Tuesday, April 06, 2021

Offering a 4-week class about Using Agile for Happiness - Looking for Feedback!

In the 2+ years since I left my full-time Agile coaching role, I've wanted to host a class about using Agile techniques to lead a happier life.  I've done a few free classes, Webinars,  and lectures, but now it's time for me to take the next steps.  This is going to be a 4-week set of seminars and I'm going to charge a nominal fee.

As a good Agile leader, I know it's important to be able to both give and receive feedback -- I cover this in Week 1.

Before I blast this out to my network (something that typically doesn't meet with much success), I'm going to ask for feedback about the description and the marketing..  

If you're reading this, I'd appreciate your thoughts on the class description below and any advice about marketing.  Any suggestions to make this more enticing? 

Does the price seem right?  I know compared to corporate Agile classes, the price is peanuts, but I don't have the marketing materials to market to the corporate world.  There are so many free classes that are available to a personal end-user, that I think I have to keep this low.


Carpe Diem Connections - Accomplishing your dreams and making life-long friendships

    

Are you ready to live your best life?

Using proven philosophies and methods, this four-week class will share an Agile approach to happiness, living a fulfilling life, deepening relationships and accomplishing your dreams.


Each class will consist of a 1 hour interactive lecture, followed by an optional 1 hour discussion session. The class will end with actionable steps of how you can apply what we've learned in your own life.


The topics will include:


Week 1: What is Agile?

              Mindset vs. Framework

              Giving and Receiving Feedback

              Coaching and Accountability Partners

              What does Happiness mean for you?


Week 2:  Emotional Intelligence

               Self-Awareness

               Mindfulness

               Body Language

               Teamwork


Week 3: Time Management

              Working in Iterations

              Prioritization

              Focus

              Backlogs


Week 4: The Demo

               Review

               Celebration

               Adaptability

               Planning and Next Steps



Where:


I’ll offer this class both locally (at my home in Superior, CO) as well as virtually, so you can pick whichever you prefer.  I'll offer some light snacks for those that attend in person. (Note that everyone in my household is fully vaccinated.)


Cost:


The first class is free so you can see if it appeals to you.  The remainder of the course is $30 (or $10/session) for the virtual class and $60 (or $20/session) for the in person class.


You can receive a 50% refund for providing feedback and a full refund if you are dissatisfied in any way.



My Credentials:


I’m a professional Agile coach in the Corporate Leadership domain.  Agile frameworks are adaptable and often used for software development teams.  The tools and techniques are adaptable and can be used in any domain.  They focus on relationships, collaboration and productivity.  


I also have studied positive psychology, wellness, and self-improvement. I’ve been using Agile techniques to optimize my own happiness and I’d love to share these methods with others!


8 comments:

Trailrunner24 said...

Price of the course seems low, compared to what I remembered from my Government contract Ed classes. But I understand that you are creating a startup business, so you should look at it from a business perspective. If you charged $90.00 an hour professionally that should be your base price. But you are offering your first series of classes at a discount, so you can see if there is interest in individuals applying Agile to their personal life and life goals or maybe with their work mates. This also provides you with an opportunity to have your Tax information reflecting your true value. If you feel you are only worth $10 or $20 dollars people may not see the value of the class. But if they see your value is $90.00 but they are receiving a discount as you try to get your startup business going, then they approach it differently in attending a class.

I know you taught in the Corporate World and how to apply the Agile philosophy and techniques to the work place.
Is this class geared to individuals and how to apply it to their personal lives or maybe a small Business then
It needs to be. Clear what goals, value or knowledge will an individual take away from the class.

When are the course offered during the day, the evening the time will effect those who want to attend.

Just some quick ideas

Ron Garcia

Anonymous said...

Yvonne,
The program content is great and reads like an agile retreat on mindfulness ��. You may want to add some key whats-in-it-for-me points of how this can be relevant at work.

Price is way too low and thus might be little concern for a serious candidate.

Good luck!!

My Carpe Diem Life said...

Thanks so much for the feedback!

Michael said...

I’m intrigued...depending on times and dates, I’m in!

The previous commenters bring up a good point. Your expertise might not be commensurate with the too low price you’re charging.

My Carpe Diem Life said...

OK, good comments. I was going to gear this for retirement, but I decided to keep it more generic. I may do some separate workshops for targeted groups like retirees.

Here's the new description:

Are you ready to live your best life?
Using proven philosophies and methods, this four-week class will share an Agile approach to happiness, living a fulfilling life, deepening relationships and accomplishing your dreams.

This set of seminars, along with the exercises, will help you gain the skills to transform both your professional and personal life. During the first week of class you will pick a goal that you would like to have completed by the end of the four weeks. This can be anything from losing weight to starting a business to learning a new skill. Each week we will talk about concepts, tools, and techniques to keep you on track. In the final week you will “demo” your goal for the class. There is no failure, only learning.

Besides learning productivity techniques to help you accomplish your goals, you’ll learn more about communication, relationships, and emotional intelligence. You’ll learn how to coach one another for success. The mindset shifts and reframing techniques will provide a base for you to continue improving your relationships and happiness throughout your life.

Each class will consist of a 1 hour interactive lecture, followed by an optional 1 hour discussion session.

My Carpe Diem Life said...

Oh, I also up'ed the price to $50 for virtual and $100 for in-person with 50% back for feedback. I noted it was heavily discounted because it's a new class.

Trailrunner24 said...

This course outline is better.
You might also want to add what happens after the initial course.

I just finished puppy basic training, Valiente finished ahead of his owner in the class standings
So he gets promoted to the next course, I may have to take a refresher course before starting the next course.

So what I am get at is this is your initial introduction to Aglile in the Real World,
So after this course what is the next level of training
And the level off of that

Humans are goal oriented
We need a goal a d a goal after that or we feel we are just spinning our wheels.

Price is better, if you do not value your worth, then why should we.

Is the course during the day, or evenings. Or will you hold both,
And if you hold both and I miss a day course can I drop in on the evening course

Ron Garcia
Colorado Springs

My Carpe Diem Life said...

Thanks, Ron!

Yes, good points about follow-on classes. I'm going to see how this first class goes before committing to additional ones, but I envision specialized classes depending on demand. First I need to get some classes under my belt, and then I'm hoping referrals and testimonials will help drive additional classes or perhaps some 1:1 coaching clients. I might also put together a class for business leaders.

I went ahead and scheduled for Thursday evenings (starting April 29) for the virtual classes (6-8pm MT) and Saturday afternoons (3-5pm) (starting May 1) for the in-person classes. They're scheduled on Meetup, but I'll also schedule in my Facebook groups. I can have make-up classes for those who miss..

I appreciate your feedback and if you're interested, please sign up!