Hi All!
I'm grateful to be able to teach courses and run group programs to help people grow their authentic business and joyful productivity.
My social media links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geokao
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/georgekao
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgekao
Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/GeorgeKaoCommunity
Twitter: https://twitter.com/georgekao
Medium: https://georgekao.medium.com
Hello and a warm welcome! I'm George Kao, and I'm truly delighted you're joining us for Soulful Content: Stand Out & Connect Deeply in the Age of AI Noise. Begin by watching the video above this text. It includes a welcome message and a short visualization/meditation to help us all arrive fully and ground ourselves in this learning space together. Let's enjoy learning and working lightly :) Our Journey Together Our core purpose: To empower you to consistently create authentic content (rooted in your OGI -- Organic Grounded Insight, which you'll learn about later in this module) that truly connects with your ideal audience, stands out naturally from the noise, and feels both sustainable and joyful for you. Key highlights of what we'll explore over the next ~6 months: Unearth and articulate your unique Organic Grounded Insight (OGI). Mine your lived experiences, client work, and daily awareness for potent content. Deeply understand and resonate with your ideal audience. Craft compelling content using effective structures that honor your OGI. Overcome creative blocks and use AI ethically as a supportive tool. Share content effectively using low-competition strategies (like Strategic Commenting). Build sustainable workflows and personalized content plans. Module 1 Objectives: Setting Our Foundation By the end of this first module, our goal is for you to: Understand the current content challenges and why OGI is the key. Clearly define Organic Grounded Insight (OGI) for yourself. Begin practicing accessing your OGI through intuition and daily awareness. Start recognizing elements of resonance in successful content. Begin mining OGI from your strengths and successes. Establish your initial OGI Capture Log and foundational creation rhythm. Feel welcomed and connected as we begin building our community. Expected Transformation Imagine moving from content confusion or overwhelm towards a place of clarity, confidence, and even joy in expressing your authentic voice. Picture your content creating genuine ripples of connection and positive impact. That's the potential we're cultivating throughout this course. Our Co-Learning Community I see my courses as a learning community that I'm facilitating – we learn from each other. I look forward to learning from you, just as you'll learn from what I share and from the insights of your peers. Culture-setters: Each of us influences our course's culture with every interaction. How would you like for this course community to feel? What are a few top values you'd love for us to embody together? (Share your thoughts in the comments below!) Some guiding principles for us: Comment once, reply twice. For each comment that you make sharing your own thoughts or questions, try to find 2 other comments (especially those with fewer replies) and add your encouragement or helpful suggestions. This fosters true community interaction. Co-learning. None of us knows everything. As we learn through action and reflection, let's share generously and create a supportive co-learning environment. I look forward to learning from your comments! Confidentiality. Let's maintain this as a safe space. Please agree to keep all comments shared here, especially personal reflections, confidential within our course group. Receive deeply. When others share their reflections or feedback on something you've posted (especially if it's personal), practice receiving it deeply. It’s a powerful practice for integration and understanding your unique energy signature. (Let me know below if these values are helpful, and if you have any suggestions. The values we embody together here are what make this course experience amazing for each other!) 😊 Navigating the Course Lessons: Each lesson typically includes a video from me, followed by text like this for details and exercises. Activities: Engage with the prompts and exercises by commenting under each lesson if you'd like, or by using a personal journal / private document. Community comments: Use the comment section below each lesson for questions related to that lesson, sharing insights (optional), and interacting with peers based on our community principles. Support: Ask content-related questions under the relevant lesson. For broader questions or personalized guidance, join the Live Q&A Calls with George (mentioned in the onboarding module.) Your First Steps & Introduction Let's put our community principles into practice right away and get to know each other! Ensure you've watched the video at the top (including the visualization). In the comments section below this lesson, please share: What kind of Work you do (or aspire to do). One key Hope you have for taking this "Soulful Content" course. Your thoughts on the Community Values mentioned above (any you particularly resonate with, or suggestions?). Practice "Reply Twice": After posting your introduction, please take a look at others' introductions and reply to at least two classmates with a warm welcome or encouraging comment. (If you don't see comments below or don't have the ability to comment, please ensure you are logged into the course platform.) I'm so glad you're here. Let the journey begin 🙌🏾😊
I wanted to bump this thread up in notifications because ....
