How to Teach Storytelling Online with Lisa Bloom

Danny Iny 00:08 Hello and welcome to course lab, the show that teaches creators like you how to make better online courses. I'm Danny, the founder and CEO of mercy, and I'm here with my co host am crystal, the co founder of resume group. Hey Danny. In each episode, of course lab, we showcase a course and creator who is doing something really interesting either with the architecture of their course or the business model behind it or both. And today's guest is a good friend and colleague that I've had the pleasure of working with for a very long time. Lisa Bloom. Lisa is the founder of story coach, and one of Mercy's own master coaches. And she runs our ACES Business Acceleration Program. Welcome, Lisa. Lisa Bloom 00:48 Thank you. Great to be here. Danny Iny 00:52 So obviously, the three of us have known each other for like a decade or something, but for our listeners, tell us the story. Who are you? What do you do? How did you come to be doing it? And you know, give us that journey? Lisa Bloom 01:06 Sure. So. Danny Iny 01:20 Sure, okay, sure thing again. Okay. Hello, and welcome to course lab, the show that teaches creators like you how to make better online courses. I'm Danny Eenie, the founder and CEO of mercy. And I'm here with my co host, Ed crystal, the co founder of resu. Crew. Hey, Danny. In each episode, of course lab, we showcase a course and creator who is doing something really interesting either with the architecture of their course, or the business model behind it, or both. Today's guest is a good friend and colleague who I've had the pleasure of working with for a very long time very closely. Lisa Bloom. Lisa is the founder of story coach. He's one of Mercy's master coaches, and she is the director of our ACES Business Acceleration Program. Lisa, welcome. Lisa Bloom 02:11 Thank you. It's great to be here. Danny Iny 02:13 So I mean, you Ava, and I all go like way back. We've known each other for like a decade. But for our listeners who may not know you, who are you? What do you do? Tell us the story? Lisa Bloom 02:25 Sure. So story, Kate, because she came out of an attempt for me to rediscover what I wanted to do in the world after coming out of a corporate career, reluctantly going into coaching, because I wasn't sure it was a real thing at that time. But also realizing that I, I kind of discovered storytelling and felt like there was a really interesting connection between story storytelling and coaching and began to, to play with that to play with this idea of how do we discover and create the reality around us through the stories we tell on the one hand, and then also realizing in the coaching world, that coaches were just not that great at talking about what they do in a compelling way. They weren't telling a good story. And so I saw that there was a gap and a possibility to help people tell better stories so that they could attract clients so that they could really show up in a different way in their business and be more compelling to their ideal clients. That's kind of where it started. And almost immediately with courses, because I was at a point in my life where I didn't want to be out traveling anymore. I didn't want to be in the corporate world. I had a young family, young kids, and just made sense to try and do something online, even though I didn't quite know what that meant at that time. Danny Iny 03:39 So how did that idea of I don't want to travel? I want to do something online. I think an online course, whatever that may be, is the right answer. How did that then translate into your first online course? And then how did you evolve from there into I know, there have been many iterations since then. Tell us about that journey. Lisa Bloom 03:58 Well, initially, and this is kind of kind of going to age me and the work initially, my online courses were through tele seminars, if you remember, the day wasn't video, it was just phone calls, essentially. And it was putting together materials and somehow using email and maybe using some shared documents to get materials. And that's really where I started. But what I understood early on, and I understood this actually, through my coach training, was that it was possible to create a really powerful learning environment and even intimacy in a situation that was that was virtual, which seemed impossible. And to me and to everybody around me, people would say to me, You're crazy. Like, how can how can you expect to sell things and actually have a coaching practice if you're, if you're trying to do that overseas and with people around the world? So that's where it started. But then, you know, with time and with technology, everything became more accessible, more cheap to do things more affordable. And of course, you daring to turn on the video, you know, daring to actually show up made a big difference. And so that evolved into different iterations of courses. But very early on, I got a fantastic piece of advice from In fact, the organization that I learned coaching through where they said, you know, maybe you should align yourself with other organizations. So for example, one of my earliest courses, I got a cert, I got accredited by the International Coach Federation. And that gave me both the courage and the legitimacy to go out there in a bigger way, and put this course together. Danny Iny 05:36 So that's an