How to create an online course without filming videos

Start with a question you keep answering

Think of the last useful thing you explained to a client or colleague. Perhaps it was how to prepare for a difficult conversation, review a design or get started with a new tool. That’s a better starting point than trying to teach everything you know.

Write down what someone should be able to do after taking your course. “Understand design” leaves a lot of room for wandering. “Spot three common problems in a checkout form” gives you a manageable job. Keep that promise beside your notes, and leave out anything that doesn’t help deliver it.

Build a simple three-lesson outline

Suppose you’re teaching better client conversations. You could explain the whole subject in a long document, but a few short lessons give someone room to pause and practise. Try this outline:

• Open with a better question. Show two ways to begin a conversation and ask which is more likely to get a useful answer.
• Listen for what matters. Write a short fictional exchange and ask the learner to identify the concern behind the words.
• Agree the next action. Show a vague agreement, then ask them to rewrite it with a clear action and a time to follow up.

Use the material you already have

Workshop notes, support replies and checklists can all become lesson material. They’ll usually need a little editing: explain the terms you take for granted, remove tangents and give an example before asking someone to try something.

Choose images that do a job. An annotated screenshot can show exactly where to click. A close-up photo can show a detail in a seam. You don’t need a decorative picture in every lesson.

Before sharing, remove client names and private details from your notes and screenshots. Use a made-up example if the original isn’t yours to share.

Make room for the learner to do something

After an explanation, ask a question that helps someone use it. For the conversation course, “What would you ask next?” is more useful than “Have you understood this lesson?”

A choice, a written reflection or a small task can work. If you give a correct answer, explain the reasoning too. Someone who gets it wrong should leave with a better understanding, rather than just a red mark.

Check it, then share a first version

Read the course on your phone. Can you see the detail in the images? Are the instructions clear without you standing beside the reader? Ask one or two people to try it and tell you where they hesitate.

Tiny Courses lets you build lessons with text, images and interactive blocks, then publish and share a link. The Free plan includes up to three courses, with one published course and basic 30-day analytics. No credit card is required.

Use video when it earns its place

Some things are easier to demonstrate: a hand movement, pronunciation or the timing of a performance. A short recording can help there. It doesn’t mean the rest of your course needs filming too.

Start with one explanation, one example and something to try. If that helps someone do the thing you promised, you have the beginnings of a useful course. The camera can wait.