How easy is it for you to make and implement decisions? Some ideas we carry around with us for months, waiting for the spark that sets the project in motion. What helps are reports from others who have already put similar ideas into practice. For example, trainers Normen Ulbrich and Dennis Tröger: Find out now what tips they have for getting started with online courses!
Taking 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 basic idea to yourself?
Maybe you too are carrying a thought with you and are unsure whether and how to implement it. I know this feeling just 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 want to start with blended learning?
In this article, I would like to share with you the responses of trainers and consultants Normen Ulbrich and Dennis Tröger. Both have already been working successfully with the blended learning concept for some time – that is, the combination of traditional face-to-face events and accompanying e-learning. Take a look below to see what tips they have for you!
Here you can learn more about the experienced blended learning 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 getting started with blended learning
The trainer and owner of imnu-Personal Development Normen Ulbrich is convinced that with blended learning, all parties can only benefit. Although he now works successfully with accompanying online impulses in his academy, the beginning was not easy for him either.
Normen advises trainers, coaches, and speakers above all to do one thing:
Block resources at the beginning – especially time.
Anyone implementing a new concept should allow time for it and be aware that no significant change happens overnight. Creating an online course and its individual components can be technically straightforward – but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be easy at the start.
Try out different ideas and see how they are received by your customers! And be kind to yourself if something doesn't work as quickly as you had hoped.
Here's another tip from Normen:
Too concrete ideas can hinder success.
From his own experience, Normen Ulbrich knows that particularly at the start with blended learning, overly detailed ideas for online support can be a brake on success. “Four or five years ago, I had the idea of creating an app,” Normen told me in the interview. His goal back then and now: “I wanted to give my participants impulses – but above all, I wanted to stay in contact with them. To extend the training duration without having to be present.”
At that time, Normen presented his “specifications” to various app developers. But he realized: For this path, his budget would have had to be huge – and the app still wouldn't have been able to do everything he had envisioned.
Today, Normen uses blink.it for his online support: The software perfectly meets his goals and is also cost-effective. Even if the technical solution does not fulfill every single desired function – Normen's goals for blended learning are achieved.
Normen Ulbrich's tips for getting started with blended learning: Embrace new ideas and block ample time for creating your first online courses!
Tips from Dennis Tröger for getting started with blended learning
As a second success story 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 about tips for fellow trainers in the following video interview:
Tip 1 from Dennis to fellow trainers: Just do it
A little more courage would greatly benefit many trainers.
Trying out new things is what Dennis advises everyone who has been contemplating an idea for a while but hasn’t implemented it yet. This doesn’t mean that actions should happen “headlong”. But that almost never happens anyway – the bigger hurdle is one's own courage to change and act.
Tip 2 from Dennis to fellow trainers: Consider marketing
Besides the appeal for more courage, Dennis has another significant tip regarding marketing: No course is so good that it sells itself. Especially with online courses, one should not expect customers to arrive 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 anticipate!
For example, Dennis uses a specially designed online course to invite potential customers to engage with the training topics during the acquisition conversation. In it, Dennis shows videos of himself in which he motivates and gives initial tips on his topic to the customer – essentially for free, before the sale is completed.
Tip 3 from Dennis to fellow trainers: Try out videos
As a third piece of advice, Dennis strongly encourages everyone to try 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 just a pile of flesh standing in front of the camera!
What Dennis means by this: Only you notice that your hairstyle isn’t perfect or that you have dark circles under your eyes. Your viewers watch 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 gain by using the medium of video.
You can find more on the topic of video creation in our guide. We have collected all tips regarding planning, filming, and post-production of videos on smartphones.
Dennis Tröger's tips for getting started with blended learning: Think about selling from the beginning and dare to try out new media!
One last tip for getting started with blended learning: Perhaps you know the concern of a embarrassing or otherwise inadequate video recording of yourself. Dennis suggests keeping a daily video journal of one minute of recording to lose the fear of the camera.
Take this tip as a small project for the coming week. It’s not about perfection, but merely about practice. Set a reminder in your calendar and just try it out!