area that a lot of people have questions about, How can I get my course? Certified accredited, delivering CEU points, etc? What's the process for doing that? What was was it incredibly hard? Or how did you how did you make that happen? Lisa Bloom 05:54 Yeah, it really is not as difficult as people imagine. There are, of course, there are different levels of accreditation, there's different organizations, but essentially, as long as you know what the criteria are, you can both suit the course that you're building to the criteria, or just keep in mind the criteria as you're building out your materials along as long as it aligns, it's a matter of, of, of giving them what they need in order to assess your materials. And, you know, paying a fee, of course, and then that lends you a certain amount of accreditation, that lends you a certain amount of credibility, and, and attention from whatever industry you're trying to get into. So suddenly, with an accredited course, people were interested in having me on, on training, at conferences, and so on. So I got to speak at a lot of different conferences in the coaching world, and go on to all kinds of webinars and training sessions. And it really helped going to have this program that people were interested in hearing about. Danny Iny 06:57 And how do you find out what the requirements are? Is it just on their website? Or do you have to call people is it finagling for them to finally let you in on the future? Lisa Bloom 07:07 No, not at all. It's like, it's more simple than you could imagine. The criteria is out there. It's very simple. From the coaching world, we're talking about the core competency model, which is on the ICF. website. And the criteria for, for having an accredited program. They're very helpful. If you want to find out more, you can just connect with them. And just recently for a program that's coming up, I went through the we redid the accreditation, because my program has changed over the years, obviously. And they were super interested in in hearing more, you know, is it the same How's it changed, and guiding me to what I needed to do giving me all the right links and making it easy? Yeah. So it's much simpler than I thought. And it's much more impressive than I thought it was going to be when I started talking about it. People like, oh, wow, that sounds amazing as if it's this incredibly complicated process. And it's involved and you have to make an effort. And you have to really understand your materials and understand the connection, but you can't fake it, you've got to make sure that it actually does integrate with what they're trying to teach. But once it's aligned, it's pretty straightforward. Danny Iny 08:16 Awesome. So you know, it's been a long journey, you've been producing online courses for a long time. Full disclosure for anyone who's listening, we bought your business. So your story coach business as part of Mercy now. And now today, like fast forward, you have two main program lines, right? Selling through story and story power. Tell us about those two programs? Lisa Bloom 08:40 Sure. So selling through story speaks to what I discovered early on, when I would go to all these conferences, and I would talk to people, both coaches and non coaches alike. And I'd ask about their business. And they just were really stumbling and not able to articulate what they do in a compelling way. And I realized that actually, if you can tell a good story in lots of different ways, whether it's in a sales conversation, or whether it's on your website, or in your webinars in the books you write, when you tell a good story, it's much easier to sell. It's almost like the selling happens by itself. So the the selling through story program teaches people how to really uncover their, their inner storyteller, like find their ability to tell stories, because we can all tell stories, and we are all telling stories. But we don't realize and we have these ideas about not being very good at it, or whatever it may be. And there are specific techniques that you can understand how to become a better storyteller, and then how to apply it to your business and all the different ways. So that's what selling through story is about. It really deals with the outer story, the story that we tell others the story that we put out into the world so that people are drawn to us into our business. And what I discovered along the way was actually there's the inner story, and the inner story is all about the story we tell ourselves and very often We can have all the techniques in the world and all the expertise that we need. But our inner story is somehow not quite aligned, and it sabotages us. So I realized there's a real need for what I call story power and story. Power is the ability to identify, define, understand, and then transform our inner story so that it actually matches and integrates with the outer story. And then we become unstoppable, then we become able to do whatever we need to do in our business. And the authenticity comes across, and people feel much more trust and much more ability to engage with us. So the story Power Program, sorry, go ahead. Danny Iny 10:36 Go ahead. I was just gonna kind of prompt you for what I think you're about to say next story power, as much as it has a self development, personal development component. It's professional development, it's about skilled skill