Training Guide

Unlock Your Potential: Master the Art of Creating an Online Course

By Leigh Burke on October 27, 2023

# Unlock Your Potential: Master the Art of Creating an Online Course

**Key Takeaways:**
– Creating an online course allows you to unlock your potential and share your expertise with a worldwide audience.
– Successful online course creation involves thorough planning, content development, multimedia integration, and effective marketing strategies.
– Utilizing various online platforms and tools can enhance the overall learning experience for your students.
– Engaging with your students and continuously updating your course content are crucial for long-term success.

## Introduction

In today’s digital age, **creating an online course** is an excellent way to unlock your potential and share your knowledge with a global audience. Whether you are an expert in a particular field, possess a unique skill, or have valuable life experiences to offer, online courses provide you with a platform to impart your wisdom and generate an income.

With the continuous growth of e-learning, more and more individuals are turning to online courses to enhance their skills, gain new knowledge, or pursue their passions. To truly make an impact and set yourself apart in this lucrative market, it is essential to master the art of creating an online course.

## Planning Your Course

To develop an exceptional online course, proper planning is vital. Here are some essential steps to get started:

### 1. Identify Your Target Audience

Understanding who your course is meant for is crucial for effective content delivery. Identify the demographic, educational background, and specific needs of your target audience to tailor your course accordingly.

### 2. Define the Learning Outcomes

Clearly articulate the specific objectives and goals that your students will achieve by completing your course. Break them down into measurable and achievable outcomes to keep your students engaged and motivated.

### 3. Structure Your Course Content

Organize your course content into logical sections or modules. Create a detailed outline or course map to ensure a logical flow and understand how each topic relates to the overall learning objectives.

## Creating Engaging Course Content

The success of your online course largely depends on the quality of the content you provide. Here’s how you can create engaging course content:

### 1. Leverage Multimedia Elements

**Textual information alone** can be dull and unengaging. Integrate multimedia elements such as videos, audio clips, infographics, and interactive activities to make your content more dynamic and stimulating.

### 2. Use Visual Aids and Tables

Visual aids and tables can present complex information in a concise and visually appealing manner. Incorporate relevant graphics, charts, and tables to enhance understanding and retention of key concepts.

## Utilizing Online Platforms and Tools

Online course creation platforms and tools can immensely simplify the process and enhance the learning experience for your students. Some popular platforms and tools include:

### 1. Learning Management Systems (LMS)

LMS platforms like **Moodle**, **Canvas**, and **Blackboard** provide a comprehensive framework for delivering, managing, and tracking online courses. They offer features such as content organization, student progress tracking, assessments, and communication tools.

### 2. Video Creation and Hosting Platforms

To create and host your video content, tools like **Kaltura**, **Panopto**, and **Vimeo** offer a reliable and user-friendly experience. These platforms provide features like video editing, privacy settings, embedding options, and analytics to track viewer engagement.

## Frequently Asked Questions

#### Q: How do I market my online course effectively?
A: Marketing your online course involves strategies like creating compelling course descriptions, utilizing social media platforms, collaborating with influencers, offering limited-time discounts, and engaging with potential students through webinars and newsletters.

#### Q: Is it necessary to interact with students in an online course?
A: Yes, interaction with students is crucial for student engagement and success. Incorporate discussion forums, Q&A sessions, live webinars, and individual feedback mechanisms to establish a supportive learning community.

#### Q: Should I regularly update my course content?
A: Absolutely! As the world evolves, industries change, and new knowledge emerges, it is important to stay updated. Revise and update your course content regularly to provide the most relevant and up-to-date knowledge to your students.

Unlocking your potential and creating an online course can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. By following these steps, incorporating engaging content, and utilizing the right tools, you can make a lasting impact in the lives of your students and establish yourself as an expert in your field. So, get ready to embark on a journey of knowledge-sharing and empowerment through online course creation!

How To Film Training Videos Using Your DSLR

By Leigh Burke on August 6, 2020

There are ways you can film training videos using your DSLR and you are guaranteed a great video. Many people lack the essential skill and technical know-how to make excellent training videos with their DSLR. This article contains tips on how to film training videos using your DSLR. So, if you have been finding it difficult to make a good video, this article is specially made for you.

