5 Applications for Video Coaching

Last week, Ken Wells and I co-facilitated a "High-Tech Speaking" Workshop at KT.

The course is excellent. We had a great time working with the attendees.

But this post is about video coaching. The High Tech Speaking workshop uses one-on-one video coaching to help attendees see their strengths and weaknesses. It makes them aware of the gap between what they feel (I feel so nervous!) and what the audience sees (But I don't look nervous!).

Video is a very powerful tool. So powerful, in fact, that I wonder why it isn't used in all training? Here's a list of five places where I would apply video training or coaching.

1. Presentation Skills: This one is obvious. In fact, I'll say that you should never do presentation training without video coaching.
2. Team Activities: We almost always tape team activities (like the spiderweb). Activities create, in 20 minutes, interpersonal dynamics that would take a year to see in 'normal' operating mode. When we capture these on video, teams can see how they ignored one employee, or divided into cliques, etc. One of my favorite uses of video.
3. Coaching: In many of my coaching sessions, coachees want to practice a dialog that they will have with a manager or peer. When they do their 'rehearsal', I sometimes video tape them (just using the video function on my pocket digital camera). We can then replay the video and look at body language, tone, and facial expressions. Very useful.
4. Coaching Role Plays: In courses that teach managers who coach, role plays should be videotaped. It's very difficult for anyone to sense how they come across, and they don't always trust feedback. Video is objective.
5. Customer Interface Role Plays: Used in the same way as Coaching Role Plays. One person plays the hot customer, while the other tries to defuse the situation. Replaying on video allows both to make constructive feedback.

The possibilities are limitless, but I'd start with these five.

How have you used video for training and coaching?

The Wise Learner...

The other day, I saw this quote:

The wise investor turns nothing into something.

The unwise investor turns something into nothing.

Ignoring the fact that it's really difficult to be a wise investor in today's economy - this quote immediately took a turn in my head:

The unwise learner turns something into nothing.

The wise learner turns nothing into something.

How many times have you had friends or co-workers who couldn't seem to learn from their mistakes? I know a bunch.

It's not surprising. It's really painful to learn from your mistakes.

I just spent a couple hours today watching videos of myself present a class and, ouch...

There's solace in the fact that I got great feedback for the class (they loved the content and my teaching), but the fact is that there's a big gap between the level I aimed for and the level I delivered.

Video is such a great tool for coaching (or self-coaching).

It's valuable for identifying those 'nothings' that you want to turn into 'somethings'.
At the same time, it's just as valuable for finding those 'somethings' (the things you're doing well) that you don't want to lose.

Do both, and you become a wise learner... and a wise investor... in yourself.

Learn How to Eat Sushi

My friend Joon Chung shared this hilariously dry video with me a few years ago.

It's a mock instructional film called "Sushi-ya"

Watch and learn how to eat sushi (and please don't take it seriously)!!
Thanks Joon!

It's a good test of your cultural savvy to see how many of the 'jokes' you get.

According to this article, there are 5 types of humor.

In this video, do you see:

• Puns?
• Exaggeration?
• Surprise?
• Silliness?
• Put-Downs?

Looking at how the Japanese handle humor in this clip, what can you learn?

Range of Vision - The World Through My Lens

This is a continuing series of slideshows from my travels. Enjoy!


Range of Vision 2.o - Wildlife

Here are some of my favorite wildlife photos that I've taken.

Range of Vision 1.o - Images of Asia I meet a lot of people as I travel throughout Asia and the world, and I take a lot of photos of them. Here are 125 of my favorite people photos .





Technical/design note:
I've been struggling for years with how best to present my photos.
I don't like just hanging them up on the web where anyone can download and use them.
On the other hand, I want friends, family and colleagues to be able to see the images.

My compromises has been:

• to post small photos, like I did at rangeofvision (too small)
• to watermark the images, like I do at hues.smugmug.com and deviantart.com (too distracting)
• to use a password-protected gallery and send out invite (too restrictive)

None of these were satisfactory, so I'm trying a different option - photos presented as video, assembled using Picasa software..

Let me know what you think!

Identifying Your Training Weaknesses

I'm a book geek. One of the few things I like better than a bookstore is a used bookstore.
Petaluma, California has a very good one called Copperfields, where Angie and I spent a couple hours yesterday.

I bought a mint copy of "101 Stupid Things Trainers Do to Sabotage Success" there and leafed through it last night.
The book serves as an excellent reminder of how many things can go wrong in a training situation.