building for coaches, right? Lisa Bloom 10:51 Absolutely. It's really about looking at how do I become the coach, I want to be how do I be? How do I build the business that I most desire to build? Because if I have all the systems and the processes and the techniques, but my inner story is stopping me that I'm not going to get there? So story power, is a bed, on the first level, really understanding what are the stories that are holding me back, and how do I transform them. And then for people who are as just amazed and empowered by this as I think they're going to be, they're also going to want to be able to do that for their clients, as coaches to be able to help their clients transform their whatever they're trying to change, because I do believe, you know, the need for coaches is bigger than ever before the demand is out there. And yet coaches are still struggling. And many people would say, that's because they don't have the right systems, or they don't have the right knowledge or they don't have, you know, whatever, I believe we're not as cold as an industry, we're not transforming people well, and for not being able to give them the results they want. And part of that is because we're not helping them get to the level where they can transform their stories, and then go out there and do the things they need to do and meet their goals. So the second level of story power is actually a story coach certification program, which will be certified by the International Coach Federation that's in process right now. And we're going to help people be able to transform the store help there, we're going to be able to help people understand how to get their clients transformation, in the way that will give them the kind of results that they've never been able to get before. Abe Crystal 12:31 Was I guess, can you talk about two aspects of that we can take them in either order, be interested to hear more about how that process would apply. Like to online courses, so if people are looking to deliver their transformation, you know, through online courses, how can they use these techniques today, we can start there, but then also like to talk later about, you know, how do you help people develop these skills through the facilitation of an online course? Because it seems like that could come with its own challenges, too. So it's kind of two sides of the same coin, but interested in your, your thoughts on both? Lisa Bloom 13:12 Yeah, well, I think, you know, coaching as a profession, the modality is, is not as important, you can do it through online courses, you can do it through one on one in person, you can do it online, I built my business from day one online. So you know, I have clients all over the world. And, and it's online. And so I really believe in the kind of hybrid model where it's not just you put information up there and teach stuff, but you're actually having a lot of interaction and you're having a an experience, you're really providing a learning experience and a learning environment for people through the course. And so to be able to get to the story level, the inner story level is just, it's going that level deeper. And there's a way to get to that through the kinds of interactions we design in the program. But I think for coaches to be able to get the kind of outcomes they want for their clients, they're going to have to get to that level. And and you can do that online and through through a course just as easily as if you're in the room with somebody. I think I answered the first part of that question. And the second part and correct me Tell me if I if I haven't but this the second part is really about you know, the hybrid aspects. So yes, we have the flipped classroom, we have all the pieces that need to be taught without, you know, so people can learn the methodologies and learn the processes in in in this way in this kind of technique of story coaching, but then the course also includes live sessions. It includes peer interaction, it includes journaling, it includes like a lot of different aspects that are going to deepen the learning so that people get to do the work first for themselves and then learn how to do it for others. I don't think that the model of you know, let's put some throw some information out there is ever going to To achieve that kind of transformational outcome that we're looking for in this program, but the combination of all the different aspects is incredibly effective. And in the same way, years back, I thought, wow, it's interesting that through, like, even just a phone call with a bunch of people around the world, we can get to this intimate learning environment. And part of it was facilitation, and part of it was the materials. And now we're realizing the technology allows us to do so much more. And all those different aspects allow us to get to a much deeper level, which is what is critical to this work is we can't, we can't do the superficial work because people are not getting results from it, you have to get to the level of story so that we're actually transforming the way people are showing up and how they're integrating their international stories. Abe Crystal 15:45 Yeah, that's great. Thank you. I wonder if you go into kind of more, like nitty gritty detail on some of those course design and facilitation aspect you've mentioned, because as I'm sure people listening are curious about