Practice Makes Perfect

When one is trying to build a new skill or perfect one they already have, practice makes perfect just like with anything else. In the book titled The Skilled Negotiator by Kathleen Kelley Reardon, she states,

“Negotiations are as varied as roller coasters. Some are gentle, others, frighteningly fast and treacherous, with surprising twists and erratic turns. The person who consciously and carefully selects the type of roller coaster and the seat location suited to his or her level of experience and then remains seated and belted in, leaning confidently into sharp turns, is likely to survive the ride unscathed and enjoy it as well.”

This to me basically means that the more practice and experience one has, the more confident he or she will be when going into any negotiation. Also, with more practice comes experience so one can not simply having all kinds of experience without trying something at first and learning the basics.

When it comes to soft skills, this most definitely holds true. One of my classmates, Matthew McCarthy, believes this statement as well. In his blog titled, Why Practice Really Does Make Perfect, he says “Practicing is the only way to get better, for you can see your mistakes firsthand and document them in order to correct them so that they don’t happen again.” Matthew’s statement is very true in my opinion and hold trues in many different areas whether it be sports, education, or skill building like we are talking about now.

Growing up I have played basketball for the majority of my life and I know that the more I practiced and tried to perfect my craft, I started to become more and more confident in my abilities on the court. Playing this sport that I love so much for so many years I have realized that to perfect anything you absolutely must practice.

Citations:

Reardon, K. K. (2004). The Skilled Negotiator: Mastering the Language of Engagement. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

McCarthy, M. (2017, September 26). Why Practice Really Does Make Perfect — Conversing with Contemporaries — Medium. Retrieved September 29, 2017, from https://medium.com/conversing-with-contemporaries/why-practice-really-does-make-perfect-c1d7fd9fcc4b