How easy is it for you to make and implement decisions? Some ideas we carry with us for months and wait for the spark that sets the project in motion. What helps are reports from others who have already put similar ideas into action. For example, the trainers Normen Ulbrich and Dennis Tröger: Discover now what tips the two have for getting started with online courses!
Take the first step: From idea to decision
As a trainer or coach, you are used to motivating other people. Yes, you probably love that about your job: creating change, making an impact. How much do you apply this fundamental idea to yourself?
Maybe you are also carrying a thought with you and are unsure whether and how to put it into action. I know this feeling right before a decision very well and always ask trainers in interviews: How did you get started with the new training format? And what tips do you have for fellow trainers who also want to start with blended learning?
In this article, I would like to share with you the answers from the trainers and consultants Normen Ulbrich and Dennis Tröger. Both have been successfully working with the blended learning concept for some time now – combining traditional face-to-face events with accompanying e-learning. Check out what tips they have for you!
Here you can learn more about the blended-learning-experienced trainers Normen and Dennis:
Normen Ulbrich:
Blended learning is my tool
This is how my online academy works Dennis Tröger:
Online courses are not a substitute
No course sells itself
That's why I rely on blink.it
Tips from Normen Ulbrich for starting with blended learning
The trainer and owner of imnu-personnel development Normen Ulbrich is convinced that in blended learning, all participants can only benefit. Although he now successfully works with accompanying online impulses in his academy, the beginning was not easy for him either.
Normen advises trainers, coaches, and speakers primarily on one thing:
Block resources at the start – especially time.
Anyone implementing a new concept should plan time for it and be aware that no significant change happens overnight. Creating an online course and individual content may be technically straightforward – but it is not necessarily easy at the beginning.
Try out different ideas and see how they resonate with your clients! And be kind to yourself if something does not work as quickly as you had hoped.
Here is a second tip from Normen:
Too concrete ideas can hinder success.
From his own experience, Normen Ulbrich knows that particularly when starting with blended learning, overly detailed ideas for online support can become a brake on success. “Four or five years ago, I had the idea to create an app,” Normen explained to me in the interview. His goal then and now: “I wanted to give my participants impulses – but above all, I wanted to stay in contact with them. Extend the training duration without having to be present.”
His “specifications” were then presented to various app developers at that time. However, he realized: For this path, his budget would have to be enormous – and the app still wouldn’t have been able to do all that he had envisioned.
Today, Normen uses blink.it for his online support: The software meets his goals exactly and is also cost-effective. Even though the technical solution does not fulfill every single desired function – Normen's goals for blended learning are fulfilled.
Normen Ulbrich's tips for starting with blended learning: Embrace new ideas and set aside enough time to create your first online courses!
Tips from Dennis Tröger for starting with blended learning
As a second success example from practice, I would like to introduce you to Dennis Tröger. He describes himself as a head person and wants to be spontaneous more often – or precisely because of that. You can find all his answers to the question of tips for fellow trainers in the following video interview:
Tip 1 from Dennis to fellow trainers: Just do it
A little more courage would do many trainers a lot of good.
To simply try out new things, this is what Dennis advises to anyone who has been toying with an idea for a while but has not yet put it into action. This does not mean that actions should happen “head over heels.” But that almost never happens anyway – the bigger hurdle is one's own courage to change and to act.
Tip 2 from Dennis to fellow trainers: Consider marketing
Besides the appeal for more courage, Dennis also has an essential tip regarding marketing: No course is so good that it sells itself. Particularly with online courses, one should not expect customers to come on their own if only the course is good enough. Therefore, his second tip is:
Think from the customer's perspective and create a benefit that the customer does not expect!
For example, Dennis uses a specially created online course to invite potential customers during the acquisition conversation to engage with the training topics. In it, Dennis shows videos of himself, where he motivates and gives initial tips on his topic to the customer – almost for free, before the sale is completed.
Tip 3 from Dennis to fellow trainers: Try out videos
As a third piece of advice, Dennis can only recommend trying out new media. Especially regarding video, there are still many people who worry too much about their appearance. What matters, according to Dennis, are the contents. His second appeal is therefore:
Lose the fear of the camera – to your viewers, you are a bunch of flesh standing in front of the camera!
What Dennis means by this: Only you notice that your hair isn't perfect or that you have dark circles under your eyes. Your viewers are watching the video because they are interested in the content! As long as you are understandable, appear sympathetic, and have something interesting to say, you can only win with the medium of video.
Dennis Tröger's tips for starting with blended learning: Think about selling from the very beginning and dare to try out new media!
One final tip for starting with blended learning: Maybe you know the worry about an embarrassing or otherwise inadequate video recording of yourself. Dennis suggests that you keep a daily video diary of one minute's recording to lose the fear of the camera.
Take this tip as a small project for next week. It’s not about perfection, but just practice. Set yourself a reminder in your calendar and just give it a try!
