Okay, so today I jumped into this thing called “coacheshotseat”. Honestly, I wasn’t totally sure what to expect, but I was game to try something new. It sounded intense, but also kinda cool.
First, I watched a couple of videos about it. Just to, you know, get the basic idea. It seemed like a structured way to get feedback on something specific, and to do it pretty quickly.
Getting Ready
Then, I picked something I wanted feedback on. For me, it was this presentation I’ve been working on. It felt a little clunky in places, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on why.
Next, I found a few people to be my “coaches”. Luckily, some coworkers were willing to help out. We booked a short chunk of time – like, 30 minutes – and I sent them the presentation beforehand so they could take a quick look.
The Hot Seat
When the time came, I shared my screen and basically just… presented. Like I normally would. I tried to keep it short and sweet, focusing on the parts I was most unsure about.
After I was done, it was their turn. They each took a few minutes to give me their thoughts. It was rapid-fire, but in a good way. No beating around the bush, just straight-up observations and suggestions. The thing is they can only ask yes/no question, and I can only answer yes or no during they ask, so it’s very focuse on what to ask.
- One person pointed out that my intro was too long.
- Another suggested I add more visuals to break up the text.
- Someone else noticed that I was using too much jargon.
After Action
Honestly, it was a little nerve-wracking at first, being in the “hot seat” like that. But it was also super helpful. I got a bunch of concrete ideas for how to improve my presentation, and it all happened in less than an hour.
I’ve already started making some of the changes they suggested, and the presentation is already feeling a lot better. I’m definitely going to try this “coacheshotseat” thing again in the future. Maybe next time, I’ll even be brave enough to be one of the coaches!
