2. FEATURE: Your 10 Minute Coaching DVD

(Note: This article includes a link to a bonus audio online video clip. I am finishing up my book, so this article is proudly reprinted.)
It’s not always easy to connect with your passion as a coach. And most of us spend months, years and decades trying connect with who we really are – not only as people, but as coaches.

What are we truly passionate about? What do we love? What are we committed to? What is it about our coaching that is so valuable?

And….how can I communicate all this to my prospective clients in a powerful way – to build a relationship and get even more clients?

I’m going to share with you a wonderful experience I had this month – making my own 10 minute coaching video or DVD. And I’ll tell you how you can make your own 10 minute coaching video or DVD – inexpensively.

I highly recommend EVERYONE who is coaching, or considering coaching, follow at least the BASIC approach outlined below. What a great way for your web site visitors, and other prospective clients, to get to know you and build a relationship with you – while you sleep!

Before You Begin…

Before you start, I suggest you first watch my 10 minute DVD online to really get a feel for what’s possible. I love the result, and hope you enjoy it too:

http://www.life-coaching-resource.com/life-coach.htm#vid

The Basic Approach (Simple Audio)

• Have a friend draw up a list of provocative questions. Separately compile your own list of questions, and the blend the two lists.
• Have your friend interview you for 20 minutes and record it using a simple tape recorder.
• It’s great to have your friend start with “I’m joined here in the virtual studio today by Bob Smith. This is a great opportunity to get to know Bob’s coaching style, and to pick up some powerful insights and tips for life.”
• Just flow through from beginning to end, not trying to get it right. The idea is to bring out your passion! To help you realise who you really are through the questioning. Why you’re coaching, what you love, who you really want to help, your philosophy on life, on people….
• When you’re done, consider some simple editing from one tape recorder to another.
• Even bettter – record it into your computer using a free software package (e.g. dbpoweramp), and snip out the bits you don’t want to keep. The fastest and easiest way is to use a service which converts your phone call into streaming audio – just do a three way conference call with your interviewer. I suggest Instant Audio at:http://www.becomeacoach.com/instantaudio.htm
• If you make a special request, they’ll let you download the file to your hard drive where you can use a free editing package (if you really want to put some effort into this) to edit the mp3 file. WavePad is free at http://www.nch.com.au/wavepad/

Then – you will have a 10 minute audio segment that you can mail (on tape) to prospective clients or the media, or convert into streaming media for your website.

The Intermediate Approach (Basic Video)

I strongly encourage you to do this on video, rather than audio tape. You’ll get to see yourself answer important questions; and will find it quite a powerful experience.

Here’s the cheapest way to get a basic video you can use:

• Much better than audio, is to borrow a digital video camera from a friend. Set it up on you, with good lighting. I suggest a medium shot showing just your shoulders up – so you really get to see your facial expressions. Test a couple of minutes first to make sure you’re loud enough, and that your picture is clear.
• Now – follow the steps in ‘BASIC’ above, but with you on camera. Your friend will be sitting just to the left or right of the camera, and you’ll look at them rather than at the camera. In the finished product you’ll hear their voice asking the questions, but won’t ever see their face. This is about you.
• Keep this one to 10 minutes only, and if you don’t like it, redo it. But don’t get too picky – it doesn’t have to be perfect – it just has to bring out the real you! If you make a mistake – laugh about it! I sugggest 10 minutes because getting into editing is more expensive. You’re after a good solid 10 minutes that you can use – untouched.
• When you’re done, call around to the local camera stores (or even better, search for ‘dvd duplication services’ in the yellow pages), and find someone who’ll copy the tape onto DVD, AND give you a CD Rom with two windows media files (.wmv) or mp4 files.

Now you will have a DVD you can copy at home to lend to a prospective client, corporation or the media. And – you’ll have a CD Rom you can give to your web person so they can upload the appropriate files to your web server and have the video stream or for YouTube.

The Advanced Approach (Professional Video or DVD)

The BASIC approach above will give most coaches a wonderful experience, and a product they’ll be happy with. However, if you want to go even further and produce something you could use for auditioning for a TV appearance, for example, or for corporations – particularly when you don’t want to have to travel a long way just to find out you’re not what they are looking for – then consider a more advanced appropach.

You’re after a local production studio that can supply you with a camera person, equipment, editing suite, and editor.

My DVD cost me A$400 (US$300) for the master tape, and another A$200 to get it all onto a DVD in US and Australian format.

Advantages of the professional approach are:

• You’ll have quality lighting and sound which lends more credibility to your services.
• You can get a quality intro and outro including music at both ends, and even slow motion clips from your footage – showing you laughing and smiling.
• You can edit out the interviewer’s questions. (Note: make sure if you’re going to do this, that you embed the questions back into your answer. e.g. ‘What has traveling done for your growth?” You reply with “You know – traveling has helped my coaching a lot….”
• You can edit sections that didn’t quite work, and even re-arrange the answers so they fit more closely into a flowing story. This made a big difference to my final DVD.

* * *

Making my own Coaching DVD has been a wonderful experience.

It has helped me connect with Who I really am as a coach – to connect with my passion for coaching, and for living life! And – it’s given me something I can give to a TV producer considering me for a TV spot.

I highly recommmend you go through this process, and please let me know how you go! We’re happy to answer any questions you have.

Action:

1) Decide if you want to use audio, video or the professional approach.

2) Create your 10 min coaching video or audio.

3) Share your videos and audios at the blog. We’d love to see them.

Enjoy,

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