Want to improve your learners' experience of your course?

Get them to remember your course content? Teach complex concepts in a framework that makes sense to them?

When learners have a good experience, they return for more. As a marketer, that's what you're hoping for!

Course designer Lisa Yoder shows us why and how to incorporate stories into course design. Even if (like me) you already have successful courses out there, she shows us surprising ways to build your course with stories.

This episode goes a little longer than most episodes in this podcast -- and it's packed with information. I was busy taking notes myself.

You will learn:

...How university courses differ from entrepreneurial online courses

...How some courses are done better online vs. in person

...What Is course design (especially backwards design)

...3 ways you can use stories in course design

...A surprising way to use “non-examples” to figure out a pattern

...Why it’s important to Identify your “why” as a course creator

...Putting together the why, how, and what

...How “running analogies” can pull your course together in a meaningful way (Lisa illustrates with examples of hiking)

...A sneaky but effective way to tap into an audience's world to introduce them to a new concept (this comes after 24:00, so keep listening!)

...The role of chunking in the way we learn

Books mentioned by Lisa:

Understanding by Design book Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe

Brain Rules (Updated): 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School by John Medina

Where you can fnd Lisa:

Website: https://connectedcoursedesigns.com/

Register for the free Summit-First Framework Course at:

https://connectedcoursedesigns.com/summit_first_framework_free/

Email: Lisa@ConnectedCourseDesigns.com

Cathy’s course on course design: 5 steps to a profitable course

Cathy's website: https://CathyGoodwin.com

Have you ever heard a story that was so memorable you couldn't forget it? A story that taught you a hard lesson -- but made you smile at the same time?

This week I'm doing something a little different. I've collected three of my favorite stories that appear over and over again.

I see them in business books, in blog posts, in articles, and in speeches. And yet they're not about business.

These are iconic stories. We "get" them right away...and we don't easily forget them.

Ideally, you'll come up with your own iconic story...but in the meantime, use one of these. Or collect iconic stories and use them as needed...not too much, but for special effect.

This episode has 3 special stories that seem perfectly suited to teaching their lesson. I explain why I think these stories work--the magic ingredients they pull together.

In effect, these stories are about concepts. I explain concept stories in my ebook on storytelling, Grow your business one story at a time.

Learn about my flagship consulting program, the Strategic Intensive.

Tell your own branding story: a DIY course.

How do you introduce yourself to prospective clients?

Nicole Kepic introduced herself to her email list with a traditional origin story -- solid credentials, burnout, and reinvention as a copywriter to female entrepreneurs.

Nicole tells that story to show us the person behind the website. She also highlighted her deep experience with copywriting.

But she's got a better story: she can tell an origin story that shows she's human and shows how she serves her clients.

In this super-informal episode--two copywriters chatting--you will learn:

...how Nicole uses personal anecdotes to introduce copywriting principles (much more effectively than most business owners)

... how Nicole can change her origin story to illustrate why she's so effective with entrepreneurs

...how changing the copywriting has a much greater impact on entrepreneurs than on big businesses

...Nicole's down-to-earth advice for other business owners who want to tell stories (at the very end)

Resources:

Reach Nicole Kepic at NicoleKepic.com (she has a beautiful website)

Read my book on Amazon about telling stories for business (types of stories for business)

FREE report on story archetypes for immediate download (how small businesses brand themselves)

A few weeks ago I was attending a special event when someone asked “How can I explain my service to other people? I’m going into a new market and people don’t get what I do.”

Of course, the answer is, you explain with a story. But what kind of story can you use?

Besides having a new market, you may be challenged in your business because you have a very specialized niche. You might have a brand new business that nobody’s heard of. Or you may have a very complex business that’s tough to explain.

In this podcast, you will discover…

...How to identify the real benefit you need to promote your service (which may not be the most obvious)

...2 examples of businesses that were new to the world - and I’m betting you never heard of each one.

...How the home staging industry has grown from nothing to mega-success by telling a very simple story over and over

Essential qualities of a story that explains a new product or service

Resources:

My book on telling stories for business - more explanations of stories you can use for business.

My signature consultation

How to brand your business by telling stories.

