hone in on what does. A pretty valuable exercise for me.

It’s early days, but the feedback I have so far is amazing…

…And varied. The most common thread so far is my ability to take complex issues, simplify them and turn them into solutions that clients can work with. A big picture perspective to help identify blind spots and alternatives others may not have thought about. Not a bad skill for a business coach.

How about you? Are you willing to do the same exercise and get some constructive feedback to help shape your focus for the year.

Here’s the specific question to ask, in case you want to give this a go (I think it’s so worth it!).

“Here’s my question for you.

In a single sentence or paragraph, could you please describe what you think is my number one skill. The thing that I’m best at, that other people find difficult, but I seem to find easy.”

New Testimonial

As for the testimonial exercise…

I have a new video testimonial and you can watch the whole thing on YouTube here:
Testimonial from Tania

Have you asked for case studies and testimonials in your work?
If not, are willing to make it a goal for the remainder of January?

Choosing Happy Podcast Update

In this week’s episode I invite you to take a happiness audit. Maybe not in the way you might expect. Have a listen and let me know how you do and what you think.

The episode is published tomorrow at 10 am (UK).

You can listen on your favourite podcast host or on the website at www.choosinghappypodcast.com

A Very Special Offer for January! 🚨Get Kajabi’s best pricing - 90 Days for $99 �

Kajabi is the platform I personally use to power Taking Your Business Online and Heather V Masters, and right now they’re offering 3 months of Kajabi for just $99. That’s just over a dollar a day to start your path towards becoming a digital entrepreneur or creator.

With Kajabi, you can build websites, create marketing campaigns, collect payments, grow a community, and much more. For me, I love how I can use Kajabi for all my coaching client needs, courses and community.

And since Kajabi is an all-in-one solution, you don’t have to worry about juggling multiple platforms. Everything is seamlessly integrated right into Kajabi.

Use this link to get three months of Kajabi for $99: https://app.kajabi.com/r/sFYbdGiV/t/fnwrtpaz. Y

you’ll have access to Kajabi’s step-by-step training and a community of tens of thousands of like-minded entrepreneurs. And if you need any help, just reach out me and I’ll help you get setup.

I love Kajabi and I think you will too. I have been a Kajabi member for over 10 years! Full disclosure, I am now a Kajabi partner.

Start your journey today and create the career and make the kind of impact you’ve always dreamed of.

The offer end on the 25^th January, so be quick!

This Weeks Business Boost

Do you want to design a course or training program for your business this quarter?

Here’s a 5 step process to help you out.

5 Steps for Designing Killer Training

Let’s say you have a stellar idea for a training program you could market. Perhaps it’s a unique skill or knowledge you’ve learned that you’d like to pass along to others.

No matter how good your idea is, unless it’s designed and delivered well, it could easily flop!

Here are 5 steps for designing fun, successful training programs:

1. Determine the goals of the training.

The primary question to ask yourself here is: What do you want participants to be able to do after the training that they can’t do now?

This question may seem self-evident, but don’t skip over it. Write out the answer to this question clearly.

Another way to put this is from the standpoint of the participant: What do I have to gain from going through this training?

Clearly define the goals of the training and as you do so, move on to the second step.

2. Develop training objectives.

Training objectives quantify the goals of the training. By their very nature, they should speak to your customers’ pain and pleasure, and as such, you can use them in marketing your training.

As an example, training objectives for making crepes might look something like the following. (Note that the training objectives each begin with an action verb and describe a process integral to making the world’s best crepes.)

Make the World’s Best Crepes Training! On completion of this training you will be able to:

1. Select the best pan for making crepes.
2. Know how to prepare the pan to receive the batter.
3. Select, measure and blend the proper ingredients.
4. Determine when the pan is hot enough to cook crepes.
5. Know how much batter to pour into the pan.
6. Determine when the crepe is ready to flip.
7. Garnish your crepes in a variety of delicious presentations.
8. Determine the most effective and efficient way to deliver this training.

Using the above example, “Make the World’s Best Crepe Training,” the most effective way to conduct this training would be with a small group in a kitchen.

During the training, participants would watch the facilitator perform a step, then mimic that step on their own.

During the process, the facilitator can coach and make adjustments to what the participants are doing.

This is by far the most effective method for conducting this training but definitely not the most efficient, especially if you’re trying to teach hundreds or thousands of participants.

Perhaps the next most effective method of delivery would be a video in which the facilitator demonstrates and discusses the steps for making crepes.

This method can still work, but it lacks the hands-on element of the first approach.

However, what it lacks in effectiveness it gains in efficiency as hundreds and thousands can watch a video in their own home simultaneously.

A third delivery method would be a written recipe card. This method is also high in efficiency, but low in effectiveness.

This written approach will focus more on the ingredients and the mechanical process and less on the finesse of cooking.

For your training, you’ll want to figure out which delivery method provides optimum effectiveness and efficiency. You don’t want to sacrifice benefit to the participants for the sake of your efficiency.

4. Create and integrate fun, interactive exercises.

Adults learn by doing. Few facilitators are good enough at what they do to keep an audience engaged with a straight lecture.

But keeping the audience engaged and entertained is not the same as training them.

Appropriate projects, exercises, and assignments not only help keep your audience engaged, but more importantly, they help them learn.

For instance, if you were conducting the “Making the World’s Best Crepes” training via video, you could have the participants pause the video at key points and have them actually perform the steps you just demonstrated.

Another exercise you might have them do offline, is to decide whether they want to make sweet or savoury crepes and to pick three different fillings they’ll prepare for serving their crepes.

Exercises, projects or assignments should always be directly associated with the learning objectives. You can be very creative in designing these. Make them fun and interesting!

5. Conduct a trial-run of your training.

The tendency is to skip this step. We’ve designed our training and are all excited about delivering it. We just want to launch!

But without a trial-run of the training, we really don’t know if it will work.

We think it’s effective, but will the participants learn?

Will the training actually work? There’s no way of knowing without first trying it.

Both during and after the trial-run, take notes of any changes you need to make to the training before you take it live.

Offering great training requires a clean process. These 5 steps provide a template for designing killer training that gets results.

That's it for this week!

Details of current ways to work with me are below.

And always remember, if you fancy a coffee and a chat, I am only an email away.

Wishing you a week blessed with grace and ease!

May love, peace and healing surround you. May your families and friends be safe in these times. May you find an inner peace that can radiate outward. May you find companionship, connection and collaboration in your life and business.

To your happiness and prosperity,

Heather

Heather V Masters

Chief Coach, Trainer and Facilitator of Magic

Taking Your Business Online and Choosing Happy Podcast

Email: [email protected]

New 1-1 Coaching

What coaching am I doing now?

I am helping a couple of clients with their messaging and copy for their end of January Launches.

Plus I have my on going accountability business coaching.

Services Review

I am reviewing the feedback and testimonials I am receiving. The aim is to really focus on what makes the biggest difference to my clients, so I can offer more of that.

I want this coaching to be remarkable. To get phenomenal results for you and your business.

I’ll send more details later, but drop me a line if you have questions or are curious. [email protected]