How an idea becomes a course – Part II

Sorry for the delay in continuing this.  Off line life has a way of interfering, doesn’t it?  To continue.  Last post I was explaining how I got an idea for a course.  This post I’ll explain the next steps.

These next steps happen somewhat simultaneously, but I’ll break them up.

1.  Who will serve as course planner(s).  The course planners are the people who, as the title suggests, help me plan the course.  How much work this entails on the part of the course planner(s) varies.

• If someone gave me an idea for a course along with expressing an interest in speaking, that is obviously the first person I will look to as a potential course planner.
• Otherwise if the topic is new, I’ll conduct research to determine who would be a good choice.

Since I am in PA, I generally search for the top Pennsylvania attorneys (or experts) to help me.  If the topic is one I have done before, and the planning has gone well in the past, I will frequently look to the course planner or planners who helped me the last time I organized the program.

I will also ask other members of my organization’s staff, and other attorneys with whom I have worked previously for suggestions.

How many course planners I feel I need depends on the course, where it will be held, and the course planner him or herself.  If the course will be held both in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia (and possibly in the middle of PA as well) I generally try to have two course planners, one from the east and one from the west. Sometimes I’ll add one from the middle of the state.  Each of these planners will help me identify additional speakers for the seminar.  Other times I will just have one course planner.  And for very complex programs, for example a multi-track Institute, I might have a planning team of 4-6 attorneys.

2.  At this point I also need to determine when I will hold the seminar.  In Pennsylvania we have 3 compliance periods, but we cannot only offer programs in a deadline month.  There are various considerations.

• If the program has been held before, when was it last held.
• Is there another program that is intended to attract a similar audience around the time period I am considering?
• Is there some other conflict, internally or externally
• We hold hundreds of seminars a year, so I have to determine if a room in one of our facilities is available.
• The convenience of the faculty, especially the course planners, is, of course, crucial.
• How does the program fit in with all of the other programs I am managing? Do I have the staffing to get the course done when I want to get it done.
• And so on.

3.  Where will I hold the seminar?

• We generally hold our seminars in 3 locations where we have offices.
• But we can simulcast programs around PA (and to other locations with which we cooperate as well.)
• Some programs really only should be offered in Philadelphia because of the topic. Others only in the Harrisburg area (say something specific to the middle district) and some belong only in Pittsburgh.
• Will I  simulcast it.  Will there be interest in other parts of PA? Might some law firms be interested in the seminar.
• Should I offer a video replay later on
• Does it have good potential to be placed online after the course is over?
• Where can I find faculty?

All of these issues must be considered when determing where to offer the seminar.

4.  How should I offer the seminar?

• I can offer a seminar in traditional format, meaning lecture in a room with a live audience watching it.
• I can offer a telephone seminar on its own, or offer a telephone seminar followed by a traditional format seminar.
• I can offer a webinar, again on its own or followed by a traditional format seminar.
• Should it be in lecture format, or is there another format that would work better? For example, hypothetical situations, mock hearings, small work groups, so on and so forth.

As you can see, these three items, who, when and how, offer many options and require some consideration.  It is only after these are decided that I can begin to move into the next steps.  Locating additional faculty, forming the program schedule itself, creating marketing and so on.  I’ll address that in my next post.