The Core Principle of Deliberate Practice
The core principle of deliberate practice is to break down a skill into manageable chunks, each of which has a clear beginning and finish and can be practiced in a regular and methodical manner under close supervision until mastery is achieved. The more you practice, the more natural it will become. This conforms to the accuracy principles underlying the Neuro-Semantics Benchmarking Model. To put it another way, you can learn a skill by breaking it down into its component units—the behavior equivalents—and then practicing those units until you’re competent.
The Evolution of Benchmarking in ACMC Courses (2005-2017)
In ACMC courses from 2005-2017, students were required to complete a “Benchmarking Project.” This project aimed to enhance benchmarking abilities and knowledge of meta-detailing. Though challenging, some initially considered it too complex. Team Leaders and Coaches invested significant time and effort to ensure teams grasped the benchmarking procedure. Over a decade later, the curriculum transitioned to the “Drills for Skills” project (2017–2019), which underwent development for three years.
Transition to Skills Experiment and Building Blocks (2019)
In 2019 November, a shift occurred towards the Skills Experiment. The process of breaking down talents into constituent parts was completed, yielding a list of coaching building blocks. This documentation now helps coaches focus on skill components and repeatedly practice them using “Drills for Skills” until mastery is evident. The collaborative effort led to the creation of these drills, with designs being implemented in different ACMC branches.
Practice, Integration, and Application
Coaches can now systematically practice individual skill components using corresponding forms, especially in collaboration with another Meta-Coach. Making this deliberate practice a habit contributes to the development of a new communication habit, accessible during coaching sessions. The process involves understanding the skill’s structure, playing its pieces, integrating and applying them logically, and ultimately honing timing skills through consistent practice.
Quantifying and Refining Coaching Skills
The “Quantity” column indicates the number of skill repetitions achievable in a thirty-minute coaching session. The focus extends to instances where clients provide externalized gestures to acknowledge their internal state. Acknowledging such gestures enhances coaching effectiveness.
Benefits of This Approach
This approach aligns with Anders Ericsson’s findings that subject specialists continuously learn and incorporate new knowledge into coaching. Experts train intentionally, and now practitioners can too. The provided documents serve as tools to systematically enhance foundational abilities and elevate coaching proficiency significantly.
Curated by Danielle Tan.
Reference:
- [Certified_meta-coach] 2023 Morpheus #32 LEARN THE PIECES — THE SKILL WILL APPEAR by L. Michael Hall, Ph.D. Executive Director, ISNS.
