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Make Sure Your Content Fits Your Format

Lesson 5 from: Master The Art of Teaching

Michael Port, Amy Port

Make Sure Your Content Fits Your Format

Lesson 5 from: Master The Art of Teaching

Michael Port, Amy Port

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Lesson Info

5. Make Sure Your Content Fits Your Format

Lesson Info

Make Sure Your Content Fits Your Format

Welcome back. Hello, how you doing? I'm great. How are you? Good. Now that we worked out how to organize our content now we're going to put into the creative live formula because it's unique? Yes. So creative live is is a platform like few others. I don't think there's anything quite like it out there, so we need to understand how to take all of the content and apply it to the different formats that exists at creative live and there's a couple different ways that we shoot here. So you detail those two? Absolutely so you have direct to catalog and you may or may not have an audience in the room, it will be different. It will feel very different if you have an audience or don't have an audience in a direct to catalog. You are not shooting live, so you won't be relating. You'll be relating differently with the audience at home because of course, people will be watching you. But after the fact, uh, and then of course you have the courses that stream live where there is through the host and...

we have a wonderful host syria. J k k o in the house, work with us so glad you're here. But that will be very different kind of interaction that you get from the people at home who are watching it live, so you have a number of people to be relating to very often you're you're teaching on your own, but you might be teaching with a teaching partner, but on top of that you have audience is to relate to at home, you have audiences will to relate to in the studio potentially, and you have a host to relate to potentially so there are there are a number of ways that you'll be working now in all of those formats there are a number of of things to pay attention to. One is, of course, your curriculum in every segment in every lesson you d'oh you want there to be strong content, strong curriculum to be offering to something aspirational, something motivate national something that ties you back to the big idea or the big promise that we talked about in an earlier lesson. The third thing to pay attention to is participation because whether your audience is at home or in the studio, whether your audiences live or not, uh, you want to offer them some way to participate some way to engage so that it's not just lecturing, so now I'm going to continue lecturing, and andi, we want to think about the format in this way you have if you're doing it, live your life, you have one day course two day course, or maybe even a three day course. If you are delivering a program that is directed catalog you may do, you may film it over the course of a day or two, but your segments maybe different lengths. So you make sure something that's five minutes or ten minutes, twenty minutes of thirty minutes or even an hour and a half, but you don't have to shoot in the same structure that you would when you're shooting live generally shooting live, you'll have an hour and a half will be the first segment, then there's a break, then another hour and a half et cetera. So again, you see how your content is organized differently as a result. So there's some more flexibility in terms of how you designed the lesson plan when your director catalog, but you're gonna work with your content producer on this. This is what's important, remember, you have somebody who is masterful at this work, they do a day in and day out, so please let them help you organize your content for the creative live format. One of the things that that they will tell you is when you start a course, especially alive course, but any course you need to grab them right away, because they come in, they tune in sick like this is this gonna be good? Isn't relevant to me? Do I? Do I need it? And if you're not sure then don't go away but if they feel that that it is relevant to them that they can get great value from this they might not be able to watch the whole thing but they say I can buy this and then I can watch it whenever I want to and it makes a big difference so when when you start the course, you want to make sure that it's not really heavy heddy kind of content that it's a little bit lighter it's aspirational but remember as we talked about that big idea is present you're demonstrating that you are have a very, very clear promise this is what you're going to get if you you know, enjoy use consume participate in this course here the consequences here other rewards and that's where you start is gonna be really, really strong. Yes and so let's talk about the first five minutes those key first five minutes because very often we think especially if it's a longer shoot if it's a one day, two day three day shoot often it you come in and would want some kind of warm up but the audience doesn't wanna warm up they need to know relatively quickly if not very quickly is this for me or is it not? Am I going to is this going to be worth my time so often there's a lot of filler yeah, you know it's like oh, hi, I'm happy to be here just flew in from boise my arms are tired. You know this this unnecessary filler that that happens or high so great, sam oh, yeah, nice. Did you enjoy your oatmeal this morning? And now you're five, ten minutes into the thing our producers are laughing in the back because they're going to be up that's exactly what happens and the people there home going I can't I gotta you know, I got to make my first phone call of the day. I just want to know if I should buy this thing if it's really good so you want to get right to it. So we're going to go through a three part process forgetting for getting the audience engaged with your topic and with you right off the bat. So first they need to know that this will be successful for them, that they can engage with the material they can engage with lesson and that they can be successful with the work at the work second, they need to know that it's worth their time they need to know that where you are going to take them eyes is worth their time that they will learn something that's meaningful and substantial for them. Third, they need to know that you're the person who can deliver that for them so one that it will be successful too there's worth their time and three you were