AVOID... Outsourcing your failure
The snow was bad, the examiner was mean, and nobody told you that you should give people feedback during your teaching segment.
Viewing a negative result as the last word You failed the teaching segment. That means you are a terrible teacher, after all.
Catastrophizing
“I failed and therefore I’m a failure. My ex-girlfriend was right, I will never amount to anything. Why did I ever think I could pass the exam in the first place? I’m hopeless.”
Dwelling on the negative
Negative feedback can fill your entire headspace, sometimes making it feel like everything you do is wrong.
Glossing over the loss
Even though taking a hard look at a negative outcome is not fun, don’t skip the opportunity to gain insights from the process.
TRY TO... Reconcile your own role in the results
Think about how your preparation, skills, and strategy were related to the outcome. Most important, consider how you can adjust for the future.
Understand that skill development is ongoing A failed teaching segment could mean a lack of understanding about the exam format, not enough practice, or deficiencies in communication skills. All of these things are fixable, and will strengthen your teaching across the board.
Keep bad news in perspective
Falling while riding switch does not mean you have a character deficit or you aren’t a hard worker. Keep negative feedback inside the category it belongs and work more on riding switch!
Acknowledge successes
Every exam scorecard includes some good news. Remember that you’ve earned some success, and give yourself a pat on the back for the parts of the process you’ve already mastered. Use these strengths to build on as you move forward.
Allow yourself to be bummed, mad, or hurt The more important the goal is to you, the harder it is to reconcile missing the mark. It’s OK to have a natural, human reaction to the bad news. In time, move on to a more constructive outlook.
While it’s natural to worry about the things we can’t control, focus your training on the many factors that are in your court.
over time. “What I thought changed in an instant when I saw my scorecard,” recalled Donny. “I was let down at first but then realized, it was true. It was me. I saw the consistency in my results.” Scott shared similar thoughts. “I was bummed out. Very, very bummed out. I thought I’d skied as well as everybody else,” he said. “Eventually I got encouragement from an examiner, and that got me back on track.”
START MAKING SENSE OF OUTCOMES Forming accurate attributions is an essential part of the rebound process. Here are some checkpoints to help make sense of the outcomes, whatever they may be.
MAP A PLAN FOR RECOVERY As you mull over the reasons behind success and failure, you can start to build a plan for continued training.
90 | 32 DEGREES • WINTER 2016
QWrap your head around your feedback. “I asked my examiners follow-up questions at the debriefing,” said Bill. “Over time I could play that back in my head and relate it to my skiing.” Kathy, Scott, and Donny had similar post-exam experiences, discussing their outcomes with the examiners until it made sense to them. “Don’t just go by the scorecard,” recounted Kathy. “Go up and talk to [the examiners]. Tey’ll tell you exactly how you need to practice. After my exam, I went right back out and worked on my demos, and now I can do a wedge christie perfectly.”
QReconsider goals, strategy, and motivation. Setting a realistic goal is an essential part of this whole process. Work with your trainers to select a goal and then create a map of incremental steps that will build the skills and experience you need. If you are successful with the individual steps, that will boost your
Kathy Ebbers used examiner feedback to map out her plan for progress.
QFocus on controllable factors. While it’s natural to worry about the things we can’t control, focus your training on the many factors that are in your court. Do you feel self-conscious teaching in front of your peers? Start by practicing with friends
motivation to continue. If not, readjust your overall strategy.
COURTESY OF KATHY EBBERS
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