Creating successful training programs starts with understanding your audience. It’s about connecting with learners on their terms, not just subject matter expertise.
This section focuses on identifying and understanding your ideal learner – after all, you wouldn’t bake a cake without knowing if people like chocolate! Building a clear picture of your target audience is the first, and most important, step.
The trick to building a successful course starts with knowing who you’re making it for. You need to understand your ideal learner.
First up: what does your ideal learner already know? Imagine you’re teaching someone to ride a bike. You wouldn’t start with a mountain bike on a rocky trail if they have never sat on one. It’s the same with courses. Find out what your learners already know. Some may be total beginners, whilst others may know quite a bit.
At the same time, try to find out what problems your learners face? What stops them from getting better at the thing you are teaching? Think about the skills your learners need. If they are missing some, can your course fill those gaps. Are they confused by something? Do they feel stuck? Knowing these problems lets you make content that solves them.
So, how do you find out what people need to learn? Here are some ways to find these knowledge gaps.
Forums – lots of people use forums and communities to ask questions and these sites can be goldmines. See what people are asking. What are they finding tough? Spotting common questions shows you what your learners need help with. This is a really good way of using information to make your course better.
For example, imagine you are creating a course on how to draw comics. Using drawing related forums, you may find lots of people asking about how to draw hands. This tells you to include a section on hand drawing in your course.
Ask – if you want to know what people know, the easiest way is to just ask them. Here we’re talking surveys and polls. Ask simple questions to check learner knowledge. This gives you real information where you can see where they are good and where they need more help.
Keep your surveys short and sweet. People won’t finish them if they take too long. Use multiple choice questions to make it easier. Once you have the results, you will know what to include in your course.
Research – check out what your rivals are up to. Look for similar courses and what they are teaching. Is anything missing? Maybe other courses don’t cover a certain topic well. This is an opportunity to make your course special. Fill the gaps that others miss. This will make your course stand out and will give people a reason to pick yours.
Next, once you have an idea of the current knowledge level of your intended audience, ask what do your learners want to get from the course? What are their goals? Do they want a better job? Do they want to learn a new hobby? Is it just for fun? Or are they trying to get a certificate? When you know their goals, you can show them how your course will help them.
Knowing what motivates people is massive. If someone wants a job, show them how your course helps with that. If it’s for fun, make it interesting and exciting! Show them how your course is worthwhile.
Finally, you need to understand that everyone learns in their own way. Some people like pictures, others like sound, and some people like to do things. These are called learning styles.
Whilst people may favour one learning style, the fact is that people aren’t just one learning style – most will be a combination. The best thing to do is use a bit of everything – videos, audio, quizzes. This means everyone will be happy and will make your course work.
AI is beginning to play a role in helping course creators to understand the different learning styles. Some platforms are starting to use AI to analyse learner interactions and adapt the content to suit the learner. For example, if a learner is struggling with a particular concept, the AI may provide additional resources or explanations.
The key to a great course is making content that fits your learners. This means knowing what they know, how they study, and what they want to achieve. It means solving their problems and giving them the skills they need. This helps them reach their goals. This will mean they are more likely to stick with the course and tell their friends how good it is.
A learner persona is like a profile of your ideal student. It helps you to think about what they need and how they like to learn. This makes your course better and helps you tell the right people about it.
Think of it like creating a character for a story. Give your learner a name and a background. This makes them feel real and easier to think about. Here is an example of a learning persona using what has already been talked about.
Next, think about what your learner already knows. What skills do they have? What do they still need to learn? Knowing this helps you to design your course to fill those gaps. We can add to Sarah’s notes.
Therefore, you now understand that your course needs to teach the basics of drawing software.
Now ask, what are your learner’s goals? Why are they taking your course? Are they hoping to get a better job? Start a new hobby? Learn a specific skill?
Understanding her “why” means you can make your course interesting for her.
Next, what problems is your learner facing? What’s stopping them from reaching their goals? Maybe they don’t have much time, or maybe they find some topics difficult.
Finally, does your learner like to watch videos? Do they prefer to read instructions? Or do they learn best by doing things? Think about different learning styles when you plan your course.
Therefore, your course should have lots of visuals and hands-on activities. This also combines with the content of the course – drawing. Drawing is a practical subject and therefore, videos will probably be the ideal way to show learners how to achieve something.
Making a detailed learner persona is important. Only when you really understand your ideal learner, can you create a course that they will find useful, easy to access and, most important, will love. This helps make sure your course gives them what they need.
Making a course is more than just throwing stuff together. By finding out what people need, you make something they will really use. A course that is useful will get good reviews. Happy learners tell their friends. This means more people will join your course. So, do your homework and make something great!
