Did you ever think to yourself…
“I’ll never be able to create my info product because I don’t even know how to make a graphic.”
“WHERE do I put what I create?”
“Even if I DID create something, how will people PAY me for it?”
These are all valid concerns. And quite honestly, another place where many entrepreneurs get stuck or think that they can’t make an info product believes that they aren’t “technical” or “artistic” enough.
In this article, you’ll learn how to more easily create your info product by finding the right tools that work best for your skillset and needs.
The Challenge of Converting an Idea into Reality
There is nothing more frustrating to an info product creator than trying to create something with a tool they don’t know how to use and can’t figure out! Heck, no one likes this!
In fact, figuring out how to create something maybe one of the greatest blockers a product creator has! You know your area of expertise, the need your audience has for it… but you don’t know how to actually make it.
… and when you get into it…
You could be working with an image or document, and you want to change the background from neon pink to dark gray.
Or, you’ve spent 5 hours fiddling around in Photoshop trying to make the perfect fade and just can’t quite seem to get it right.
You may just finally give up because trying to figure out technology is way too complicated. You don’t want to waste time trying to understand a complex app. You feel utterly flustered that you can’t figure this software out. You can probably feel your blood pressure start rising. And who wants to feel cranky and annoyed over some silly app?
So you try to find an easier way. You set up your smartphone and decide to make low-quality talking head videos. At least you can do that without some kind of prior knowledge of cryptic technology!
But, despite feeling less frustrated, you know deep down it’s not the best solution. You want to consistently provide your audience with high-quality content. You don’t want just to create some video where you dump a bunch of information in your audience’s lap and then leave.
Remember: telling isn’t training.
The good thing is that there are literally hundreds of tools that you can use.
(Yes, I said it was a good thing!)
Take a Swift Step Back
So before you start thinking about tools, there’s something else you need to do first. You need to design content first before trying to create it.
When you have a solid strategy, it will make your content easier to build. Think about trying to build a house without a blueprint. That would be really hard! Courses are the same way.
Make sure you conduct your gap analysis and then work through Gagné’s 9 Events as you design what your lessons will look like. Once you know the structure, THEN you can select the technology.
A Wealth of Choices
One of my favorite things about modern technology is how many options are available.
Whether you go simple or complex… free or paid… there is a tool that can meet you right where you are.
Each tool has its own unique features and benefits. Some are very simple and quick to learn. Others are more complex and probably require you to take some additional training.
But the good news is that you can find what will work the best for you and your customers without getting annoyed, overwhelmed, or frustrated!
Welcome to the Padagogy Wheel
As instructors, we want to help people elevate their level of learning from just receiving, remembering, and understanding, to the actual application.
Below is the Padagogy Wheel. This graphic shows a small sampling of the many tools that you can use to create your info product… there are still MANY more!
As instructors, we want to help people elevate their level of learning from just receiving, remembering, and understanding, to the actual application.
This wheel helps you determine what level of learning you are trying to take your audience too, and the tools that will help you deliver that message.
So instead of being dazzled by the latest and greatest apps, the Padagogy Wheel helps to crystallize your tasks and find the best apps for them.
The tools of the Padagogy Wheel help you create this in your courses. The inner ring contains the different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy and the outer ring features the tools.
You may be overwhelmed looking at this– a lot is going on here, with numerous examples of learning technologies to choose from. Next, we are going to talk about how to use this, to help you create better courses.
Up-Leveling Your Learners Experience
To get started using the Padagogy Wheel, first select the level of learning that you are focusing on for your particular activity. This is the innermost ring.
Are you looking to help your learners simply understand and remember your content or apply it?
Next, you are going to select an action verb that is appropriate for the activity. Since I want my learners to apply my lesson, I am going to choose to demonstrate. This is in the middle ring of the Padagogy Wheel.
After I select an action verb, I will choose an activity, role-play.
Then there are tools to select. Certainly, I can have my learners apply what they learned by demonstrating via a role-play activity. Since this a virtual class, I’m going to select a tool from the outermost ring that will allow them to do this even though they aren’t in the same location. I think a video recorder or presentation tool will work great for this!
The wheel can not only help you with developing your info product, but it can also help you with finding the best ways to connect with your audience!
You may also find apps that you’re familiar with in different sections of the wheel and find new ways to use them. The opportunities are endless.
And, that may be a little scary to you, like walking into an IKEA store for the first time. Endless options can be overwhelming.
But the Padagogy Wheel helps to limit those options based on the activities you’re performing or would like for your students to perform.
Cutting Through the Hype and Finding What Works for You
Even after looking at the wheel, you may still need some help in finding what works best for you and your info product needs. And that’s OK!
I’m here to help you select the best tools for you to use to deliver the content to your audience. And you won’t have to sacrifice looking professional!
You can get your points across, and your audience can embody the knowledge in exactly the way you intend.
AND, you can use more than video!
You do not have to feel trapped with just one technology tool as an option. With so many different types of learning technologies available, you also don’t have to trade quality for ease of use.
And you don’t have to be afraid of all the choices in technology. What I want for you is to find something that will increase the effectiveness of your info product, which will, in turn, build your business!
It’s a win-win for everybody!
I’ll meet you where you are technologically, and help you find the best tools for you. We will focus on creating the most successful results for you AND your customers, without agonizing over technology.
Technology smechnology! It’s not nearly as big of a deal as the way you are conveying your information to your audience–which is what pedagogy is all about, how you teach.
If you’ve already been through my blog series on Gagné’s 9 events of instruction, then you are familiar with teaching methods that can ensure your learners retain and apply the knowledge they’ve learned.
Using tools and apps should enhance that experience!
Technology should not be a barrier or hindrance to what you need to accomplish in developing your info product. And, you don’t want to waste your time being caught up in the hype of new apps and technologies.
Technology should not be a barrier or hindrance to what you need to accomplish in developing your info product. And, you don’t want to waste your time being caught up in the hype of new apps and technologies.
These tools are here to help you. A tool isn’t lightning in a bottle. The use of technology in the teaching-learning process should make life easier, not harder. You don’t have to be tied down to what you’re using because that’s what everyone else is using.
Ultimately, you want to serve your customers with the best content which can help change their lives for the better. Technology can help you do that job with higher quality and efficiency. But you don’t have to become the next tech whiz to do it.
