SCOTT D Miller - For the latest and greatest information on Feedback Informed Treatment

  • About
    • About Scott
    • Publications
  • Training and Consultation
  • Workshop Calendar
  • FIT Measures Licensing
  • FIT Software Tools
  • Online Store
  • Top Performance Blog
  • Contact Scott
info@scottdmiller.com 773.404.5130

Does practice make perfect?

August 30, 2016 By scottdm 2 Comments

michael ammart“Practice does not make perfect,” my friend, and award-winning magician, Michael Ammar, is fond of saying.  “Rather,” he observes, “practice makes permanent.”

Thus, if we are not getting better as we work, our work will simply insure our current performance stays the same.

Now, before reading any further, watch a bit of the video below.  It features Diana Damrau singing one of the most recognizable arias from Mozart’s, “The Magic Flute.”  Trust me, even if you don’t like opera, this performance will make the hair on your neck stand on end.

All right, now click on the video below (and listen for as long as you can stand it).

No, the latter recording is not a joke.  Neither is it a reject from one of the “GOT TALENT” shows so popular on TV at present.  It’s none other than Florence Jenkins—an American socialite and heiress who was, according to Wikipedia, “a prominent musical cult figure…during the 1920’s, ‘30’s, and 40’s.”

Florence Jenkins

How could that be, you may well wonder?  Her pitch is off, and there are so many mistakes in terms of rhythm, tempo, and phrasing in the first 30 seconds, one quickly loses count.

The problem?  In a word, feedback—more specifically, the lack of critical feedback extending over many years.

For most of her career, Lady Florence, as she liked to be called, performed to “select audiences” in her home or small clubs. Attendance was invitation-only–and Jenkins controlled the list.  Her guests did their best not to let on what they tought of her abilities.  Instead, they smiled approvingly and applauded–loudly as it turns out, in an attempt to cover the laughter that invariably accompanied her singing!

Jenkins performanceEverything changed in 1944 when Jenkins booked Carnegie Hall for a public performance. This time, the applause was not sufficient to cover the laughter.  If anything, it followed, treating the performance as a comedy act, and encouraging the singer to continue the frivolity.

The reviews were scathing.  The next morning, the critic for the New York Sun, wrote, Lady Florence, “…can sing everything…except notes…”

The moral of the story?  Practice is not enough.  To improve, feedback is required.  Honest feedback–and the earlier in the process, the better.  Research indicates the keys to success are: (1) identifying performance objectives that lie just beyond an individuals current level of reliable achievement; (2) immediate feedback; and (3) continuous effort aimed at gradually refining and improving one’s performance.

Here’s the parallel with psychotherapy: the evidence shows therapist self-appraisal is not a reliable measure of either the quality or effectiveness of their work.  Indeed, a number of studies have found that, when asked, the least effective clinicians rate themselves on par with the most effective–a finding that could well be labelled, “Jenkin’s Paradox.”

Evidence-based measures exists which can help therapists avoid the bias inherent in self-assessment as well as aid in the identification of small, achievable performance improvement objectives.  A recent study documented, for example, how therapists can use such tools, in combination with immediate feedback and practice, to gradually yet significantly improve the quality and effectiveness of their therapeutic relationships–arguably, the most important contributor to treatment outcome.  Using the tools to improve outcome and engagement in psychotherapy will be the focus of the upcoming ICCE webinar.  It’s a simply way to get started, or to refine your existing knowledge.  Learn more or register online by clicking here.

Let me leave you with one last video.  It’s an interview I did with Danish psychologist Susanne Bargmann.  Over the last 5 years, she’s applied the principles described here in an attempt to not only improve her effectiveness as a clinician, but also in music.  Recently, her efforts came to the attention of the folks at Freakonomics radio.  As was the case when you listened to Diana Damrau, you’ll come away inspired!

