My 30 Day Blogging Challenge continues.
The tag [TIME SAVED] shows you where a Virtual Assistant (such as Virtual Hand) can save you time by doing these elements. This allows you to do what you love in your business as well as what you are good at.
Attending a course of any type comes the inevitable handouts and papers to take home. Or not?
Preparing and producing and printing documents – all takes time and money. I’ve experienced receiving these documents in paper format, by disc or even electronically. There was a time that printing off the powerpoint slides was expected and if you didn’t leave the course/training with some evidence of attendance you felt let down. Having to make copius notes of what you see and what you hear is so much of a distraction and how many times do you review these after the event and they just don’t make sense?
Ensuring your training is effective and your attendees go away having learnt something valuable is important to a trainer but even more so I’d like my audience to go away wanting to learn more. More to reinforce the learning and more to build on that information. Giving them the tools and information to do is just as critical as the content during the time together.
The preparation of that outcome starts with the course materials. What do they need before the event, during the event and after the event – and how they are to be delivered for optimum take away by the audience?
Before the event
Pre-course reading – is there anything that your audience can receive/review prior to attendance to engage with them before they join you? Can you offer some links to some powerful information on YouTube or some materials to whet their appetite? How is this material to be sent? [TIME SAVED]
Having a process [TIME SAVED] for this element of your course will ensure everyone gets the right materials, in the right format, at the right time. Upon registering and paying you may send a receipt and a thank you [TIME SAVED]. Within that may be a link to some previous training you have given or a short video about the training they are to attend. You may send them some information to forward to a ‘friend’ who may be interested – you may even offer an affiliate fee for them. A few days before the event a further communication about the course and arrangements and also to ensure they are still attending. [TIME SAVED]
Are you including some time for networking for your attendees; perhaps providing name tags to facilitate this and refreshments? [TIME SAVED]
During the event
The layout of the room is important for the audience to be able to see the speaker/trainer with facilities to write notes, drink water and sometimes; eat sweets! [TIME SAVED]
Are you using PowerPoint? [TIME SAVED] Slowly replacing the famous OHP (OverheadProjector) as being Death by PowerPoint? Recently I saw Lee Jackson, the PowerPoint Surgeon who reduces your presentations to very few, but very powerful images. Worth looking up if your audience has started to slope off or fall asleep, engage with their phone more than you, etc!
Are you giving handouts? [TIME SAVED] Again Lee has a great view on your handouts – they should not be a reproduction of your PowerPoint. They should be the meat on the bone and valuable information which is why your slides need to be visually appealing and not a written story for you to read (your audience can do that for themselves).
Evaluation [TIME SAVED] is a big part of delivering a course: what went well, what didn’t, were the expectations of your audience met? This will help you to deliver further courses/training and to get the information out that is required in a timely manner as well as in a format that is more attainable; for example.
After the event
Are follow-ups part of your process? Adding attendees to your mailing list [TIME SAVED], connecting with them on LinkedIn [TIME SAVED] and perhaps sending the materials electronically that are referred to in your presentation [TIME SAVED].
After the event should be an opportunity to upsell or for recommendations and for your satisfied attendees to recommend others to attend additional courses from you. Nurturing those that attend your courses to buy more from you, encourage others to attend/come with them and also for them to endorse your work is a great reward for your efforts. Don’t be afraid to ensure you engage with them to these ends – people will expect it and if they have found it valuable will have no hesitation in recommending you further. [TIME SAVED]
As a trainer (or indeed a speaker or someone provides information to an audience) all the above is so valuable to your audience and leaves ‘you’ in the room long after you have left. So making it fabulous is important for your continued success. However, you can so do the do when you are there in front of the audience but the rest – mind numbingly annoying, time consuming and requires a lot of attention to detail, following a process and checking and confirming as you move through the process. That may not be you and in all honesty is it the best use of your time?
Where’s the help
Again, identified by the [TIME SAVED] is where someone else can do these bits for you. Someone with the skills and attitude to ensure the process is followed, the materials are formatted accurately, consistency in all your materials and the evaluation is reviewed and actioned (with your expertise eye). Having that other person to take away all that pain (I know it’s a pain I’ve been there) allows you to concentrate on the experience of the audience on the day – what you are so good at.
I hope the above has identified some areas where you can capitalise on your attendees and maybe get some help with certain elements of your business so you can do more of what you love.
Here cometh the end of Number 12 – documents for courses/training
Here’s a link to the Start in case you missed it. https://virtualhand.co.uk/starting-a-challenge/
Do have a look at all the other blogs I have written on Using a VA or Training specifically; you never know what you might find.
Employing staff is a whole new ball game with its own set of rules. Working with a VA is an option that a great many business people are turning to. Check out my book on How to Hire a Virtual Assistant. Available on Amazon by clicking here.
Connect with Michelle on other platforms too: Learn how you can work with Virtual Hand; how your business can grow and how you can communicate better with your audience.
