Hi folks! 👋

Today we'll dig into the second of a 3-part mini-series where I share an insight from 3 thought leaders who have influenced my thinking on the power of using visuals for selling at each stage of a learning experience.

Each insight speaks to one of the 3 stages of a course in relation to the Bow Tie Funnel.

If you missed the first insight on the pre-course stage, check it out here.

The second insight is on the learning experience stage in the course itself.

It will be from Francis Miller, an information and learning designer.

Here is Francis’ insight on how to increase your learners' success:

Many course creators think the selling is over once they've persuaded someone to buy their course. However, that's a mistake.

It's easy to sell someone the dream — the results they can get from doing your course. But they're never going to achieve that dream if you don't also sell them on what they need to do to acquire the new skill — the time they will need to spend, the actions they will need to take, the mindset shifts they will need to go through.

The diagram above shows what can happen when selling is restricted to your marketing. Motivation peaks after reading the sales page and the decision to purchase the course.

At that point, the transformation the learner desires feels almost within reach.... But then, for many learners, reality kicks in. There are sessions to attend, materials to read and practice to be done. Everything is time-consuming and demanding.

That new skill which once seemed so close begins to get further and further away. As motivation plummets, the learner has less and less energy to do the necessary work and so they never get around to learning the new skill.

One of the keys to helping learners achieve their goals is to focus on keeping their levels of motivation high.

There are many strategies you can use as a course creator to sell your learners on the work they need to put in. Here are some of them:

• Show them the diagram above. Explain that dips in motivation are a standard feature of learning anything new and that they just need to keep on going until the experience of progress restores their levels of motivation.
• Teach them reflection strategies so they can identify that they are making progress (Charlotte's MySnapshot tool is very good at doing this).
• Testimonials and case studies aren't just for your sales page. They should be used throughout your course not just to keep your learners excited about their goals but also to show that the course does help people like them (and not just internet superstars) to get the desired results.
• Describe the behaviour and experiences of your most successful learners. What levels of work did they put in? What problems did they come across and how did they surmount them? How did they deal with dips in motivation? Your learners need models to follow.

Helping your learners to manage their motivation keeps them engaged and more likely to succeed. You should consider it one of your highest leverage activities as a course creator.
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Thanks for reading!

Charlotte