Hello Reader,

A few years ago I built a custom course for a client, and when I finished it I sent it over and asked for her feedback, and she came back with "it's great!" So I did what anyone would do with a thumbs up like that, I moved forward and uploaded the whole thing to the learning platform.

Then I sent her the links for final approval. And she came back with a list of suggestions.

Which meant going back in and redoing a lot of work that would have been so much easier to change back when it was still a draft. Apparently "it's great" meant something more like "it's great, I just haven't really looked at it yet," which, to be fair, is what most of us mean when someone hands us a big pile of something and says "thoughts?"

I learned my lesson on that one, because I hadn't told her what I was actually asking for. I just asked for feedback, which is kind of like asking someone to "look at" your house without saying if you want them to check the roof or tell you if the couch works with the rug.

So now when I ask for feedback, I'm really specific about what I'm looking for, whether that's spelling and grammar, flow, how it looks, or whatever's relevant in that moment. And for big projects I break it into chunks, so one pass is just about the way it looks, another is about how the content flows, another is word choice, because asking someone to catch everything at once is how you end up with "it's great!" in the first place.

This works for you too, any time you hand your course or program to someone, whether that's a beta tester, a friend who'd actually take the course, your VA, or a colleague. A good ask has three parts:

What it is. "This is the first module of my course, and it's a rough draft."
​What you want feedback on. "I'm only looking at whether the steps make sense in this order."
​What to ignore. "Don't worry about typos or how it looks yet, that comes later."

It takes an extra thirty seconds to write, and it saves you from the list that shows up after everything's already uploaded. Speaking from experience. 😅

And this is pretty much exactly how I work with people in something I've been building behind the scenes. It's async, no calls, you send me the piece you're working on along with what you want me to look at, and I come back with feedback on that one thing, so you're working through it a step at a time instead of sorting through a giant pile of notes on your own.

It's not out in the world yet, but if you want a first look before it is, just reply with "build" and I'll send you the details.

Sarah

I'm Sarah Shoop, a course creation specialist who empowers heart-centered coaches, healers, and creative entrepreneurs to craft impact-driven online courses and group program content for their clients. Discover more at sarahshoop.com and download your free guide '10 Authentic Engagement Strategies for Impact-Driven Courses' to elevate your online teaching experience.

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