Like it or not, school has exams, it is indeed a way to measure progress. Most students study twice as hard during exam time and that is just human nature.
Our program’s strength (as well as flaw) is that we don’t have a belt system. I believe that your improvements can only be measured really by how you train, think and adopt it truly as a lifestyle. A black belt that hasn’t practiced for a long time may make the wrong assumptions about his own speed, power, stamina and ability to respond.
Our upcoming yearly showcase is a ‘punctuation’ of where you are at – an opportunity to assess how much you understand and whether you can communicate it clearly to others. Furthermore, what you are presenting was your choice and during that selection/preparation process, I hope you get a better appreciation of your strengths and weaknesses.
Communication is a very important tool not just for sales people – we need it to gain harmony within a family, at work and even with friends. The yearend show is a good platform to refine your communication skills. I want you to see it as an opportunity to get an extra nudge (like exam time) for you to perfect some specific skills / concept, and to refine how you communicate it to audiences of all ages / background. Ultimately, one of the best way to test whether you truly understand something is to see if you can explain / teach it to others in 25 words or less.
Last week, when we do the dry run of what you are going to present, we see the importance of voice control, eye contact while talking, making things simple and relevant, parring down to key points (versus supplying people with details that will take forever to explain), etc. I hope you see this as an opportunity to gain confidence and have a deeper level of understanding/appreciation of your own technique as well as what others are presenting.
Exercise
Practice and ask if necessary. Think back on whether you have improved on anything while preparing for your portion of the demo.
You are most welcome to bounce off any changes /adjustments you made since last class.