the Okay, what does this actually look like? And how can I do it in my own courses? So could you open open the kimono a bit on those techniques? You mentioned, like the peer interactions that journaling? How does this actually work? And how do you make them really effective? Lisa Bloom 16:16 Well, there's a few things. One of the things that actually jumps to mind first, which I didn't mention, but I think is really effective is in our q&a sessions. It's not just a matter of, kind of, okay, you've you've reviewed the materials, let me answer your questions. But I actually love to do demonstrations as well, and to do laser coaching sessions. And so what happens is, I might demonstrate a laser coaching session, but then I'm going to pull people out of the audience and have them practice. Initially, that practice session with feedback is very, very informative, both for them and for everybody listening, but are also then required to go to their, their partner, their their buddy within the program, and to have practice sessions, and then to reflect on those sessions. And to journal that reflection, and, you know, submitted if they want feedback, and also for the certification part of the program, they'll need to submit the work they're doing. So it's the combination of the peer interaction where they get to discuss and, and come up with different ideas about the materials. But then there's also the practice sessions, because this is coaching, we want people to actually have the experience, okay, I'm doing this coaching, from the story perspective, from the story coach perspective. And that's when they figure out what's working and what's not working. And I found two people surprised that laser coaching sessions can be incredibly effective. And I'm talking 1015 minutes per person to do a coaching session. It's amazing what can being uncovered, if you've, if you've got the right techniques that hopefully you'll have learned through the materials and through the questions in the practice. Abe Crystal 17:50 So you're, you're demonstrating the coaching techniques via that laser coaching session, in the group, Lisa Bloom 17:57 right. And then they'll go off and practice, journal, reflect and come back with it. So there's, it's multiple learning experiences, multifaceted, it's not about okay, I'm going to absorb this information, ask a bunch of questions, and then figure out how to do it myself. They're actually practicing as they go along. And, and even, you know, that's on the certification level, even on the story power level, the kind of exercises they're going to be doing and submitting for feedback, for sharing for interaction and for conversation within their small groups that they'll be assigned within the program gives them really an opportunity to see that they own their own patterns and their inner stories, and also learn from other people and where and how they're handling the inner stories and learning how to transform them. So it's about learning a piece, and then trying it out and learning a little bit more and trying it out. So it's really building block. And then, you know, it's amazing, I just had some feedback from someone who came out of a program. And she was one of the people at the beginning of the program, who took it was literally this week, she spontaneously sent me this kind of testimonial and said, you know, use it if you want, and she was like, I was the person at the beginning of the course of setup. I'm not a storyteller, and I don't have any stories. And she said in just this last week, I've booked my fourth speaking event in this month, and I've converted clients from every single speaking event, because I'm telling stories, and the stories are coming fast and furious. I'm loving them and using them. So you know, it's uncovering. On the one hand, the external story, yes, I can use stories and tell them and it attracts clients, but internally, she completely switched her story initially. It's like I'm not a storyteller. I don't have any stories. This is not you know this. I'm curious about this, but I don't really see it applying to me, too. Yeah, I'm actually a pretty good storyteller and this is a very, very important tool for me to attract people into my business. Abe Crystal 19:53 And then the the journaling. can say a little bit more about how you use the the journaling method and is there like pretty good ways to set up? Do you give people specific journaling questions or prompts? Or is there a flow to that, that that makes it work? Well? Lisa Bloom 20:08 Yeah, I mean, I think the journaling is really just kind of out like out loud reflection, right? I think that study without reflection is is not as efficient as long as effective. And you can have reflection through conversation through questions and answers. But I think your own reflective time to write that down is really, really helpful. And so I encourage people to with prompts, to think through what they're learning to think through their experiences, and then to share them to share not necessarily what they've journaled, but to share the insights that they've they've obtained from the reflection and journaling process. And yes, it's it's, you know, weekly prompts and an invitation to share the insights from from those prompts. Abe Crystal 20:56 Okay, any Aprilaire tips or tricks in terms of, like if someone wanted to integrate journaling into