A few notes and observations from yesterday’s session on How and Why to start a Cohort Based Course in 2021 with @weskao, @david_perell, @fortelabs and others on @joinclubhouse

...

1. The live experience matters.

Self-paced, passive options are becoming commoditized and have horrible dropout rates. They're also poor at accommodating mixed learning styles

Making the live component feel magic is key. However, this doesn't always come easy (esp. online).

2. The group seemed to agree on creators being 50% Instructor 50% Entertainer.

I prefer the rule of thirds:
33% Instructor/Teacher
33% Entertainer
33% Facilitator
(+ 1% of whatever else you fancy)

The facilitation element is HUGE imo.

3. I’ve facilitated 200+ live workshops in the last 5 years, and the coach and facilitator skillsets are so valuable - both online and IRL.

If you can’t read the room, troubleshoot smoothly, or invite exploration and peer connection you may as well just pre-record a lecture.

4. David mentioned he’s been studying high-energy pastors for tips on speaking. It's a great example of getting inspiration from different universes

However, dogma is something I feel the future of learning needs to be really careful with, and religion is… well, kinda dogmatic

5. Cohort Based Course (CBC) is a smart term that’s been coined to easily brand and own this ostensibly new category (I’ve always called them 'workshops', but whatever).

This fresh space is exciting, but also intimidating if you’re new to this stuff.

Some good news though...

6. The core principles are very similar to running any flavor of workshop that features humans (more good news: you are a human).

If you’re able to run a solid short-form workshop (and trust me, with a little support, you can), you’re already in good shape for CBC creation

7. This gets back to the facilitator skillset and how important it is. I don't feel facilitators are being recognized much in this space right now.

Bonus: if you’re running a CBC and don’t want to apply my rules of thirds, you can hire a great facilitator to partner with.

8. I’d recommend any CBC creator to try and get a few reps doing in-person workshops (when it’s safe to do so of course).

You’ll learn a ton, and vice versa your online skills will make any in-person stuff you do better too. (ooh, flywheel...)

9. Self-Paced courses are notoriously easy to flake, whereas CBCs provide a valuable forcing function.

However, a CBC can force a little too much.

Like exercise, learning should feel hard, but you don’t want to injure or exclude people. Awareness of learner needs helps here

10. I agree a big component of CBCs is the sense of accomplishment, but focusing too much here can mean losing sight of providing exploration and play.

Encouraging this is key to creating a safe and positive learning environment. Different people thrive in different spaces.

11. The word ‘lecture’ used to strike fear into my heart. I agree with @david_perell that lectures matter, but not only for the reason he suggested.

They can be really effective at transferring and even transforming knowledge.

Just gotta keep shifting modes to keep it vibing.

12. Terminology is a challenge. The group used some terms that are very traditional, while simultaneously talking about disruption and new models.

This is something I definitely wrangle with also.

I do feel we need to get away from the word ‘instructor’ though.

13. Will talked about the value of coaches and alumni mentors. I def. agree and excited to learn more about best ways to bring in alumni.

However, I sensed some conflation of ‘mentor’ and ‘coach’.

Some v. important differences between them. Defining these roles matters a lot.

14. Self-care matters. 100% agree with Tiago this is vastly underestimated, esp. as many CBC owners are solo/small teams.

I did loads of in-person workshops in 2019 and exhaustion was real. Same goes online.

Lots of ways to manage this. A good start is to just be aware of it.

15. Space: For the first ‘proper’ live session in our last cohort, @joshupton suggested we scrap all my content and just focus on connection. I was aghast - all my lovely content in the trash! He was right.

Devoting a session to lightly facilitated group conversation can be huge

16. Pause: Our 3rd session was two days after George Floyd’s murder. There was tension in the room.

We decided to pause the scheduled stuff and open up space for anyone to take a time out, or step away if they felt the need to. Several did.

Don't be afraid to pause.

17. Curating groups is key. Curious to learn more about how the hosts do it, as this isn’t easy.

As suggested, introvert / extrovert is a good start, but you can also dig into status, confidence level, experience, etc.

Pay more attention to this than you think you need to

16. David talked about colleges pivoting, but they've got a big turning circle to deal with.

Interesting angle around one college (didn't catch the name) now offering just sports and student life, and not really any educational material.

Mid-tier is going to get squeeeeeezed.

17. So, what does the future look like?

A few of my hunches:
- More coaches
- Facilitation skills more valuable
- Better platforms (presumably like the startup from @wes_kao and @gaganbiyani, and @hyperlink_a)
- Hypermedia content
- Branded badges

It's an exciting time :)