How to create online programs

People have emailed me sharing about their desires to write books, create programs, run trainings, and more. So, I’ll share with you what the process was like, creating the Courageous Living Program so that you can create online programs, too.

Create Online Programs : The Content

When I create online programs I write out the content. Whether it’s been a retreat, a speaking gig, or anything else, I always start with writing. I think about what I want the end-result to be, and then think about what someone needs to learn or understand in order to get to that end result. That helps me map out the structure.

How do I get the writing done? At my home office, armed with coffee, sometimes at a coffee shop or at the library. I type fast.

I don’t have a regular, daily writing schedule set for certain hours. However, I make the time for writing–for me, this has meant practicing saying “no” on a few things that I knew I wanted to be involved in, and working long hours.

I have not always won the “self-care” awards. Self-care has been a constant reminder, because, as a Sagittarius with three planets in Virgo, when it comes to getting things done, I can be like a machine. Sometimes I go, go, go and my back or fingers ache, but there is something satisfying about that experience, too.

I use Pages to write my content (I am a Mac person). Pages is awkward if you’ve spent a lifetime with the MS Word setup, but once you figure out a few strings, it’s fine. I know many people use Google Drive, but I prefer not having everything in life on a cloud. Also, sometimes the internet is down and I want to always be capable of accessing my files.

Create Online Programs : The concepts

Everything I needed to know to create online programs or talks or books, I learned from lesson planning semesters as a college professor. As I said above, I like to make sure I know what the end result is and then ask myself what knowledge or concepts someone needs to get to that end result.

When I was a college professor I would look at the broad concepts of the semester and the stated student learning outcome in the course outline. Then I’d start writing down questions and topics, like, “What do people need to know about ___?” Then I would start seeing chunks that would come together.

For instance, when writing about cultivating more courageous power in your life, it was clear to me that first I needed to start with defining power and getting my reader into the spirit–making space, even for the places where “power” might be viewed through a negative lens.

Then I needed to get into where we block ourselves from living powerfully. Then I needed to introduce tools–actual, practical, “do ’em right now” heart-centered yet practical tools–for diving right in. And then, the most powerful section/aspect of all–trusting your own inner wisdom (that’s powerful!).

If you’re sitting down to create online programs, this is the phase of the creation process where I believe one needs to have the clearest vision.

I know that many of you have some piece of paper, some notebook tucked in a drawer, some place where you were deeply inspired and rushed to write it down before you could forget it–that’s the piece of paper you want to dig out before you take another step.

Before I ever wrote my first online program–before I had ever even heard of an online program as a concept!–I had had this idea for doing small coaching circles. I wrote down my ideas for what I wanted the circles to cover on a piece of paper that I transferred from box to cabinet to filing system over the course of a few years before I ever acted on it. Those were the pieces of paper that I dug out of hiding when I started creating the structure.

What’s really important if you create an online program

What’s really important is that you start, that you try. Most coaches I’ve met talk about wanting to create an online program and they get maybe 1/4 through the planning before “getting too busy.” (Let’s call a thing a thing: you make the time).

Formulate those ideas, and flex those courage muscles. You are going to hit resistance. You’ll have moments where you are halfway through and wonder why you started.

That fear doesn’t mean that your online program shouldn’t be created. It means that you’re afraid. That’s it. Be willing to see what’s on the other side of fear. After all, won’t you encourage participants in your online program to do the same if they feel stuck?