Cathy Liska This is 15 in a series of 24 blog posts on Business and Marketing.
What is the difference between speaking and training? While there are many views on this, for our purposes let us consider speaking as a focus on an inspirational talk and training a focus on instructing for a new skill. As a coach, each time you have the opportunity to be with people that are interested in learning and improving, you are opening the door for possibilities. Offering training programs both demonstrates your areas of expertise and creates an opportunity for people to ask about coaching.
Training programs range from an hour to a day or two. As a professional coach, start by developing one, three, and six hour programs tied directly to your coaching niche areas. Before you develop a training program, research what information or skills interest your ideal client and then write learning objectives that match. Consider the various learning styles and explore delivery options so that you design materials effectively and appropriately. For example, decide on whether to use PowerPoint, guided note-taking, informational handouts, or computers. Consider options for distance learning versus classroom.
Options for offering your training program include scheduling and marketing it yourself or working with a business or professional membership organization. When you schedule a training program yourself, it involves finding a location or arranging for an online delivery, publicizing the event, and handling registrations. When you work with a business or professional membership group, they handle the location or online delivery, promotion, and registration and they either simply pay a flat fee or negotiate a percentage of the proceeds.
Conduct an amazing training program and then provide participants with resources and options that include materials you offer and your services as a coach.
