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Most people around you are good at what they do. They do it well enough to keep doing it. But it's
highly unlikely that any of them are truly great at it. The question is: what distinguishes people who are awesome and excellent at what they do versus the rest of us.
Most people assume that the small number of people who achieve greatness do so because they work harder at it than others. Another explanation is that these people are born with a talent, a "gift" for greatness. Three prime examples of naturally talented performers that immediately are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan.
Geoff Colvin in Talent is Overrated and Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers suggest that both of these arguments are wrong. They note research that shows that working at something for most of your life will not necessarily make you great at it - something many of us who are not excellent at things can attest. Nor have genetic differences been found for super-achievers. So what does lead to excellent performance? The answer is deliberate performance.
Deliberate performance is not what most of us do on the job every day; it's also not what most of us do
when we're practicing golf or the oboe or any of our other interests. The differences between expert performance and normal adults reflect a life-long period of deliberate effort to improve performance in a specific domain. Mozart started playing music as a very young child; Tiger Woods began using a golf club also as a very young child. Bill Gates began computer programming when he was in 8th grade. The Beatles logged significantly more hours (over 10,000) playing music in front of bands than did most groups, before they were "discovered" in 1964. In other words, people who excel at what they do, do so because they spend more hours dedicated to deliberately practice.
Deliberate practice is characterized by the following five elements:
- It is actively designed specifically to improve performance, often with a teacher's help.
- It can be repeated a lot.
- Feedback on results is continuously available.
- It is highly demanding mentally.
- It isn't much fun.
But it is rewarding!
That why using a teacher/coach is so important. He/she can see you in ways you can't
For example a golfer cannot see himself hitting a golf ball and would benefit from someone else's
perspective. Few people can make a clear, honest assessment of their own performance. Feedback is especially important when the results require interpretation.
At Presentation Excellence, we're privileged to work with people who want to excel at what they do, and value our ability to grasp the range of issues involved in presentation excellence. We address the entire range of issues that affect the presentation - the content, context, speaker's skills, projection of an image as a leader, etc. While we do provide corporate and public skills training programs, our most valued role is that of executive coach, where over time we help our clients deliberately practice and become expert at presenting messages and themselves, in order to make a difference.
That's the best way to advance your career. And because it is, we spend a great deal of our time deliberately practicing ourselves, so we can tap into an expertise not just of presentation technology, but also strategy, sales, marketing, leadership development, organizational change and corporate cultures.
Are you ready for deliberate practice to get ahead? Contact Dr. Cahn at JerryCahn@PresentationExcellence.com or 800-493-1334
We help lots of leaders prepare for important Board presentations. Many make the mistake of thinking their goal is to deliver a standard management presentation to the top brass. The Board usually knows most of the facts behind your presentation; indeed, they may have looked at the numbers based on meeting earlier with your boss! So what are the goals?
- "Involve the Board in an interesting aspect of your business, where they can help you. Using their unique perspectives and expertise, they can ask insightful questions at the meeting. Further, they can think about the issues after the meeting and pass on additional advice over time.
- Be perceived as a true leader who is in-charge, making strategic growth decisions, who they will want to follow-up with.
The key in preparing a board presentation is to be succinct: don't belabor facts they probably know. Focus on two or three key growth challenges you confront and the solutions you are considering. Share your decision-process, if it will impress them with your leadership abilities. Some Board members will ask questions - and more the better; others will follow-up.
Dazzle them with your mastery of the business and present yourself as a top leader.
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Sell and negotiate more confidently and persuasively.
During
this program we'll practice by delivering your own presentation, and getting
feedback from video & group. To promote your company, service or product -
and your career, don't miss this workshop. To register for the Early Bird Special, 
