Prepare for a shock...
I’m feeling happy and blessed.
Now, I know regular readers may be somewhat surprised by that opening line.
I’m well aware I can come across as a little on the grumpy old man side.
But not at the moment.
Why?
Well, the first run of my new course, Compelling Communication Skills, has just finished.
To be honest, I was nervous going into it.
I thought the content and learning were good, that they would benefit the people who came along, and perhaps the experience would even be enjoyable.
But... you never can be sure.
However, I’m delighted to report the feedback has been glowing.
Which accounts for my chirpy mood.
You'll be glad to hear though that this blog isn’t just about me congratulating myself…
However tempting that may be.
No, this is a reflection on three important secrets of the course’s success.
In traditional manner, I'll count them down from number three to the most important:
Persistence
Getting the course approved wasn’t the most straightforward process.
Understandably, the University of Cambridge is highly protective of its reputation for excellence.
So there was a great deal of scrutiny from various important people and committees, to make sure Compelling Communication Skills lived up to the standards expected of Cambridge.
That was quite an education for me.
I’m not an academic, so I had to learn how to justify every point I made…
Yet still show how I would translate that higher understanding of the art of communication into an accessible and worthwhile course.
There were days when I wondered if it would ever happen.
But I didn’t give up, and the result has been a wonderful experience, one of the highlights of my career.
Teamwork
Although I’m happy to take the glory, and often do, the truth is the success of Compelling Communication Skills largely comes down to teamwork.
Okay, I had the idea, and created most of the content…
But without the genius of those around me, the course would have fallen flat.
(Meet Sinclair and Irina, two of my wonderful colleagues)
From the brilliant tutors we recruited, to the graphic artists, learning designers who made everything come to life on a website page, to technical support, video and audio production, and the patience of those who took a long time (my fault!) to teach me the art of online education, and so many others besides…
I’m hugely grateful to everyone who's been part of this extraordinary journey.
The course would never have worked so well without you.
Hard work
And so to the golden secret of success for just about everything we ever do.
I’ve written a few novels, coming in at around 100,000 words each…
But they don’t compare to the amount of work which went into the course.
In essence, I had to scrape pretty much everything I know about communication in all its forms from the darkest recesses of my mind.
After that, I had to assemble it in a sensible and elegant order…
Then write it all down…
Remembering the importance of texture, so featuring interactions, quizzes, reflection moments, assignments…
Plus recording videos and podcasts, and taking photos...
And then keep tinkering with that mass of content until it all somehow hung together as a course.
There were times when I was so tired I could barely force my eyes to focus on a screen.
But working on, working hard, working through it… together...
We got there.
And I’m now prouder than a proud father on his proud day.
Finally, you may have heard me talk about these secrets of success before.
I suspect I will again, and then again and again.
And why?
Because they are so, so, very, very important if we ever want to get anywhere with anything in life.
