Terry+on+NTPRS

Terry's yahoo group message on why go to NTPRS 2011 ... meet the coaches!!

(From Lisa Reyes) > We will also have a top-notch group of coaches who will work with us all week as we actually "jump in" and practice the skills we are learning in our workshops. >

Terry's answer:

Wow....as usual, Lisa's being too modest about how great NTPRS is going to be! The format change this year that puts more emphasis on coaching in the specific skills of TPRS by pro coaches right after the presenters have explained and demonstrated the theory is going to make this week in St. Louis effective like no other conference you've ever seen! I'm sooooo disappointed I don't have the money to go! :-(

In case you haven't been around Nationals for the past few years, coaching is a relatively new thing in TPRS. It's sort of like when you read a textbook and get lots of great theory, but you're not sure how to really use it correctly. Every human being is born with the ability to acquire a language, but nobody "acquires" TPRS just from watching and listening to it -- it takes structured practice and guidance from someone who knows what to look for and how to help you fix problems.

Nobody wants to waste the inspiration and knowledge that comes from seeing great presenters like Blaine and Susie and all the others...but if you get back to your classroom and feel like "Um, what now? It all made sense before, but I'm not so sure now!" -- what a huuuuge waste!

But not to worry -- NTPRS 2011 has the two single most experienced and skilled TPRS coaches anywhere heading up the coaching team -- Lizette Liebold and Rochelle Barry. They may not be household names like Blaine and Susie, but they've spent the past three years working almost exclusively on how to coach the TPRS skills. They even run the only coaching-only workshops I've ever heard of.

I can't say enough about how transformative it is to come into one of their coaching sessions overflowing with new ideas and be guided on the spot in exactly how to make them work -- in YOUR language, for the levels YOU teach, with immediate feedback and helpful suggestions. This isn't someone watching you for a couple of minutes. This is something new and totally different, and it works. You could even say it's like going from the textbook to TPRS! ;-)

We can all help each other any time by watching each other teach and giving suggestions, but there's just no substitute for professional coaching. It's not easy to get the opportunity to coach with the likes of Lizette and Rochelle -- except for free, all week at NTPRS! (Can I say "woot" here? :-) )

Dang, I'm getting more and more disappointed I can't be there!! I think I need some chocolate...