Um, that was painful.

This morning I was the keynote speaker at UBA’s annual fall conference. I had the pleasure of kicking off the conversation about adapting to maximize growth in these "interesting" times.

I was asked to monitor the chat session while my prerecorded session was played. There was no way to avoid listening to myself for 45 minutes.

I’m proud of the content and loved how Prezi Video made it more engaging than simply sharing a PowerPoint.

And yet...

It was painful to critique myself while hundreds of people were watching with me. 

It’s good nobody had to do a shot every time I said “um” because it would’ve been virtual conferences gone wild at 9 am. Good grief.

I need to pause and take a breath without unnecessary filler words. I knew I had this habit, but there’s no escaping it now that I’ve seen this session.

Do you record your virtual meetings? Do you and your team watch them? 

 Something fun to do on the next Zoom Happy Hour. 🍸

 Here's what you learn watching recorded client or prospect meetings:

• How was the audio quality?
• Did everyone look at the camera?
• Was anyone’s background a hot mess?
• Did everyone on the team nail their introductions?
• How did transitions work between team members?
• Did anyone talk too much? Too little?
• Were roles and responsibilities clear?
• Did you speak with confidence?
• If you shared materials, were you repurposing what worked when you met physically? Was it effective virtually?
• Does the client or prospect seem engaged? What would that look like?

Often in our business, the feedback we receive (or give) is subjective and is rarely supported by specifics.

Consider independently watching your performance or gathering as a small group to “watch the film” as professional athletes do weekly. Each minor enhancement will build on the last and before you know it you’ve made significant progress.

After watching, let me know what you’ll be working on and I’ll, um, give you an update on my progress.