I have been head down writing and posting, in my own little world, and all the while, wondering what I can do to increase traffic/interest in my posts.
And then I remembered this from @George Kao : Comment once, reply twice. And it hit me - I've been posting, but I haven't been engaging in others' posts myself! 😅 It's no wonder I wasn't getting any engagement!
So starting today, I'm 'posting once, commenting at least twice' with all my posts.
If you, like me, have forgotten this principle, hopefully this serves as a good reminder/encouragement! 🥰
@Amy Ewald I love how you're applying the principle to your engagement beyond this course! It's a great thing to do.
Also, in Module 3 of this course we'll discuss how to more effectively comment on others' posts. You'll have had plenty of practice by then :)
This is a myth I've encountered with numerous clients over the years... so I finally made a video about it: "I'm not clear on my offers yet, so I CANNOT create content" If that resonates with you, click the link above and watch it. Let me know if it helps!
I really liked this. The part about keeping noticing what resonates with other people is so important. Thank you.
@Emma Alter thanks for watching it! I'm glad it resonates 🙏🏼🥴
If interested in how I host my webinar/course videos in Simplero, here's the process I do after every webinar / course session!
LIVE CHATS:
Michael Williams:
I’ve used Eventbrite to advertise, promote and register people for an online course then presented it on Zoom using Google Slides, Docs, and Forms (for feedback).
Anna:
I’m going to be very analogue with everything at the start - what’s easy and cheap/free
Benoit:
ok thanks. I pay 47euro with Systeme.io.
Melissa Sandfort IFS Life Coach:
I use Ezycourse which is about $40/month to host my courses
Melissa Sandfort IFS Life Coach:
Ezycourse is pretty easy & customer service is good
Michael Williams:
@Anna That’s why I used Google, Eventbrite and Zoom (I do pay $25/month for Zoom) because they’re free or cheap. I also use Substack to publish and promote content and link to courses or online meetings.
Anna:
@Michael Williams thank you - I’m already paying for zoom too, so will use that for recordings, otherwise will advertise via instagram and eventbrite I reckon. I can use google forms for surveys
Benoit:
Systeme.io is not very expensive w lots of functionalities…and it’s not easy at first to understand how it works
Clare Downham - Inner Critic to Inner Knowing:
I guess it's best to choose the systems that are easiest for you so the tech doesn't get in the way of you actually getting on with it!
Whether privately messaging someone via email, social media DM, or mobile text, which is better... writing, audio, or video? Here's my personal rule: 1. Writing is most respectful because it's the quickest for the other person to read. 2. The more of a relationship I have with someone, the more they'll likely be patient enough to listen to my audio / watch my video message to them... yet, if it's something I'm asking for / requesting, it's still more respectful to write if possible. 3. If recording audio/video, try to keep it under 1 minute 😅 and more about sharing emotion... not information, which can be shared via writing. 4. Except if I'm volunteering help to someone / doing them a favor, then audio/video longer is fine, but aim for no more than 3 minutes unless it's really super helpful to go longer 😄 5. Another exception -- if I'm responding to a client/student on a Q&A call and it's a video that will be watched by others, then of course, going longer (as you know I do!) than 3 minutes is normal 😂 What are your feelings when receiving a private message from someone you don't know super well? Do you prefer writing, audio, or video? Comment and let's discuss below. You're allowed to disagree with me 😊 (If you cannot see -- or write -- comments below, it means you're not logged in.)
I'm glad there are people on here who think and feel the same way! Written (for me) is always the best and most preferred way for 2 reasons: 1) it's the quickest to process and 2) it's possible to scroll through messages looking for information at a glance, rather than having to rewatch/relisten to all the videos/audios to find 'that bit' of information. I also agree that audio/video are very important tools when trying to convey emotions, as that is an instance when written words can be misunderstood!
