"What restaurant should I go to?" "Should I marry this person?" "Is my boss being fair to me when he seems so harsh?" 'Should I buy into Linkedin's IPO at this price?" When we ask questions of others, whether we realize it or not we're getting coached. Getting marital advice from someone divorced ten times sounds really stupid. On the other hand, if it's a big decision, getting coached by somebody who is an expert in the field sounds really smart. Why should public speaking somehow follow a different rule? If I wish to compete in a Toastmasters speech contest and could convince a World Champion of Public Speaking to give me a few pointers I'd be there in a heartbeat. And if I beat you out as a result, then you should find yourself someone like Darren Lacroix so you could even the playing field. But don't cry in your beer because I found a Darren and you didn't!
Arnold Kunst
www.lucidspeaker.com
I have no issue with getting coached for speech contests. And I think if you're going down the contest route, it is sensible to get coached at whatever level you can fit into your budget. Get the best coach you can find. It's smart to do so.
ReplyDeleteMy only caution is that having a world class coach is like having a world renowned concert pianist as a teacher. You will get great advice and avoid falling into bad habits along the way - but will suceed only if you put the long, hard hours in yourself to do what they teach you. And it's not instantaneous - learning takes time to absorb and integrate into your own speaking practice. I would hope that people reading the blog would see such coaching as an opportunity to learn from brilliant people rather than an 'instant makeover'. It will take time off your learning curve, but won't eliminate the learning curve entirely.