How would you feel to get feedback ranking your work at 81%?
In university terms, that’s a long way above securing a first class degree.
But for me, 81% left a feeling of deflation, however, ridiculous that might be.
I’ll explain:
I’m very proud of my Compelling Communication Skills course.
So when the first set of feedback came in, to be honest…
My finger was shaking as I clicked on the document.
Happily, joyfully, I need not have worried.
We scored 100% on content, style, learning journey, support, and teaching.
At that point, I was running around with my shirt over my head, like a footballer who’d just scored the winning goal at the World Cup.
But! As ever in life, there is a but.
We were scored separately for the six live lectures, which is where the 81% comes in.
And at that point, I suddenly slumped.
Yes, I know you are kindly thinking how silly that is.
81% is a great score, I should be proud, it’s a terrific achievement…
Thank you, I very much appreciate that.
But I’ve always been a perfectionist.
So when I stopped feeling saddened, I got to work.
Each of the live lectures was revisited, reviewed, and refreshed.
I popped in a little extra content…
Created a couple of new exercises and interactions…
And made sure there was a rich mix of learning, entertainment, and engagement.
What was the result?
Being rigorous, I’m not sure yet.
We won’t get the feedback on this particular series of lectures for a few weeks yet.
However!
Last week, I delivered the first of the new set…
And got a strong sense it worked well.
There was a great deal of enthusiasm, appreciation and energy from a clearly very talented group.
Which has set us fair for the rest of the course.
Was the lecture perfect?
No, of course not.
There are still improvements to be made.
I'm thinking about some now.
But - critically - it was better than the previous version.
And when I revisit it next, that new version will be better as well.
And so on, and so on, as I revisit again and again and again.
The path to perfection may be painful, and indeed - if we're ruthlessly honest - eternal…
But it has to be trodden nonetheless, if you ever want to achieve anything of which you can truly be proud.