the person who can take them on that journey. And the host is going to help you with these first five minutes and throughout the entire program and that's why we asked j k o to sit in with us now to talk about what it's like to be a host? What it's like to work with the host, eh? So we're going to look at best practices so thank you for being here always a pleasure to be here on doesn't he sound quite lovely? Very proper british? I'm really from illinois just do this impressive, very nice, well done, well done, so the host is here to do a couple things the host helps facilitate interaction with the home audience. They are receiving questions from the audience, they're seeing the comments, they are talking to the producers in the booth and the director and they are help they help guide you there essentially your director during the course that all great way to get there on the ground, so you got to make sure that you work with that they're not just somebody over there who two times once at the beginning says hi, we're going to start and then okay. Hi it's. Time to finish. That would be such a poor use of their skills. They are here to help facilitate. So what? What do you find is the biggest mistake that instructors make when working with the host? I think you've touched on a lot of things, michael already that the host can help any instructor with that's. Our primary role is to be here, to support you guys, and to guide you and help you in any way that we can were also the voice of the online audience. Of course, they were also the voice of helping the studi it's here in the studio and directly in contact. But what some instructors do is they tend to forget when their live that there is a live audience there who could help them with their content on we are here to support that and say so, and so is asking a question they're in maryland, etcetera on these structures can also ask questions of the audience and that's something I think they sometimes forget as well. Yeah, or the worst thing is to ask a question of the audience and then not go back and hear the answer. There's all sorts of things that we then stay on top of, to make sure that we're helping you in assisting you and making sure that your content is delivered to the best of the best of your ability. What correct? Like that's a that's? A. You mentioned asking audience, asking the audience a question and then not coming back to it is just like the same role. I'm going to teach you these three things, and then not unpacking, and then enjoy teaching one, but not two. And three it's a big part of your credibility as an instructor, and you're ability to deliver on a promise. If you say, we're going to do this, this and this, that you do same thing when you're goingto the home audience. One of the things that that I've seen happens sometimes is the instructor doesn't give the host the opportunity to get into the conversation that can happen. But again way is the host have to take into account that the instructor, maybe nervous that the instructor hasn't done this before. So again, we are here to help you facilitate that to make it easier to make it smoother. You were saying earlier that you know we waste the first five minutes explaining who you are or how you got here, you are going to lose the audience and that's why we have the host to set you up the success we made the introduction we say this is amy, this is michael, this is who they are, this is what they're going to do let's go and then you what you already set up for four successful right from the out from the outset, so if you find that the home audience is starting to drop off for the questions are starting to slow down, the interaction in the chat is starting to slow down. The host will come to the instructor and say, hey so and then you'll bring the host over to the audio absolutely from my perspective as a host also I'm I'm unengaged student too. I want to be learning. I want to understand it is exactly what your message is so that I can help me in my professional career as well, and so I will interject with questions of my own on that may resonate with the online audience in may resonate with students as well, it's all about guiding and helping you and stay on course that's such a unique place to be in total because you service the student as you just said, which which gives a very honest response to the work that's happening from the instructor. But at the same time, in the same way that content producers, I understand the workings and what's unique about creative live you have that insight to so you become the perfect bridge for, for us, a perfect bridge for the instructors. I have a question about the time lag because we will put out there a question to the audience, but we need teo prepare it enough ahead of time so that we get the answers in a timely fashion when we need them. So how much time lag is there in various it can be as little as sixty seconds. It can be as much as ninety seconds. S o the way we try and encourage instructors to do is is to ask the audience first and say way like to hear your response to this and then I'll put that question to the chat room together with the oftheir host and also maybe verbalize it again, but then we go to the the in studio students to hear their responses first by the time that they've answered, I should have something ready for you to get back to you say, okay, amy so and so in andover says, and then we get you the answers, but the time lag is a tricky one, but again, it's this's, where we will help you with the timing if the host jumps into the question of their own, make sure that you answer it because what they may be doing is help clarifying something that you we're not clear on, so if you feel like, well, I just said that, why is he asking me this question? And you're deflecting it then you may be missing out on an opportunity to make sure that everybody in the hole, in the instant audience and at home understand exactly what you were saying and that's one of the one of the gif ts of having host on the state, she was actually listening to you and paying attention because, you know, I've done ah lot on tv where the host of the anchor is, they're not listening, they're just blank look on their face waiting, okay, they smile, stop moving now I'll talk and it's very different, they're really, really there with you, they really support you. We really are me, and we are we are playing the role ofthe student, we are the conduit to the online audience, but as well as being our focus entirely on