@Amy Ewald well said🙏🏼
This is a free preview -- to access comments, enroll or log into this course 🙏🏼
Yeah exactly my point, more difficult to sell to teams and larger organizations. Some of the leaders I've interviewed have looked at my high ticket offer and thought my offer/pricing seemed reasonable, around $6-9000 - I think most organizations would be able to spend that amount on a leader they ant to develop. But again, if that leader has own decision making it's becomes much easier. So smaller companies would be a better fit when looking at the B2B market, is my conclusion lately.
Thank you for chiming in with your helpful experience, Mats! 🙌🏾
After setting up your registration and tracking systems in the last couple of lessons, a common thought might creep in: "What if hardly anyone registers? What if only one or two people actually show up live?" This is a normal feeling... but allow me to offer a perspective shift that might transform this anxiety into an opportunity. Every Session is Valuable Practice: Whether one person shows up to your live FTA webinar, or ten, or even zero initially, consider each time you prepare and offer your teaching as incredibly valuable: You are honing your craft: Every time you structure your thoughts, practice your delivery, and manage the technology, you get better. You are testing your material: You gain insights into what resonates, what's clear, and what might need adjustment, even just through the act of preparing and speaking it aloud. You are practicing presence: You build comfort and confidence in sharing your energy and knowledge in an online format. Trust the Process: Growth Happens Over Time Especially when you're starting out, or testing a new topic, attendance might be small. Please know that this is normal. If you keep launching FTAs consistently and continue practicing market discovery to choose topics your audience genuinely wants (as we covered in Modules 2 & 3), your attendance will likely grow over time. The key is persistence and relevance. An Inspiring Story of Dedication: To put this in perspective, I want to share a deeply moving story about service and dedication beyond numbers. It's a reflection by the spiritual teacher Adyashanti about his first teacher, Arvis Joen Justi: "When she first started to offer teachings at her house, she would sit down after preparing everything, but nobody would show up. Still she wrote a talk, set up her meditation room, and opened her house even single week, week after week. Sometimes, out of compassion, her husband would sit with her, but mostly she sat alone. She continued to do this for an entire year without a single person coming. That is dedication! What service to the dharma, the Buddhist teaching - not being in service to how many people appear, to numbers or normal measures of success, but to doing what she was called to do. After a year, one person came, and for the next year it was Arvis and that one person. As word slowly spread, more people arrived, until sometimes she would have fifteen or twenty people. Her dedication was a great teaching for me. It touched my heart because it spoke to what service is: the willingness to put ourselves in a position of giving, to be an embodiment of what we are dedicated to, and to put our life, time, attention and energy into the most important things. Even when Arvis was sitting in her living room alone, she was in service to all the people who might show up in the future. Many years later, I ended up being one of those people." (You can find this reflection shared on my Facebook profile here: https://www.facebook.com/GeorgeKao/posts/10112514950126433) Your Service Matters, Regardless of Numbers Think of your FTA webinar, even if only one person attends live, as an act of service – service to your dedication, service to honing your message, and service to all the people who might benefit from it in the future, whether through the recording or future iterations. Action Step / Reflection: Take a moment to reflect on the above story and the idea of teaching as practice and service. Comment below sharing one thought about how this perspective might help you approach your upcoming FTA webinar, especially concerning your feelings about attendance numbers 🙏🏼
Love the story on showing up for yourself!!
Also I realize I want to take this opportunity already now to express how grateful and glad I am for everything I've learned so far in this course, the tools, templates, the mindset, the supportive community, Ideogram, Focusmate...and sooo much more!! In that perspective if I get 1, 10 or 100 participants on my upcoming FTA webinar doesn't matter as much as everything I've learned in the process of doing the work in this course! :-)))
@Mats Törnvall I'm so grateful for your comments! Especially this one 🙏🏼🙏🏼
just watching this. It's the first in my effort to complete this course. I love George and his guest has so much to say. I wish @George Kao would allow the guest to speak easily as it's challenging to pay attention as George interjects (too) many affirmations while the guest is speaking. (this is intended as gentle feedback 🙏 )
@LIsa Byrne I'm glad you said this -- I know what you mean actually since I have the same feeling about other hosts! Thank you for taking the time and care to share it.