Day 17
For those of you who play golf, tennis, squash, baseball or any other sport involving a piece of equipment connecting with a ball, then you know about the “sweet spot”. It’s that magical spot on your racquet, bat or club where, once you have impact, your shot reaches maximum loft, accuracy and distance. You know exactly when it happens and how it feels. For me, not only is it a beautiful shot, but it is pain free, too ~ which is an added bonus when playing a round of 18 holes. There are a number of factors involved including point of contact, angle, stance, swing, grip etc. Not one factor is any more important than the others. All of them need to be in sync for maximum performance.
When I first started playing golf, if and when I hit the sweet spot (which was rarely), I was so pleased that I placed my club back in the bag and merrily went on to the next hole. Now I find myself stopping and reflecting on which factors worked and which need more tweaking. I also seek out and appreciate feedback from my partners, as they have a unique perspective on my swing.
As with most sports analogies, there are many connections to our world of education. So, when you are learning, teaching, presenting or leading others, what does that “sweet spot” look like or feel like? Is it engagement, eye contact or active participation? What are the factors that need to be in sync in order for a lesson or a presentation to reach maximum performance? Is it immediate or long term evidence of learning? And when we “hit one of the park” do we take the time to stop and reflect on what went right or are we too busy working on our next task? Do we ask others for meaningful feedback in order to help us improve? And if so, then how comfortable are we in making a commitment to act upon that feedback from our participants/students? 
They say that the smell of success is sweet, but in this case, it’s the feeling of success that we’re working towards as we aim to hit the “sweet spot”
I would love to hear about teaching, learning, presenting, leading “sweet spot” moments.
Come write with me….