you and entirely on your content, and you bury something else there, michael, which is very important, and the natural thing is for the host on the instructor to start having a one on one conversation. It's, all because I've asked the question, your natural going to reply to me, but you should be replying to the online audience very important that you answer to the camera. It's not really my question, I'm just the voice from further chat room, right? And when you get here, the your produce, your content producer will introduce you to your host, and then you will meet and you'll rehearse, and you will put together your plan for the day. So you're doing lots of rehearsing at home, and we're going to do a lesson on rehearsal specifically, but when you get here, this is the first time you're meeting the host, and maybe the first time that you're meeting in person with your creative producer, and you're going to work out together what that plan is for your first five minutes, and then for the first lesson, and then the clothes of that lesson, and then and if you are relaxed when you come and you ready to go and you've gotten your material well prepared, then you can spend the kind of time with the host that you need to to make sure that you're on the same page and they know what you're doing, and you know what they're doing. So when you are here, make sure that you spend as much time with the host as you can, so that you guys are really connected and they are really, they're helping you, and you are helping them do their best work as well, because the challenge weii, then fill the structures with a lot of information, it can be a little bit overwhelming, but just know that we will always be there to support you in the studio, and you don't need to remember, because we'll remember it for you that's great, they also you also often bring a guest spot in so the instructor will have somebody that is, is being in from some other faraway location, and you help with that a cz well, don't you? So you'll introduce what we have guests from. So, you know, from from boise, and you know, they're going to talk about this, and then the instructor has, ah, relationship with them and ask them questions, and really the instructor, you own that particular part of the conversation but your host will help facilitate that as well so what are some of the things that are important when you're working with a guest from home because you may do that in your class you may bring in some experts bring it bring in an expert to home so relaxed so skype right so attacks so we're gonna prep them with our questions you know make sure that they know what we're going to do when we get there I just put her on this box what are you talking about it's not her fault she's not loss I hide put her on the spot so when you're working with the guests on your mind you want to prepare them with questions I've had the great honor of serving in one of these guest spots to hear on creative live and it was such a fruitful and joyful experience because I got to work with the instructor and prepare the conversation ahead of time really we knew what the appropriate questions were to ask she knew what my answers were likely going to be and we made sure that the material the content was laid out enough ahead of time so that it served her mission right at the same time you want to be really generous with the person who's coming on to do that guest spot let them share their website let them share where where the audience can find you but it's a two way street in the same way that it is with a host it's a two way street you want to make sure that both parties are aware of what the other one is bringing on what the other one need aids and then take care of each other in the same way that you're taking care of in serving the audience the whole team here as well as really set up to make sure that the tack flows smoothly so make sure that your guest spot person uh goes through their tak rehearsal in has all of that they don't know not here they don't miss that one you know they don't they don't take a day off that's really, really important important that both of you are involved in that uh, tech rehearsal so we covered a lot in a very short period of time we haven't you know, one of the other things the host does as well is take care of if you like of all the abdomen procedures they're the ones who will actually explain to the audience how it all works how you by the court how you get all the downloads and all of those things so you don't have to worry about that you can focus completely on your content and teaching which is why you're here but I think you know, sometimes instructors get overwhelmed by that thing I have to do all this you don't that's why we have the host here to help facilitate that for the audience. So lovely. Thank you so much for your articles lesson jake. Thank you. Now we've covered in this particular course howto apply or this particular lesson, how to apply your content to the creative live format. Now, in the next lesson, we're going to make sure that you know how to rehearse all of this content that you have created. So when you show up here, you are ready to go, you're not nervous, maybe a little bit nervous nerves are okay just means that you're excited to be there serving the audience it's good thing, if you're not nervous at all probably means that you don't care and you do care, so you're a little bit nervous, but you'll feel confident if he really secure and watch that lesson, because often people don't rehearse it's it's, one of the, uh, the big holes in the preparation process, so make sure you watch that lesson, so thank you, baby, thank you, j k o michael and thanks for watching.

Ratings and Reviews

a Creativelive Student
 

This was such a pleasure to watch. Thank you, Michael and Amy for the tips - excellent for both new and seasoned instructors! I had several *huge* take-aways that will help me improve my next class. I appreciate you and the thought that went into these sessions.

Cay deCristo
 

This class is full of great advice from two seasoned pros... I've worked with Michael Port in the past and attended a workshop with both Michael and Amy in NY last year that was AMAZING... this CreativeLive class is perfect for people like myself that are not only speaking to groups but also teaching them in the process.

a Creativelive Student
 

Amazing class! So many great tips & ways to connect with your audience. Thanks Amy & Michael!

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