FREE 17 ways to grow your business by telling stories

I mention my book on relocation, available on Amazon here.

A recent article in Inc magazine asked this question: What makes you look better?

A story like, "I started with no talent or luck and worked my butt off;"
Or, A story like, "I had lots of talent and I got lucky."

Believe it or not, audiences valued luck and talent more.

This episode raises the question: "When do you tell a story of luck and when do you tell a story of hard work?"

Most people can attribute their success to both. It's all in how you tell your story.

This episode explains...

...3 reasons why an "I got lucky" story will make the storyteller look better than an "I worked I butt off" story

...why talent and work seem intertwined

....how your story archetype influences your choice of story

Resources mentioned

Original article in Inc Magazine's Morning Report

Podcast episode on emotionally exhausted listeners

BusinessInsider Story about Fred Smith and luck

Free: Find your story archetype

Consultation: Position Yourself With A Story

How can I write about myself without sounding like a conceited jerk?

That’s the subject of this podcast.

You may have internalized messages like, “The nail that sounds out gets pounded down” You may have been criticized or ridiculed for doing well.

But in business, you have to brag about yourself. In fact, your clients expect you to!

Here is what we cover:

—why your clients want you to brag (with examples)

—how to communicate your brilliance with style (so you’re not just successful but also likable)

—the outline of a story that helps you brag the right way

—a tip on getting a strong testimonial from a client (and what to do when you can’t get a testimonial because the story is too sensitive)

— gain credibility from a past area of your life (even if it doesn’t relate to where you are now)

—what a lawyer said to me to convince me to hire her (and we’d never met)

—the not-so-surprising role of confidence in creating your personal brand

—two ways to gain confidence even when you’re doing something new

Resources:

How to differentiate yourself as a brand by telling stories

How to create your personal brand by telling stories (Bragging 101)

Books mentioned

Grow your business one story at a time by Cathy Goodwin

How to change by Katy Milkman

Numbers can be extremely powerful when you know how to use them -- and sooner or later you have to use them. You use numbers in your stories and also in your copywriting, especially on sales pages.

The way you present your numbers can make your price seem small and your outcomes seem large. You can also seem to presenting honest results rather than made-up, imaginary numbers.

In this short episode you will discover…

…how to make prices seem small and results seem large

…how your numbers can make an outcome seem more realistic (at least some people think so)

...the common numbers bias that can influence medical decisions

…why you should pay more attention to value than to price

...the value vs. price tradeoff that we all face (and the ethical decisions we face as a result)

Book mentioned: Random acts of medicine by Anupam B. Jena and Christopher Worsham

Resources:

The Strategic Intensive: My consulting program that takes your marketing forward on a two-week sprint. We can choose your story, review your numbers, and find assets you didn’t know you had.

Copywriting with Stories: A self-paced video course to put persuasive copy around your carefully curated stories. If you want to make your content more interesting, this is your course.

FREE: 7 Copy Tips To Jumpstart Your Sales.

Lots of business owners have been advised, "Just tell a story. Any story."

Or they're told, "Stories hold your audience's attention. Stories captivate your listeners."

All that is true. Absolutely.

But stories can do a lot more than entertain your audience. And when you tell a story as a solopreneur, you need a specific reason.

In this podcast. we first look at 4 key reasons to tell a story. You'll notice that any story you tell will brand your business. People remember you as "that woman who...'" or "that guy who..."

So buckle up and learn...

...4 reasons to tell a story; that is, what part of marketing does your story carry out?

...why every story is *not* a selling story

...3 guidelines for telling a story that sells for you

RESOURCES

Podcast with Cindy Bidar, talking about how she uses her personal life in stories

Podcast with Ellen Finkelstein, who uses stories very differently

Podcast about your origin story (which you're commonly advised to share)

Low-cost workbook: The characters in your selling story

Video course on creating a selling story

Video course on positioning yourself as an expert by telling stories

Finally...do you see how much we covered in just over 10 minutes? That should give you an idea about working with me for 90 minutes on the Strategic Intensive consultation. We'll cover any aspect of your marketing or storytelling, and you'll come away with a new game plan.

My website has all kinds of offers, free and paid. Come have a look!