Sunday, May 07, 2006
Preparation Paralysis
Imagine a room full of people who love to talk but are afraid to speak.
Recently I took part in an amazing opportunity that was offered by the Florida Speakers Association. For a reduced fee, members could have a short speaks recorded by a professional camera crew. The end product would then be converted to digital video, which I understand is the wave of the future. Sending someone a DVD of your work is apparently, very 2005!
The day before the taping was to take place a briefing was held for the dozen people who had signed up for the service. During the session I was surprised to see that some of those in attendance had looks of fear on their faces. This was a surprise because the briefing was covering the same material that everyone had received several months earlier. The message there was pretty simple: practice, practice, and then practice some more before you get to the taping. Despite that I sensed a wave of last minute jitters running through the room.
Maybe it was the pressure of spending several hundred dollars for only about a few minutes of video that put the fear of memories into the crowd. But I have to admit, I was surprised that some felt so nervous about doing something (public speaking) that they love so much.
Instead of embracing the opportunity, a few were wilting under the pressure. Why? I don't know how their final product came out but it made me wonder about the nature of success. With weeks to prepare, why did it seem like some people were rushing to finish their homework minutes before the start of class?
Maybe it's something in human nature to want that strong deadline pressure to make you kick things up into a high gear. In the end, I feel that this justs wastes energy and fear does suck a lot of energy out of you. That's why, in my news days, I would try to take care of the known variables ASAP. Sure, people like those movies where the journalist is rushing to get their story done agaist an impossible deadline. But it's not too much fun living in that world day after day.
Think about the things you need to do today and during the next month. What are you putting off to the last minute. Imagine what life would be like if you took care of those tasks first. Try it because when you reach your deadline, you'll notice you're not as stressed out as you used to be.
Recently I took part in an amazing opportunity that was offered by the Florida Speakers Association. For a reduced fee, members could have a short speaks recorded by a professional camera crew. The end product would then be converted to digital video, which I understand is the wave of the future. Sending someone a DVD of your work is apparently, very 2005!
The day before the taping was to take place a briefing was held for the dozen people who had signed up for the service. During the session I was surprised to see that some of those in attendance had looks of fear on their faces. This was a surprise because the briefing was covering the same material that everyone had received several months earlier. The message there was pretty simple: practice, practice, and then practice some more before you get to the taping. Despite that I sensed a wave of last minute jitters running through the room.
Maybe it was the pressure of spending several hundred dollars for only about a few minutes of video that put the fear of memories into the crowd. But I have to admit, I was surprised that some felt so nervous about doing something (public speaking) that they love so much.
Instead of embracing the opportunity, a few were wilting under the pressure. Why? I don't know how their final product came out but it made me wonder about the nature of success. With weeks to prepare, why did it seem like some people were rushing to finish their homework minutes before the start of class?
Maybe it's something in human nature to want that strong deadline pressure to make you kick things up into a high gear. In the end, I feel that this justs wastes energy and fear does suck a lot of energy out of you. That's why, in my news days, I would try to take care of the known variables ASAP. Sure, people like those movies where the journalist is rushing to get their story done agaist an impossible deadline. But it's not too much fun living in that world day after day.
Think about the things you need to do today and during the next month. What are you putting off to the last minute. Imagine what life would be like if you took care of those tasks first. Try it because when you reach your deadline, you'll notice you're not as stressed out as you used to be.
# posted by tvguy @ 4:59 PM 
