Why it is Important to have an Outline for Your Course
The information provided is from my own experience and may not work for everyone. I am not a professional nor claim to be. Please read my disclaimer for more information.
When people start building their course, there are some things they just don’t know yet, but many times find out the hard way. Not having an outline as being one of those hard ways!
I know! I have been there!
So, I want to help you before you even have to go through that!
Why is an outline so important?
Well, let’s go through it - what is an outline for?
It outlines the course's objectives, structure, and content. Those 3 things are literally your course. If you are able to get those 3 things down on paper (or somewhere…) then you will have a better opportunity of finishing your course, making sense to the audience, and will be much more organized.
In an outline, the learning objectives can actually do the same thing for you - keep you organized, focused on your topics, on topic, and allow you to teach your audience directly on the information you want to them to learn because you already know what you want them to learn.
The same goes for your outline.
Once you have your learning objectives in your course outline, it tells you what you will talking about first, how you want it to be presented to your audience, and the content you need for that topic.
ARE YOU SEEING WHAT I AM GETTING AT?
You NEED an outline!
I made the mistake of creating my first course without one. Not only did it take me months, and I mean practically a year, it was not where I wanted it to be. It was kind of all over the place!
To me the worst part was that it wasn’t in order. It just wasn’t what I thought it would be and I gave up on it a few times - why it took me almost a year!
HOWEVER, creating an outline for my next courses did AMAZING THINGS!!
Just as I told you earlier, I was organized, on topic, able to stay focused, brought content that related to my course/topic… and it sold!
Although, I had to update and change a couple things on it, the testimonials on this course were 100times better! Like night & day!
Having a roadmap where you can be guided down the path that you know exactly where it leads (learning objectives), you can create something great for your audience!
By breaking each thing down into an outline, you can make the process more manageable, create it with more confidence, create it faster, launch to your audience faster! If you are going to put work into designing a course (or anything really) make sure that it is not only done right, but it provides great information for the targe audience you are wanting to share it with.
WHY??
Because you want them to come back for more!
You want to be able to build a course and show your audience that you do actually know what you are talking about - AND ALL THANKS TO YOUR ROADMAP. YOUR BLUEPRINT. YOUR COURSE OUTLINE.
But seriously, take time out to do this. In the end, you won’t regret it. You will create a well-balanced course that will make your audience want more!
Another great thing about an outline is that it allows you to identify any gaps in the course content! Once you see that, you are able to make adjustments. This is so important and necessary because believe me… gaps happen to all of us! The difference is, if you have an outline, you can fix it… when you don’t… Well, you don’t typically catch it.
As a course creator, you want to provide a clear understanding of what will be covered in the course, how it will be taught, and what you want your audience to learn in the end. You ultimately reduce confusions and ensure that everyone is on the same page as you!
Plus, it helps when you go to do a live launch or challenge. You are able to speak on your topic with more confidence because you know that the information you present is something you organized, scrubbed through, filled in gaps, and completed - making it so that you now know more than you did prior to creating your course!
That right there shows that you are an expert in your field. It shoes authority - people are drawn to people of authority. And that is what you want.
See the challenge is keeping track of what you want to cover and then staying focused on that topic while you are detailing it. Especially if you are passionate about something. We have a tendency to flow through everything too fast or even skip over important information when we do not have a guide to go by. We already know the material so in our head, you may think you already spoke about it, you think they must already know that information, or you just simply skip.
Your audience will have difficulty following along with your course or lessons. If that happens, they will probably not buy from you again.
Now, if you provide set expectations through your outline, you can increase engagement and motivation! Your audience will be want to know or learn more. If they understand the relevance of the material, they are reaching their learning goal and will want to keep going.
Okay, so what might a course outline look like??
Well, there are many different outlines out there but there are a few outline topics that you should have in your outline, which I go over in the FREE Course Outline Workbook!
Why, you say?
Great question! Let me list just some of the reasons you need specific outline topics…
It can lead to confusion and disorganization for you and the student.
It can cause frustration and disengagement again, for you and your student.
It can ultimately have a negative impact on your course, in turn a negative impact on your consistent sales.
Your course will not be as effective if you do not have an outline.
You will see where you need to add or take away from your course as you write out your outline.
You may have gaps of information in your course that may have been critical to the student.
The list goes on and on as I am sure you get it by now.
So, at the end of the day, when you develop your course, make sure that you have an outline as you now know, it is critical to your course success. It should never be overlooked and it is an essential tool that can not only help you as the course creator, but it most definitively provides a clear direction for your audience. It keeps your course content organized and really just enhances your their learning experience!
And, don’t forget to get your FREE WORKBOOK! Get the course outline and get started today!
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Hey! I’m Rachel Hall and I created Inspire Purpose - a website devoted to helping others start their online business by providing course creation & web design services that get you to the next level. We created a method that allows you to start a business and/or earn passive income so that you can live a life amd not work for aomeone else! And although, I cannot guarantee anyone’s success, the opportunities are endless online.
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