Most of the modern DSLRs are very good at making videos, and you can use them to make training clips. It is a much more complicated shooting video with a DSLR than shooting stills. However, by following a few simple guidelines, you can achieve beautiful and creative results.

Tips On How To Film Training Videos Using Your DSLR

· Learn to shoot your video in manual mode

This is very important to enable you to control the look of your footage. To achieve this, the shutter speed has to be double the frame rare while shooting the training video. It means that if the frame rate is 24FPS (frame per second), your shutter speed should be 1/50. To control the look of your footage, the aperture is your primary tool, and you can use it to control the depth of field and sharpness of your training video. The ISO will be the primary tool for controlling exposure. The lower the ISO, the less noise and grain there is. When you are in a low light environment, you will need a higher ISO, but you should try to limit this as much as possible. Also, please make use of autofocus as it gives you full control to decide what should be in focus. Try as much as you can to avoid using the built-in audio on your cameras.

· Ensure You Have The Best Lens For Your Quality Footage

To film training videos using your DSLR, you need to be very selective in your choice of lenses. Any lenses with a consistent aperture, such as prime lenses with no zoom or professional zoom lenses, are perfect for high-quality videos. Your choice here will typically have the most impact on overall video quality.

· Make Use Of Different Stabilization Gear

In the video, stabilization is critical than it would be for photography. Videos involve a moving picture, so being able to keep the camera steady is a top priority. It would help if you considered having shoulder rigs as it allows you to shoot stabilized videos for long periods. The most common form of video stabilization is the tripods, and it works in most situations. If you need to be more mobile, maybe you should consider a monopod or a Gorilla pod. These tripods are relatively inexpensive, and you can easily get them.

· Shooting Your Video In Low Light Situations

When you are shooting training videos in low light situations, you will need to use the widest aperture possible to get usable footage. This means you would have to shoot your training video with either a prime lens with no zoom. The prime lens with no zoom provides a wide aperture of up to f/1.8 or f/1.2. Alternatively, you can make use of the professional zoom lens with an aperture as wide as f/2.8 if you have one.

Conclusion As a beginner, it might be intimidating to film training videos using your DSLR. However, the best you can do is go out there and shoot your footage until it becomes more natural to you.

How To Set Up Your Email List With Mailchimp

By Leigh Burke on July 6, 2020

Learning how to set up your email list with Mailchimp can be the turnaround for your business. Mailchimp was founded in 2001, and the Atlanta based email marketing platform has witnessed incredible growth. Although the Company is excellent and well known for its smart and quirky ad campaigns, you can also leverage it for email marketing business.

It is quite easy to use when you understand its mode of operations. Mailchimp also has price points that are ideal for a wide variety of budgets. If you are unsure of how to navigate this platform, we have put together an excellent guide for you. Here is a step-step-guide on how you can set up your email list with Mailchimp.

Guidelines To Set Up Your Email List With Mailchimp

1. Learn to use the different sections of Mailchimp

First, you need to understand how the various tools available on Mailchimp’s work. It would help if you had a good understanding of things on the Mailchimp dashboard. Once you set up your account, you will be automatically taken to the dashboard. You will see five different tabs at the top left corner of the screen, and they include Campaigns, Templates, Lists, Reports, and Content Studio.

Campaigns are the actual emails, landing pages, etc. that you publish and send out to customers.
The template is the section where you create the design and content for your campaigns.
The report section is where you review your campaigns’ performances. Here, you can see who is engaging with what, and you can use the information to optimize your campaign.
The content studio is a new section that provides you with a better view of your creative assets, such as uploaded images, gifs, logos, etc.

Creating your Mailchimp email list

After you have signed up for your free Mailchimp account, the next step is to create your Mailchimp email list. To do that, you need details like the Name of your list, Sender name o list, reply-to-email, default subject, and few more details. The good thing is that most of the fields are self-explanatory, hence you won’t be lost. Some of the areas are compulsory, and they include things like the address of your Company. The default subject can be left empty as it will be used when you are sending your first email campaign.

