Book, Speech, or Online Course: What Order Makes the Most Sense?

Transformational speech… bestselling book… in-demand online course.

Ahh... it’s like the perfect trifecta of thought leadership.

These three assets can help you land more speaking gigs, gain more recognition, and maximize revenue for the thing that makes YOU the most special… your ideas!

This week, Andrew asked me to dip into the instructional designer side of my brain to help dissect how – and when – an online course can help you take your speaking career to the next level.?So, we decided to ask Kris Kelso about all three!

Let’s start with the most basic of questions… chicken or the egg? Which should you build first?

? It seems perfectly logical to publish a book, build a course, and then jump into the speaking circuit as a last step to profit from your hard work, but that doesn’t give you time to let your speech and ideas evolve over time. So, give yourself time to build that incredible speech before you start planning out your book.

?? But when does the course come into play?? Well, we recommend you wait for your book readers and audience members to ask exactly HOW to implement the ideas in your speech… before you jump into course building.

?? Building an online course is often a large investment in time and money. Not only will you need to think through the actual content that will be taught, but you’ll also need to market the course so it can actually sell.

?? By the way… when you’re building the course, don’t fall into the chapter-by-chapter conundrum….

?? Read the rest of the article to see how all three can help you land more speaking gigs, gain recognition, and maximize your revenue. ? Plus, learn more about how to avoid the chapter-by-chapter conundrum…. * Free subscription required.

An online course can help your audience understand AND apply the ideas you’ve developed.

How to Design a Profitable Online Course Based On Your Speech

Your speech is referable and your book is flying off the shelves.

For many speakers, this is the point when it makes sense to translate those ideas you’ve spent years developing into an action-oriented online course.

You’re ready to make the investment in time and money to build a course that will help your audience not just understand, but apply your ideas to their lives.

But how exactly is the structure of your book going to differ from the structure of your course?? When you can avoid the chapter-by-chapter conundrum, you’ll build a course that gives your students a better launching point for success.

Here’s how!

?? 1) Don’t be married to the exact order of content in your book.? You may need to reorder things.

?? 2) Allow yourself to go much deeper into the “how” section of your book to help your student better apply these ideas in their own life.? Share content that isn’t in your book.

?? 3) You may not be able to do this on your own.? Consider hiring a curriculum or instructional designer who is trained in this type of work.

Once you’ve committed yourself to the idea of building a course that will confidently guide your students through a process, it’s time to get serious about the structure.? Here are the five initial steps you’ll need to take for your course design:

1.? Identify your audience.

2.? Define their problems.

3. Crystallize your content.

4.? Establish learning outcomes and competencies.

5. Define your teaching environment and schedule.

?? See more about how to transform your book into an online course in the full article.? Plus, read about how two course creators built transformational courses that went well BEYOND the content in their books. * Paid Members Only

I'll see you next week for another round-up of our weekly content exclusively for professional speakers.

Remember, the advice that got you here won't get you there.

Andrew Davis