Until next time,

Scott

Scott D. Miller, Ph.D.
Director, International Center for Clinical Excellence
ICCE Fall WEbinar

 

 

 

Filed Under: CDOI, evidence-based practice, Feedback Informed Treatment - FIT, FIT, Top Performance

Comments

  1. Anna Schaum says

    August 30, 2016 at 7:24 pm

    Scott and Susanne,

    I loved this post. As a professional symphonic viola player for 15 years BEFORE I became a therapist, the power and importance of deliberate practice was instilled in me from a very young age by my beloved Spanish viola teacher whose mantra was, “Practice, practice, practice!”

    I found Susanne’s three guidelines, 1) find a good teacher; 2) set small, realistic goals, and 3) stay motivated by setting deadlines, to be right on target. I would add that finding a community of like-minded folks to work and play with has been another very important aspect of my own successful practice habit. It can get lonely (even for an introvert) in a practice room by oneself, as a musician or a therapist! Trusted collegial partners, band mates so to speak, provide support, accountability, and a sense of purpose to these activities that require a lot of solo practice.

    I recorded a performance piece fairy tale as part of my masters thesis called “The Little Girl and Her Viola”. The moral of the story is that disciplined practice can ultimately lead to true mastery: the balance point of bow and string, head and heart, logic and intuition, I and Thou. For me great music and great therapy are all about tuning to that balance point.

    Thanks for all you’re both doing in this world.

    Respectfully,
    Anna Schaum, LPC, PAT
    Portland, OR

    Reply
    • Susanne says

      August 31, 2016 at 3:43 pm

      Thanks so much Anna for sharing your story. I completely agree with you about having friend or colleagues to share with as you begin to practice! It really can get lonely!!!

      You might enjoy the Freakonomics podcast with K. Anders Ericsson (where I also got to tell my story). You can find it here:

      http://freakonomics.com/podcast/peak/

      Kind Regards

      Susanne

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

SEARCH

Subscribe for updates from my blog.

  

Upcoming Training

Aug
02

FIT Implementation Intensive 2021


Aug
04

Training of Trainers 2021

FIT Software tools

FIT Software tools

NREPP Certified

HTML tutorial

LinkedIn

Topics of Interest:

  • Behavioral Health (111)
  • behavioral health (4)
  • Brain-based Research (2)
  • CDOI (14)
  • Conferences and Training (67)
  • deliberate practice (28)
  • Dodo Verdict (9)
  • Drug and Alcohol (3)
  • evidence-based practice (66)
  • excellence (61)
  • Feedback (38)
  • Feedback Informed Treatment – FIT (207)
  • FIT (26)
  • FIT Software Tools (12)
  • ICCE (26)
  • Implementation (7)
  • medication adherence (3)
  • obesity (1)
  • PCOMS (11)
  • Practice Based Evidence (38)
  • PTSD (4)
  • Suicide (1)
  • supervision (1)
  • Termination (1)
  • Therapeutic Relationship (8)
  • Top Performance (39)

Recent Posts

  • Three Common Misunderstandings about Deliberate Practice for Therapists
  • Feedback Informed Treatment in Statutory Services (Child Protection, Court Mandated)
  • Do We Learn from Our Clients? Yes, No, Maybe So …
  • Developing a Sustainable Deliberate Practice Plan
  • Making Sense of Client Feedback

Recent Comments

  • Asta on The Expert on Expertise: An Interview with K. Anders Ericsson
  • Michael McCarthy on Culture and Psychotherapy: What Does the Research Say?
  • Jim Reynolds on Culture and Psychotherapy: What Does the Research Say?
  • gloria sayler on Culture and Psychotherapy: What Does the Research Say?
  • Joseph Maizlish on Culture and Psychotherapy: What Does the Research Say?

Tags

addiction Alliance behavioral health brief therapy Carl Rogers CBT cdoi common factors conferences continuing education denmark evidence based medicine evidence based practice Evolution of Psychotherapy excellence feedback feedback informed treatment healthcare holland icce international center for cliniclal excellence medicine mental health meta-analysis Norway NREPP ors outcome measurement outcome rating scale post traumatic stress practice-based evidence psychology psychometrics psychotherapy psychotherapy networker public behavioral health randomized clinical trial SAMHSA session rating scale srs supershrinks sweden Therapist Effects therapy Training