their own courses, but they weren't sure what to ask students to do? Or what a good prompt would look like? Any suggestions? Lisa Bloom 21:09 Yeah, I mean, it has to be. And this is the same, by the way with story assignments, you can't ask somebody to take on something too big, it has to be something really small and relatable. So rather than say, okay, you know, tell us an impactful story that happened in your childhood. And, like, that's a really hard thing to come up with very quickly. You can say, instead, you know, what story? Did your grandparent tell you? Before, you know, think of a specific time and place and what was the story they told you? And kind of give a lot of details. And with journaling, it's often it's often a matter of, you know, looking at whatever exercise you've asked them to do that particular time and see, understand, like, what's the common response to that exercise? And then ask the question about that. So, did you find this? You know, did you find this difficult? Was this easy? Why do you think it was easy? Where does it come from? So like, there's a lot of little prompts that allow people to just, it's almost like a little voice that accompanies them through their reflective process. Some people take to journaling, they love it. And one of the things I think is super important is not to require them to journal, you know, you got to do two or three pages, it's like write down three sentences, everybody can write down three sentences. But the process of getting it out of your head and onto the page or onto the screen is a whole different process. It's the same as storytelling, the story that's in your head is very different to the story you write down, which is very different to the story you tell out loud. So I like people to recognize that but the the reflection is in their head, the journaling is on the page. And then hopefully, they're going to get to the point where they can tell that as a story, and it will become part of the repertoire that they use in the stories that they're developing through the program. Abe Crystal 22:53 Cool. Yeah, other questions? Danny, Danny Iny 22:59 I don't have anything else that was really good. Anything else in the in depth look behind into the the mechanics of creating this transformation? Abe Crystal 23:11 Anything else you want to share? Is there anything else you think it's helpful for, of course, graders to know or think about? Lisa Bloom 23:19 I think it's really, really important to look at the course, as an experience and not as a, you know, not as a training. And I come from a learning and development background, I've done a ton of classroom training, and I've done a ton of you know it back in the day, creating elearning, and all kinds of stuff is really important to think about what is the experience you want your student to go through? And what where does that? Where does that meet them? Is it purely intellectual? Is there a physical aspect to it? You know, I know this from storytelling, really great storytellers embody their story. It's a physical aspect. So I think you've got to think about how do you want your, your your student to experience this material, what way is going to actually help them learn it, embed it, and live the material, and then be creative about what elements you put into your program. And some of that is informed by how we learn ourselves as individuals, but also, you know, adult learning theory everybody learns differently. So you've got to provide experiences where they can, they can use whatever their, their learning style is. So whether it's visual or audio, or whether they're very much embodied, it just depends on if you provide a learning experience or a learning environment where you're coming from all the different, you give, you're given the opportunity to do everything. And you will require them to do the core things they have to do, then they can access the experience from different perspectives. And that experience is going to be really, really rich for them. And maybe not every element of the program is going to strike them the same way. Some people might struggle with the journaling, but they love the peer group. Some people will will really Do not connect to the peer group, but the one on one, the buddy session or the learning environment, the q&a or the laser, like it just depends on the learner. But giving them an aspect that they can connect with. And they can take with them, I think is really, really important. I hope that doesn't sound too chaotic because I'm not suggesting there should be a million things just that there are really thought through what are the what is the best way to learn this, this, this material what's the best way to to make it part of you know how you're walking through the world because we all want our work to be transformational for others, and then provide them with the opportunity to connect to the part that most suits them and that they can take with them. Danny Iny 25:47 Cool, perfect. aprendi, the Redux? Abe Crystal 25:56 Lisa Bloom is the founder of story coach, a federation of coaches. fluent in the language of story. You can find out more about her over at story coach.com That's story dash coach.com. Yeah, Lisa Bloom 26:15 yeah. Thank you. Awesome. Abe Crystal 26:21 It's fun to go behind the scenes. Yeah, cool. Lisa Bloom 26:24 Thank you. All right. So will I hop off then