Working on mastering a new skill? If you want to learn that skill as efficiently and effectively as possible, there is one absolute must-have strategy:
Slow Down!
To truly hone a skill, you must be able to analyze what you’re doing. Self-analysis is actually pretty difficult, so you need to do whatever you can to make that analysis easier.
When you work on the skill in slow motion, you can see and feel details that are impossible to notice at full speed. Here are some examples:
- Golf or Tennis: Working on your golf swing or your tennis backhand at normal speed will feel like a blur of activity. If you slow down – way down – you’ll be able to feel subtle changes in your grip or your weight distribution. At full speed, you’ll never notice these details.
- Playing a Musical Instrument: It’s only when you play very, very slowly that you’l be able to recognize changes in your technique that are affecting you negatively. Watch out for the curve of your fingers, your breathing, and other changes in your biomechanics that can affect you adversely.
- Addressing an Audience: For public speakers and performers, your body language can be as important as your content. Are you fully aware of how you make eye contact and how you use your hands and arms? Work on these elements of your performance in slow motion so you can truly sense each position you use.
- Speaking a Foreign Language: The sounds used in some languages are very different than your native language. To make these sounds properly, you need to shape your mouth and place your tongue in positions you’re not used to speaking your native language. Go very slowly and pay attention to each aspect of what you’re doing to create the sounds.
Moving in slow motion can actually be a very satisfying experience. Some people say they only fully recognize their strengths and weaknesses by working on skills very, very slowly. I highly encourage you to give it a try.