Building your mailing list is probably the most important thing to do when setting up Mailchimp. The essence of everything is to engage your customers and potential customers. You can start with a single list and subsequently add as many as you can.

Mailchimp automatically generates a signup form for every list you build. You can then make use of the form to get more subscribers by sharing it on your website, social media channels, etc.

3. Create your email template

With your Mailchimp template features, you can design reusable layouts for your content; however, campaigns are for sending out the actual messages. There are multiple template options available from Mailchimp, feel free to make use of any of them. With time you can learn how to build well-designed templates. Well, you can decide to create your template to match your branding style.

Conclusion Congratulations! You can now set up your email list with Mailchimp. Kindly share your thoughts using the comment section below.

How To Take Perfect Screenshots Using Snaglt

By Leigh Burke on June 6, 2020

It is always a great feeling when you know how to take the perfect screenshot using Snaglt. You can always borrow one or two things tricks from authors who write children’s books, especially when you are writing technical documentation for end-users. Most, if not all, end-users love pictures, and the correctly taken screenshots will always make a difference. Good screenshots are mainly the difference between useful and effective training materials and documents that don’t get to be read.

In this article, I will be sharing with you’re a couple of tricks on the perfect way to take perfect screenshots using Snaglt. I have come across clients and workers who are using Snaglt for the first time who doesn’t understand how to leverage the numerous advantages of the timesaving options.

Tips On How To Take Perfect Screenshots Using Snaglt

1. Make use of Windows for input

Whenever you launch Snaglt and open the Input menu, you will see multiple options, but I recommend the Windows. There are many reasons why you should select the Windows option, and here is why. Any time you activate the Snaglt hot, and you start moving the mouse around your screen, the program will outline each unique Window. At the time Snaglt highlights the Window you want, click once and capture.

If you make use of either Screen or Active Window, the program automatically “Snags” either the entire screen or the active Window. If you know beforehand that is what you want, then using either Input |Screen or Input | Active Window is faster for the task. As a beginner, using the Window option gives you a sense of control over the process.

2. Always make use of the Preview Window

To be able to take perfect screenshots using Snaglt, you should always learn to use the Preview Window. Always go to the Output | Preview to confirm that what you captured is exactly what you want to print, copy, or save. You will also be able to specify the type of file Snaglt will create. You can always go for the .gif file type because it usually has a small “footprint.”

3. Crop Dynamically

Once you already have your screenshot in the Preview Window, you can use your mouse to “crop and re-crop” your image dynamically. When you click and drag, Snaglt draws a line around the area you have selected. Once you have done that, press “Ctrl C” to copy the selection to the Window clipboard. Alternatively, you can go to Edit | Crop to edit the entire image.

4. Fine-tuning colors

It is not always a pleasant sight to see a screen capture of a DOS command prompt Window and its white text on a black background. Snaglt will help you to remedy the situation. When you have captured the command prompt Window, go to the Snaglt Capture Preview window and select Colors | invert. When that is done, Snaglt will change the black background to white.

Conclusion

We have highlighted the ways you can have a perfect screenshot using Snaglt. If you think there is another tip we missed, kindly share your thoughts using the comment section below.

How To Reach Your Goals With Neuro-Linguistic Programming

By Leigh Burke on May 6, 2020

You can reach your goals with Neuro-Linguistic Programming, provided you have the right piece of information. Remember that you are what you think about all the time. When you change your thinking, you automatically change your life either positively or negatively. This concept might be simple on the surface; it is the foundation of Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

If you change how you think about a particular circumstance, you can also expect to see a corresponding change in how you view that same situation. For instance, if you have fear for water bodies when you change how you perceive a water body, it becomes exciting instead of dangerous. This approach can help you get rid of your fear of water.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (N.L.P.) came into limelight in the 70s. It was introduced by self-help trainer and author Richard Bandler while trying to find out why some therapists were more effective compared to others.

