You have probably heard of the mis-leading ’10,000 hours rule’ – the idea that putting 10,000 hours into a task will make you an expert.
This over simplification of how elite performers reach the top, creates a daunting limiting factor for the majority of us who want to be better at whatever it is we do.
If we concentrate on the size of the challenge (time measured over many years), we will never take the necessary steps to improve our performance.
Instead, look past the academic research and focus on defining deliberate practice from your own point of view.
Legendary American Football coach, Pete Carroll wanted practice for his all-conquering USC team to be as realistic as possible so opened up training sessions to the public.
This created a raucous, noisy and intense atmosphere that elevated the quality of practice getting his team better prepared for games.
If you’ve never set foot in a TV studio before, the silence that meets you when you do can be pretty unnerving. This, coupled with the blinking of the cameras in front of you, might stop you remembering your key messages and performing at your best.
So, what deliberate practice would you need to prepare for this situation?
If you are giving a speech, practice by delivering the speech out loud. Ideally in a room the same size as the venue. And in front of a group of people.
The utopia is to pursue deliberate practice by rehearsing the speech at the venue itself and in front of an audience of real people.
Reading a speech out loud on your own or, even worse, just in your head, is not deliberate practice. No matter how many times you do it.
Whatever you want to get better at there will be a way to get better at it through deliberate practice.
Once you have defined what real deliberate practice means for you, put in place a robust evaluation cycle that will make your practice even more meaningful.
- Set your goal (e.g. I am going to deliver this presentation to 400 people)
- Push yourself beyond your comfort zone (e.g. practice without notes)
- Work with an expert coach or critical friend to monitor and support
- Refine, tweak and improve your performance through specific feedback
Now, whatever it is you want to get better at, put in place a plan to make deliberate practice a reality for you.