Workplace Video Rehearsal

If you really want to make sure your criticism is coming across well here’s what I recommend.

Before you deliver the criticism this whole conversation with the employee or the colleague in question I would recommend you practice in advance on video.

Now I’m not suggesting you go spend a lot of time hire a TV crew.

All I’m suggesting is pretend that person is sitting across from you hold your cell phone and record the video or it could be a web copy any camera.

But I do want you to see yourself and hear yourself.

And let’s actually practice what you’re going to say because there’s some things in your own mind when you’re thinking that seem perfectly straightforward non-threatening neutral.

But when you hear yourself saying you watch yourself say you’re like oh my gosh that’s harsh that’s brutal that’s ugly.

I would hate it if someone told me that you don’t have to guess you can practice on video and watch it.

So that’s my advice to you if you want a note or two that’s fine.

It shouldn’t be that complicated but certainly if you have notes for all the good things that person’s doing.

No one’s offended by using notes when they’re hearing praise.

I want you to practice your whole talk with them.

Say Bill I need to talk to you about a couple things if we could sit and chat for a moment and then hop right into it.

And I realize it’s just practice there’s no one else in the room but try to do it as if you were actually talking to the employee bring up the issue.

Talk about all the strengths.

Focus on the specific problem.

Focus on the very specific things you need to do to change to improve it and then end with by putting it all in the positive context of the good things that will happen once this problem will soon be solved.

And I want you to videotape the whole thing and I need you to watch it.

I need you to critique yourself and then look what is it you like about how you’re coming across.

Do you seem empathetic.

Do you seem caring.

Do you seem like you really want to do this to help the person but be objective or do you seem like a jerk.

You seem like someone who enjoys beating someone up and criticizing them.

I hope not.

I doubt that’s how you’re going to come across otherwise you wouldn’t even bother spending time in a course like this but look at do the same believable.

Are you undercutting your own message by sounding timid and scared and nervous about this.

This isn’t you giving a speech to two thousand people but you do want to come across as comfortable believable and confident.

So I want you to practice on video make notes of what you like.

Notes of what you don’t like and ideally you feel a lot more comfortable after that.

If you don’t really love how you’re coming across I need you to do it again.

Keep practicing your message the criticism you want to deliver.

Keep watching it on video and tell you like it because if you do that you’ll be more relaxed.

You’ll certainly be more confident how you deliver this message and things will go smoother.

So it shouldn’t take that long but if it’s a two minute message and you practice it 10 times and watch it 10 times that’s really not going to take very long.

That only takes you 40 minutes if it’s really important.

So again practice record it watch it critique it keep doing it until you like it do that and you’re going to be in great shape for this conversation even if it’s not the most pleasant of conversations.