How to Do an Auto Body Workbook

In the auto-body industry, specialists who choose that field like to dive right in and get their hands dirty. Reading books is counter to what they do naturally. But they have to read books to increase their knowledge and remain competitive in the field. Instead of writing a boring book about auto-body repair, spice it up and create a more interactive publication like a workbook. An auto-body workbook is as hands-on as a car enthusiast can get without working on an actual car.

Instructions

1

Choose a learning level for the audience of your intended auto-body workbook: such as beginners, intermediate, or advanced. Determine what you want the readers to accomplish by the time they complete your workbook.

2

Rummage through other mechanic and auto-body workbooks on the market. Make note of testing and quiz-style choices that you can use in your own workbook.

3

Brainstorm and get some ideas on paper about possible auto-body subjects that you can tackle or auto-body tasks that you want your workbook to teach, such as paint-less dent repair.

4

Write down possible topics on one index card each. Write down any subtopics that come to mind on the same index card. Below the topic, list possible techniques you can use such as fill-in-the-blank, checkboxes, or word finds.

5

Research the subjects. Write notes on the index cards. Group similar subject notes in stacks. Your workbook can focus on one specialty of auto-body repair such as collision repair, which would give you room to create a series of workbooks if you decided to extend the project.

6

Find photos and diagrams to include in the workbook. Buy usage licenses from photographers from sites like istockphoto.

7

Use your notes to write the teaching text for each topic in your workbook. The length will be dependent on the difficulty of the subject. Type them up in a word processing software like Microsoft Word. Print the document for review. Underline the key points of your text.

8

Turn those key points into an exercise. At the end of each section, include a pop quiz, crossword puzzle, a matching game, or any number of exercises.

9

Try a different interactive quiz format for each module to give the workbook variety. You can post pictures of auto-body shop tools and require the reader to identity the tools at the end of one module. At the end of the next module, you'd include a multiple choice. For more flexibility in design for exercises, you can use a design software like Adobe Photoshop to create diagrams and graphs and then embed them in your Word document.

10

Have the workbook reviewed for comprehension. Determine whether your introductions have been written sufficiently enough to teach someone who is unfamiliar with auto body work.

11

Review the format of the document. Send the workbook to a printer. Request to see the first print-run before you mass produce the workbook.

12

Check the workbook for formatting errors, such as a check box that hangs on at the top of a new page when it should have been at the bottom of the previous page. Check for any overlooked grammar and spelling errors.