Online Video Coaching
by Michael Gardner
There are any number of ways you can become a better, more authentic communicator.
You can read a book.
There are definitely some good books out there and I’ve read more than a few. Thing is, they helped me better organize my presentation, the structure of what I was saying, but they didn’t help me say it, or understand how I was coming across.
I used to think that because I had so much experience presenting to groups that I was a better than average presenter. Feedback forms consistently showed that I did a fine job… but nothing more. And frankly, I’m a bit of a perfectionist. For me:
Adequate is never good enough.
My lackluster presentations made more sense when I discovered some research that clearly proved experience does not lead to mastery. Maybe that explains why I can hit a thousand golf balls and still not improve my score. Experience alone doesn’t help professionals either. A study done of financial auditors showed that their skills slipped significantly over the years. More distressing is the fact that the same thing happens to doctors. With experience they lose some of their diagnostic edge. The more experienced, the greater the loss. Simply doing something a lot doesn’t automatically make you better at it. Most people get to the point where they are good enough and then they quit improving. So it turns out that experience can actually work against you.
Maybe I needed to prepare more? I used to think that if I prepared, I mean really prepared for an important communication that I could nail it. Occasionally I did. But that was the exception. Feedback showed that no matter how much I prepared on my own I never seemed to really shine, to consistently and authentically connect with my audience like many of my colleagues (Howard comes to mind) did with such mysterious ease.
If experience and personal preparation don’t work… what does?
At the Center for Creative Leadership where Howard and I have worked with literally thousands of the nation’s top business, military and educational leaders we provide research and feedback for a unique and highly rated module that is part of a week-long $10,600 leadership development program called Leadership At The Peak. It’s an exclusive program for top-tier executives. So we see lots of communication styles. Most are quite good and some are truly extraordinary. We work with the people you see on all the major news and business shows on a regular basis
We’ve spent the last couple of years analyzing what exactly makes the great so amazing. Performance M.A.G.I.C. is the result of that research and if you have the time I’d definitely recommend you take a look at that program.
But we know that some of you don’t have time for a comprehensive 10-week interactive online course.
You need to improve now!
Maybe you have an important presentation to a client or to your board coming up and you want to be, as Howard would say, spot on.
Maybe you’ll be taking over a new team, division or company! and want to come across with a genuine and authentic executive presence.
Because so many of you want and need help now we developed a unique stand-alone online video coaching program.
You can participate individually or as part of a small group. The small group option is, in my opinion, the better way to go not just because it’s less expensive, but because you get some great peer feedback. And just as importantly you get to critique others and in the process you sharpen your own presentation feedback skills. This makes you better able to critique yourself while giving you the skills to coach or mentor others in your company or organization. That’s good stuff. But if you prefer to be coached individually that works too.
It’s easy.
Simply send us a video of you presenting, or practicing your presentation, and we’ll provide feedback and a series of customized activities targeting those areas that will give you the greatest leverage. Think of Pareto’s law where 80% of your results come from focusing on and improving just a key 20% of what you are doing. That’s how our feedback works. We identify what will give you the most improvement in the least amount of time.
Maybe you are thinking, “Hey, I thought you said practice doesn’t work.”
Yes, that’s still true but we’re not talking about practice as it is usually done. We’re going to have you doing something called “intentional practice.” It’s qualitatively different. Intentional practice is very targeted and carefully designed to stretch your capabilities. Intentional practice takes place within a coaching environment and focuses on the development of specific skills. It’s the difference between going out and practicing by playing weekend tennis or going to a top-notch tennis camp and getting coached by pro players. The difference and improvement is dramatic.
I’m guessing you have some questions:
What if I don’t know how to upload a video?
No problem, we’ll guide you. (It’s easier than you think.)
What if I don’t have a video camera?
No problem. We can provide one that takes great video but is simple to use. (I mean very simple.)
What about privacy?
We use a private network that provides you with a unique username and password for entry.
How about cost?
Well, it’s not as inexpensive on a time/cost basis as Presentation M.A.G.I.C. because you get more individual attention. And video coaching is included in the price of Presentation M.A.G.I.C. But I think you’ll be quite surprised at how reasonable this is, especially when you consider you can do this on your schedule, you don’t have to travel and you don’t need to bring us in–although we offer that service as well. See Coaching and Consulting.
Interested? Want more information on online video coaching? Click on my name below.
p.s. To ensure everyone gets a great experience we’re keeping our client list small so there are limited spots available. If you have something coming up check soon to make sure there is availability.
p.p.s. Since we’re just rolling out this new version of the program out you might be eligible for a significant 30% discount in exchange for completing a short feedback form. Click on my name to get details.
