Day 2 of the 30-day sports school business challenge. Day 1 focused on a bottleneck. Today, take one course and make its central message clear: who is it for, what will people practise and what do they need before joining? Set aside 15 to 20 minutes.
You will finish with a one-sentence course offer, the first question from someone outside your team and a revised version. Have your current course description and confirmed participation requirements ready. A sheet of paper or a text document is enough for this exercise.
Choose one course and one starting point
Pick a course that your team regularly has to explain to prospective guests. Choose a specific version, such as an introduction or a refresher. “Our entire course programme” is too broad for this exercise. If beginners and experienced participants need different content or prerequisites, start with just one group.
Describe the starting point in words a new guest understands. “Never stood on a SUP board” is easier to interpret than an internal level number. For a refresher, what someone has already practised and where they still need help may matter more. Include only characteristics that make a difference to your actual course.
Separate the learning goal, requirements and course details
| Element | The question it answers | How to check the statement |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Who is this course version for? | State relevant experience or a specific situation. Avoid a blanket “for everyone”. |
| Learning goal | What will you work on during the lesson? | Name an observable exercise or skill. “Practise the basic stroke and turning” describes the work; “master it by the end” promises a result. |
| Requirements | What must already be in place before joining? | Check the statement against your current course information, participation conditions and responsible instructor. Do not invent a universal rule for the sport. |
Duration, meeting point, price, included equipment and the booking route still matter. Guests need to find them on the course page. For the opening sentence, choose the information that helps someone judge whether this particular course fits them. A condition that determines whether a guest can take part should not be hidden under “more information”.
If a requirement is unclear, record it as an open question and assign someone to resolve it. Polished wording cannot settle the underlying decision. When there are several conditions, the sentence can point directly to a clearly labelled requirements section immediately below it; that section must contain the full, actual conditions.
Before and after: a fictional SUP introduction
Fictional wording example: These details do not describe a real school. They illustrate the editing exercise. The swimming requirement is also an assumption in this example, not a substitute for your course planning or your own participation conditions.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| “Discover the ultimate SUP experience for every level — get on a board quickly, easily and safely!” | “In our SUP introduction, adults with no paddling experience who can swim confidently practise the basic stance, forward stroke and controlled turns.” |
The second version names a starting point, specific lesson content and a requirement. It does not claim that every participant will be able to paddle independently afterwards. “Practise” is a deliberate choice. Your actual course delivery determines whether this sentence fits your offer.
A template for your first draft: “In our [course], [audience and starting point] who [meet the actual requirement] practise [specific content or skills].” Adapt the grammar to your own voice. What matters is that the three questions are answered, not that you follow the template word for word.
Your 20-minute exercise
- Minutes 0–3: choose the course. Open the current description of one version. Note its name and where guests first encounter it. Add a recurring question your team hears, without copying personal guest information.
- Minutes 3–7: check three facts. Write the starting point, learning goal and requirements separately. Compare them with your confirmed course information. If you cannot verify a point, leave it open and assign an owner.
- Minutes 7–11: write one sentence. Combine those facts in your own words. First remove sales words such as “perfect”, “ultimate” or “for everyone”. Read it aloud: is this how you would explain the course to a guest at reception?
- Minutes 11–16: test understanding. Ask someone outside the team to read the sentence once, without an extra explanation. Ask them to describe the audience, learning goal and requirements in their own words. Write down their first question exactly.
- Minutes 16–20: improve one point. Rewrite the unclear part and ask the same person to explain the new version. Record where the sentence belongs on the course page and who will add it.
If nobody is available for the test, your text remains a draft. Arrange the brief check rather than treating team knowledge as an outside perspective. You can still finish the factual preparation in 15 minutes.
A worksheet to copy
Copy these fields into your notes. Keep unknown details marked as open questions. The worksheet stays with your team; you do not need to upload anything to complete the exercise.
| Field | Your notes |
|---|---|
| Course and version | Name: ___ · existing course page: ___ |
| Audience and starting point | This course suits guests who ___ |
| Specific learning goal | During the course we work on / practise ___ |
| Actual requirements | Before joining, participants must ___ · checked against ___ |
| First draft | Our offer sentence: ___ |
| Understanding check | The reader describes the audience as: ___ · the learning goal as: ___ · the requirements as: ___ |
| First question | “___” · unclear wording in the sentence: ___ |
| Revised version | Our improved offer sentence: ___ |
| Implementation | Owner: ___ · position on the course page: ___ · review date: ___ |
How to run the understanding check
Do not just ask “Does that make sense?”. A polite yes tells you little about what the reader understood. Use these four questions and listen before explaining:
- Who is this course for — and who is it probably not for?
- What will people practise during the course?
- What would I need to meet before joining?
- What would you want to know next?
Distinguish two kinds of follow-up question. “Does no experience also mean no other sports background?” points to an unclear audience description. “What time does it start?” can be a useful next detail once the course fit is clear. The first question improves the sentence; the second becomes a check for your course page. Every detail does not have to fit into one sentence.
When the task is complete
- You have described one course version using confirmed information.
- The sentence names a starting point, a specific learning goal and the decisive requirement, or points directly to the complete requirements list.
- It contains no blanket guarantee of success, completion time or safety.
- Someone outside the team could repeat the three facts without your explanation.
- You have recorded their first question, the revised wording and its place on the course page.
This check shows how one person understands the text. It does not prove a higher booking rate or that every guest will understand it. If several people later ask the same question, you have a specific reason to review the wording again.
Next: check the same course page on a phone
Keep your finished sentence for Day 3: check the course page. The next step follows the wider journey: can a new guest using a phone find the duration, meeting point, included services, price and next booking step, as well as whether the course suits them? Use the same course version so today’s work carries forward.
To prepare, read the existing practical plan for testing a mobile course page. If you later want to add relevant extras, the separate article on building an offer around your course guests’ needs covers that work. Today’s result is your checked offer sentence.
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