Tips On How To Reach Your Goals With Neuro-Linguistic Programing

1. Use the outcome frame

The importance of setting goals for yourself cannot be overemphasized. By using an outcome frame, you automatically shift your perspective from preventing problems from getting the desired results. You can choose to focus on the issues, or you can focus on outcomes. Any time you focus on problems, you unconsciously pay more attention to the things that are wrong instead of the things that you desire.

When you focus your attention on the outcome, you will pay more attention to the results you want to produce. The outcome frame helps you to focus on solutions and gains.

2. Formatting the outcome

This is an essential component of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NPL) that helps you attain your goals. You must have come across the famous S.M.A.R.T. acronym, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. In the same way, Neuro-Linguistic Programming also offers you a set of criteria to evaluate whether your goals are well-formatted. You can use the acronym P.S.Y.K.E. It stands for Positive, Sensory, Yours, Keep, and Ecology.

· Positive

Here, you are encouraged to say what you want rather than saying what you don’t want. In other words, let your statements be in the positive.

· Sensory

Ensure you have sensory evidence for when you have attained your goal. It is a way of letting you know when you get what you want.

· Yours

Ensure you are in control of the goal you have set for yourself, and you can always keep the ball rolling in the right direction.

· Keep

Make sure that achieving your goal will allow you to keep the benefits you currently experience in your life.

· Ecology

Ensure that achieving the goal will help you keep the various parts of your life integrated.

3. Modeling

In a world with more than 7 billion people, someone must have done what you want to do, study how they did, and learn some lessons. By using the NPL modeling methodology, you can easily absorb that person’s patterns for producing those results.

4. Take action

For centuries, action has been a great equalizer among humans. The person that acts the most, correctly, gets what he or she wants. You can look up the 80/20 rule in life.

Conclusion

We have provided you with four vital NPL techniques that you can adopt to achieve more. The best way for you to master these techniques is to put them into use. Kindly share your thought in the comment section below. Thank you for your time.

How To Make Money With Freelance Consulting

By Leigh Burke on April 6, 2020

There are different ways you can make money with freelancing consulting; you only need the right information. For the past few years, the gig economy has been on the rise, and freelancing has been booming. A survey by Freelancers Union and Upwork showed that more than 57 million Americans earn freelance income. The study reports that freelancers are likely going to outnumber traditional workers by 2027.

Consulting means the ability to give expert advice to people working in a specific field. It means that you are helping a particular group of people to solve their problems. There is always a gap between where someone is and where they hope to be. It is your job to bridge the gap using freelance consulting. The process of bridging the gap is how you make money with freelance consulting.

Freelance consulting allows you to be in control of your time while deciding the kind of job to take up. There are reasons why people employ the services of freelance consultants. To make money with freelance consulting services, you have to be among these reasons.

Tips On How O Make Money With Freelance Consulting

1. Choose a niche

Don’t be a jack of all trade master of none. In freelancing consulting, you have to choose a niche and be an expert in it. People are afraid of choosing a niche because of the fear of losing opportunities. You can’t be everything to everyone, and focus is essential to success. There is no one that wants a generalist when they can have the services of a specialist.

For example, imagine you advertised for a writer to create long-term articles for your website. Three people applied with the following caption

Freelance writer
Freelance writer available for copywriting and blog posts
Freelance writer specializing in long-term articles for articles to drive traffic and secure new leads.

You will definitely go with the third applicant because he specified what you want.

2. Identify a need in your niche

Every human behavior is driven by our need to avoid pain and seek pleasure. Every successful business sells something beneficial or a solution to a plan. Before you engage in freelance consulting services, make out time to study the market and find out what people actually need. Once you have identified the need, then you find ways to provide such needs.

3. Hone your skills

When you have chosen your niche and also identified the needs in the market, the next step is to hone your skills to provide excellent services. You cannot make money with freelance consulting if you deliver poor services to your clients. For example, if I hire you for a freelance consulting job and I am not satisfied with your delivery, I won’t come back for a second time.

Be the best at what you do, and people will be eager to seek your services at all times.

Conclusion

We have highlighted the three major ways you can make money from freelance consulting as a freelance consultant. It is all about understanding the needs of the people and meeting those needs in the most efficient manner. Kindly share your thoughts by using the comment section provided below. Thank you for your time.

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