Wondering how you can incorporate online learning into your coaching program? Here are some ideas for making it work.

In recent years, online coaching has become a booming business. Not only has the interest in personal coaching grown, but the technology behind creating an online business has improved, and that has meant more people have felt comfortable bringing their services online.

Coaching and mentoring tend to be very personal courses. In theory, a coach could set up a business simply by combining a payment method with the ability to schedule a one-on-one zoom meeting. However, while these one-on-one sessions can be hugely attractive, they also take up time. Because of this, many coaches are looking to online courses as a way to share their wisdom in a less labor-intensive way. The question is, how can you create repeatable courses from such an individualized service?

One way is to offer a mix of courses, group seminars, and personal lessons. This can help your learners make the most of their one-on-one time without booking up all of your time. Want to know what these classes might look like? Here are some ideas.

1. Life coaching.

A cross between a therapist and a business coach, life coaches help their clients achieve personal goals, overcome bad habits, and grow a more confident, peaceful outlook on their lives. Life coaches can improve their online course offerings by thinking about common needs within certain demographics, and offering courses on popular subjects.

• Run a group seminar on a self-improvement topic.
• Create specific courses focused on demographics, such as women, parents, or retirees.
• Offer short quizzes to remind learners of their priorities and keep them on track.

2. Personal fitness.

Coaches have been teaching training courses remotely since the day of the first exercise video. Today’s courses can expand this tradition, but add to it reciprocity in the form of live classes. It’s also a way for trainers to educate their trainees on anatomy and best practices so they don’t risk injuring themselves.

• Consult with your trainees to construct a personalized training plan.
• Create short 5 min workout routines that trainees can incorporate into their workout routine.
• Design quizzes around health and fitness to keep trainees from getting injured.

3. Therapy.

Many therapy sessions come in the form of a monolog, with the patient discussing their life in a near-monolog, and the therapist occasionally asking for some clarification or offer a suggestion. However, therapy is also about learning new behaviors. Background reading and quizzes on certain subjects could be used to better educate learners and help them practice techniques  on their own terms.

• Create lessons to help your patients practice positive mental health.
• Write self-evaluations in the style of personality quizzes to help a patient recognize when they need support.
• Design branching scenarios for learners to practice responding to stressful situations.

4. Business coaching.

Building a business is hard work, and it takes a steady mind to be able to manage high-level decision making while also making sure none of the details slip through the cracks. Business coaches and mentors can help owners think through new strategies and keep a level head when managing some of the more complicated matters.

• Offer specific consultation sessions for launching a new business.
• Create a seminar on how to manage an expansion or acquisition.
• Share negotiation tactics for handling important meetings.

5. Leadership training.

Leadership training is a huge priority for many businesses, especially those that need to find effective managers to keep operations running smoothly. Good leaders don’t come from nowhere. That’s why leadership training courses are made to help grow people into the position.

• Create branching scenarios to help leaders practice managing employee relationships.
• Guide a leader through designing and running their first team-building seminar.
• Build a course on how to recruit, identify, and hire the right employees.

6. Personal finance

Whether searching for ways to get out of debt, planning for retirement, or learning how to manage stocks, nearly everyone has some interest in personal finance. The market here is competitive, and you’ll probably need to rely on one-on-one coaching more than most, but you can supplement this with online courses as well.

• Design specific courses to keep your learners up to date on financial matters.
• Offer one-on-one retirement planning sessions.
• Create courses on managing and getting out of debt.

Offering a range of course types gives you more versatility.

As you can see, there are any number of coaching and mentoring courses that can be offered online. But by varying the type of course, learners can make headway on their own or with peers. When they show up for a personal coaching session they’ll be more prepared, and when they leave they’ll have more opportunities to practice and remember what they learned outside of your coaching session. It’s a great win for everyone.