Dear Coach...
![]() Are you wondering what
to say or ask for in the memos you broadcast to your R&D Team
members?
Below is a collection of 28 of the actual memo
100 or so memos that I've broadcast to the CoachVille R&D Team
over the past 8 months, so you'll see quite a range of topics and
formats, depending on the need I had.
![]() The Assignment
memo
Sometimes, you can package your request for
input as an 'assignment.' Makes it sound more
official.
example
here
![]() The What Should I Do? memo
I am often not sure what
I should do or what approach I should take with a project or
service, so I ask for input from my R&D Team about what I should
do.
example
here
![]() The
Announcement/Feedback/Sales memo
From time to
time, I'll do a broadcast to the R&D Team about a new class or
program or service that is ready for the public to buy. I'll
ask for tweaking input from the R&D Team AND invite them to buy
it now, with a link to ordering it online. I use this approach
sparingly because I don't want folks to see my R&D memos as a
sales pitch. And, whenever I broadcast this type of memo, the
sales results ARE quite tempting.
example
here
![]() The Just an FYI
memo
There are times when you don't want or need feedback but
just want to share something with your team. Nice to have
these 'buffers' in between request for feedback
memos.
example
here
![]() The Photo
memo
A photo or you, a staffer, or your dog, etc. can
be entertaining for your team. And it can personalize/humanize
you.
example
here
![]() The Trying to Figure
Something Out (graph) memo
Rather than try to figure stuff
out by yourself, why not include your R&D Team in the
process? Helps you figure it out faster, and they enjoy seeing
the inside track and thinking process.
example
here
![]() The How Should I Price
Something memo?
Ask and they WILL tell you!
Duh!
example
here
![]() The Should I Do This?
memo
Their feedback is a great barometer of whether or
proceed in a particular direction or product.
example
here
![]() The Project
Announcement memo
Basic announcement memo for when you are
announcing something new and want to give folks background/context
of the project. I try to give as much context as I can't so
that I get the best feedback possible. Plus, providing context in
this memo forces me to make it clear to them, which helps the
project crystallize for me.
example
here
![]() The Sharing a
Distinction That Educates memo
Sometimes it is fun to share
new things you are learning, in this case a new distinction.
In this example, I also included a lesson/nugget from one of my
ecourse. RD& Team members like to be stimulated
intellectually, and they enjoy receiving nuggetized content from
time to time.
example
here
![]() The Getting Feedback
About Licensing memo
Asking for this type of feedback helps
you learn how to properly package your IP, and also lets the team
know that your IP does require licensing for us.
example
here
![]() The Potpourri
memo
From time to time I include several times in the same
broadcast, typically updates on several projects. Note: I've
learned to make most of my memos a single request. If you ask
for more than one thing per memo, folks get overwhelmed and they
don't respond much.
example
here
![]() Program design
memo
If you are designing a TeleClass or client program this
this example will be helpful to see how to set it up for the
members. Remember, team members probably receive 100 emails a
day from other sources, so I've learned to use a catchy subject line
and to also lay out the case for the program in the first paragraph
or two. Don't just tell folks how great idea is, tell them WHY
it's so great and to whom. That helps them see the value to
them of this program and they are more likely to respond with
feedback.
example
here
![]() The Input Sought to
Create Content memo
In creating the Client Bill of Rights, I
wanted actual line items/content, not just tweaking or feedback. If
you're asking for actual content, make sure you give them enough
example of what you are looking for, vs just tell them what you are
looking for. Folks find it easy to adapt than to create from
scratch.
example
here
![]() The Personal Touch
memo
It was Dave Buck's birthday one day and given that many
of the R&D Team members knew or knew of Dave Buck I asked folks
to email Dave a CoachCard or other email. (Dave received
nearly 200 birthday wishes within a week he still hasn't forgiven
me.) FYI, as a side benefit, the members who didn't know who
Dave Buck was, now know that he's someone important to me and
CoachVille given he leads TeleClasses and manages the Teleclass
Leader team.
example
here
![]() The Sharing Personal
News memo
Your team members generally enjoy hearing about
your personal or professional wins. About once every 20 memos, I'll
share something along this line.
example
here
![]() Asking for
translators
Sometimes, you need a special skill set that only
2% of your members will have. It is fine to broadcast a memo
to everyone on your team, even if you have a very narrow type of
request such as this memo did.
example
here
![]() The Asking for Stories
memo
Stories, usage examples, testimonials, etc. are very
important when you're building a course, ebook or website. The
consumer is more likely to believe happy customers than they are to
believe you.
example
here
![]() The Examples
memo
Here's an example of a request for more 'examples' of
something that you're building. This, for a course I am
building on the various coaching styles. Given the different
personality and style types on my team, the input 'rounded out' my
first version.
example
here
![]() The Building a
Comparative List memo
I
wanted to build a chart comparing Therapy vs Coaching. The
team's input was exceptionally helpful.
example
here
![]() The Finished Product
memo
It's a great idea to share the finished product of
something that the team helped you create. This closes the loop and
increases feedback rates.
example
here
![]() The How Are You
Benefiting? memo
From time to time, it's important to ask
your team members if/how they are benefiting personally and
professionally as an R&D Team member. This prompts them to
look, and they are usually impressed with what they discover.
Further bonds them to you and the process. Broadcast selected
comments *(with permission) to educate/remind everyone what the
benefit to them are.
example
here
![]() The Building Content
for an Ecourse memo
I am building a 42 lesson ecourse called
the 42 Income Streams for Coaches ecourse. I wanted help with
identifying the full list of 42 different sources of income that
coaches can earn, and I also needed mini case studies/examples to
help fill out and personalize each of the
example
here
![]() The Tease
memo
Sometimes, you just can't help yourself and you send out
a 'coming soon' or 'tease' memo. Definitely gets their
attention!
example
here
![]() The System Beta
Testing memo
I always turn to the R&D Team whenever I
want a system beta tested before releasing to the full CoachVille
membership. R&D Team members make create beta testers and
save us from embarrassment by releasing something with bugs in it to
the general membership.
example
here
![]() The Help Me
Build a Q&A memo
Q&A's are an effective format to
convey a lot of information in usable chunks and provide
situationalized answers to customer questions. And, I find it
much easier to create intellectual property when I am responding to
specific questions. By asking your team to send in a lot of
questions they have on your topic and/or having them read the
Q&A list that you've started, they'll ask you questions that
never would have occurred to you prompt you to explain your course
or product in a more complete manner.
example
here
![]() The Introducing
a Big Idea memo
Quite a few of my team memos have to do with
ideas I'm having that I want on which I want feedback. These
are only ideas at this stage, but your team can provide valuable
insights and opinions which will help you see the idea more clearly
and/or evolve the idea very, very quickly, even before you've
started developing it.
example
here
I hope that this
was helpful.
Thomas
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