Organizing Your Curriculum
Below are guidelines for organizing and writing your curriculum/lesson plan. In another
document, we provide a template you can use to write your outline and content.
Introduction Section:
Introduce yourself. Introducing yourself sets the tone for the entire program. This is your
opportunity to share your:
Personality
Passion
Perspective
Expertise or experience
Getting vulnerable and being real is a sure way to help your clients feel connected to you. This is
your chance to develop rapport and help them get to know you.
Share a clear purpose. Right up front you want to let your audience know your goals and
objectives. Specifically, you want to express this from the AUDIENCE’s perspective. You’re
answering the big “WHY?” meaning “why should I care about what you’re teaching?
Make information relevant to them. You may have noticed many programs including a section
that tells you “this is for you if…” The reason is that once the person knows what they’re going
to learn is relevant to their own life, they will be more invested in it. Take the greater purpose for
the program you shared and make it personal by telling them the BENEFITS they will personally
receive.
Go over the outline and key components. This is the “tell-em what you’re going to tell-em”
section. Going over the outline, key concepts and main ideas sets the foundation for what you
will be presenting. Let them know what is important and what to look out for. This helps the
brain develop a picture of what it will be learning, which helps participants feel more engaged
and excited
Get people excited. Your first impression here will determine the likelihood of participants
following through and continuing on toward the completion of your program. This is where they
form their opinion, so make it a good one! Share impressive facts, something funny, or tell a
story. Give examples they can relate to or testimonials of success using your program. The key
here is to help them enjoy it while showing them how it will positively impact future results.
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Basic questions to ask yourself for the introduction:
What is the overall vision and purpose for the product?
How does this material relate to my intended audience?
What can I share that will make people intrigued and excited about the topic?
BEFORE Writing Your Content Body
Before getting into the nitty gritty of writing your content body, consider the following
questions. Review them now and then ask them of each main body section and key topic as you
write out the full curriculum.
What are the key concepts, topics and main ideas that I will be addressing?
For each of them, ask yourself why they are important?
What misconceptions may people have about the topic that I can clarify?
What information will the learners have to know in order to understand each concept and
idea (foundational knowledge)? Don’t assume they know.
How would each concepts and ideas build off the others and, therefore, what order should
they be in?
What goal or objective do I have for learners for each main topic area?
The Body of Information
Look at the process you identified in the Teaching Your Process section and use it as a
foundation for organizing your curriculum. What you are teaching should be broken down into
3-5 (sometimes more) sections. Think of this like the main paragraphs in a traditional essay, the
main points in a presentation or the chapters in a book.
Like in the Teaching Your Process section, each of your main sections will be broken down into
3-5 main points (the process within the process).
Then, for each section and main point within it, ask yourself the following questions:
In what ways will I explain the topic?
How can I illustrate the topic in a different way?
In what ways can I keep the learner engaged?
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Are there relevant real-life examples, data, visuals, questions, analogies, or stories that
can help students understand the topic better?
Are there activities that the learner can do, whether hands on, group or written, that will
help them understand the information better?
Creating Closure (Conclusion)
Congratulate the learner! Unfortunately, whether it’s a book or an actual program, statistics
show that only a small percent of learners will actually follow through to the end. So, when they
do CELEBRATE WITH THEM!
Review: This is your final opportunity to make your point and drive home the message of the
purpose of your program. Make your conclusions and reiterate your main points. A strong,
exciting close helps students leave feeling empowered and feeling positively toward you.
Reflection: This is a good opportunity to encourage learners to reflect on the information that
was presented. Reflecting on the information and how they can apply it to their lives, what they
learned, or how they can take the next step, helps the learner fully integrate what they’ve learned
and apply it to their lives.
What’s next? Consider whether their another step that you would like for the learner to take
after this program. This could be steps they can take for themselves, such as tips for
implementing what they’ve learned. Or, it could be inviting them to enroll in another program
you have.
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