It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

Good morning my friend.

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Inside this Sunday:

I’m reading about talking to children.
I’m working on a keynote for my course on talent development at companies.
I’m thinking about company culture.

Next week is an exciting week.

We’re launching our first cohort of C3!

We’re keeping this as a soft launch for now.

We’re looking for 10 course creators who want to join the 6 early adopters we’ve been working with for 2 months.

10 course creators ready to make the 12-month commitment it takes to build a sustainable course-based business.

10 course creators who want to take their courses to the next level.

Robbie and Marie will be announcing this to their audiences next week so we expect these spots to go quickly.

In fact, I had the first interview with an applicant on Friday and he signed up on the spot.

We celebrated in our WhatsApp chat. I can’t wait to celebrate in person with Marie and Robbie next year.

I hope you have an exciting week to look forward to.

Here’s what I’ve got for you today… see you in two weeks,

p.s. If you’re interested in joining C3, hit reply and let me know, “I’m interested”. I’ll be in touch with more details.

The most popular link two weeks ago was the sexy new website for my self-paced course on courses – Course of Action. I’m so glad I went all-in on this as it’s the perfect alternative for anyone that can’t afford C3, or whose course business is not mature enough yet for C3. We start 1:1 matching for members next week, I’m stoked.

Talking to Children

For all the parents out there, I found this article about Fred Rogers, written as an extract from an upcoming book. For those who don’t know, Fred Rogers, or Mr Rogers, is a TV legend whose show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, shaped the lives of millions of children.

My favorite part is a 9-part process created by the show’s writers for translating what they wrote into “Freddish” – i.e. how Fred Rogers spoke to children. I’m actively applying this to how I speak to Leo:

State the idea you wish to express as clearly as possible, and in terms preschoolers can understand.
- Example: It is dangerous to play in the street.
Rephrase in a positive manner
- as in” It is good to play where it is safe.
Rephrase the idea, bearing in mind that preschoolers cannot yet make subtle distinctions and need to be redirected to authorities they trust.
- As in Ask your parents where it is safe to play.
Rephrase your idea to eliminate all elements that could be considered prescriptive, directive, or instructive.
- That’d mean getting rid of “ask”: Your parents will tell you where it is safe to play.
Rephrase any element that suggests certainty.
- That’d be “will”: Your parents can tell you where it is safe to play.
Rephrase your idea to eliminate any element that may not apply to all children.
- Not all children know their parents, so: Your favorite grown-ups can tell you where it is safe to play.
Add a simple motivational idea that gives preschoolers a reason to follow your advice.
- Perhaps: Your favorite grown-ups can tell you where it is safe to play. It is good to listen to them.
Rephrase your new statement, repeating the first step.
- “Good” represents a value judgment, so: Your favorite grown-ups can tell you where it is safe to play. It is important to try to listen to them.
Rephrase your idea a ﬁnal time, relating it to some phase of development a preschooler can understand.
- Maybe: Your favorite grown-ups can tell you where it is safe to play. It is important to try to listen to them, and listening is an important part of growing.

Read the full article in The Atlantic

Disco Course

Jill put together a slick keynote presentation to outline my scribbled notes for the vision for this course. I’ll be presenting this on Tuesday to fellow cohort members of the Disco accelerator that just wrapped up.

Here are a few highlights of what I’m thinking:

the ideal student is a talent development professional in a company hiring rapidly.
the transformation is to create a competitive advantage for your company, through your people.
there will be a founding council of clients and leaders at large companies who will help shape the course
there will be an ongoing alumni community for talent leaders to share best practices

That last point is so key. There really isn’t anything like that for ambitious talent development leaders at companies.

Interested in the program? Fill out this quick form to stay updated.

How Did You Learn That?

In ep 48, I got philosophical with a data scientist turned entrepreneur from Amsterdam, Gilbert Eijkelenboom. Gilbert helps turn analytical thinkers into compelling communicators. One of my favorite parts of this discussion was how emotions give us information.