My pet peeve is #64 - Foolish Icebreakers. I hate icebreakers. If a class is properly designed, the introduction of attendees should happen organically. If you want me to do a formal introduction, fine... but don't ask me to pick which animal is most like me. Just ask me to introduce myself. Better yet, give us a topic-relevant exercise that requires us to meet each other.

Two that I could be better at would be #41 - using inappropriate humor - occasionally my filter doesn't work quickly enough, and #86 - flopping flip charts. I'm a frequent user of flip charts, but this book reminded me that once you flip the page, people can't see what you wrote. The book suggests hanging the important sheets (and they're all important, or you wouldn't be writing them, right?) so the group can refer back to them.
Great suggestion, and a good book.

What are your biggest training weaknesses?

Creativity with Sticky Notes - by Eepybird

Today is Wednesday: "Creativity, Innovation & Thinking" day at huesworks.
I'd say this video meets all of the above criteria.
Check out more at eepybird.com



You could use this video as a case study for innovation. Consider the following questions:

• How did they come up with these ideas?
• What brainstorming methods might have been used?
• How much "yes, but..." thinking was used?
• How much "yes, and..." thinking was used?
• What role did prototyping play?
• Could the 'SCAMPER' exercise be used effectively?
• What other tools or methods might apply?
• Could you come up with more ideas?

Well.... can you?

Are You Leveraging Your Strengths?

Last week, I received Strengths Guru Marcus Buckingham's latest DVD "Go Put Your Strengths to Work". It captures an excellent live presentation and it's reasonably priced.

As attendees of my management workshops will attest, I'm a big Marcus fan.
If you don't know him, Marcus Buckingham is a former Gallup Organization researcher and current best selling management author. He also has the delivery of a stand-up comic, so he's fun to watch.

Earlier this year, I was showing a Buckingham video in India. I'd seen it a dozen times, so I pulled out my index cards and decided to practice sketching while the attendees watched. The result is above.

I'm not particularly good at drawing, but the act energizes me. That feeling fulfills one of Buckingham's basic definitions of a strength - a strength is something that strengthens you.

Not everyone agrees with his core belief that "you will grow the most in your areas of greatest strength". According to surveys, in fact, most people disagree with that statement.
His latest book, "Go Put Your Strengths to Work" addresses this.

I believe his thesis.
I (and my teams) have been most successful when I focused on bringing my strengths to the team - not on correcting my weaknesses.

When I've been in positions that don't call on my strengths, I did okay work. But I struggled, feeling drained at each day - not able to summon the energy to do outstanding work.
In my current role, which calls on all my strengths, I have endless energy.

I stumbled on this formula before I discovered Marcus, but his books helped me put it into words. They also helped me realize that I wasn't a slacker for not wanting to grunt and sweat my way through my weaknesses.
On my current team, as much as possible, we trade each others strengths for weaknesses, so that there are few times when we feel drained.

I'm lucky to be on such a team, but I'm only lucky because we know our strengths and communicate them...

If you're not so lucky, go to iTunes and search for Marcus Buckingham's "Take Control of Your Career and Your Life". This podcast shares his process to identify your strengths and bring them into your worklife.

As for me? I'll keep finding ways to draw at work!

Does Your Offering Succeed on Five Levels?

In an earlier post - 'Mindmapping Huesworks' - I outlined the terrain that I plan to cover with this blog.

Following that framework, I've been cycling through the five elements, from Monday to Friday.
Occasionally, however, I run across something I want to post, but am not sure where to put it.

Such is the case with this music video by Japanese singer/songwriter Cocco . Cocco is performing "The Hill of Dugongs" at LiveEarth in Japan. Don't be confused by the newsreel opening, there is a music performance here!



I could file it under:

• 'Leadership' as an example of authenticity, passion, and being a role model. Cocco is from Okinawa, so this isn't just a trendy issue for her.
• 'Learning' as an example of teaching through story.
• 'Creativity' because of her expression through music.
• 'DesignComm' for the way she designs her communication and communicates her design.
• 'Global Culture' for the views Cocco provides of Okinawa, Japan, and even the US.
  

Instead of filing this in any catagory, I'll just offer it, with the observation that the best offerings often succeed or provide on many levels.

I watched a lot of LiveEarth last year and, for me, Cocco's performance - along with Dave Grohl's exhortation that "It's times like these we learn to love again" - was the highlight of the festival.

What can we learn from Cocco?
How about this question - do your offerings succeed on five levels?