Hi Everyone,
Since I started instructing L.A.S.T. courses, the courses have been enhanced by the students continual input. Every aspect of the course, from the layout and the content included of the course manuals, to the amount and timing of materials I deliver, have all been influenced by what the students have liked and disliked, your wants and needs. I’ve always believed that cco-creation of the course (help and knowledgeable suggestions from you) adds to the value I strive to give back to our profession.
You have made L.A.S.T. courses the success they are. The courses sell out and I get daily testimonials from you telling stories of how the techniques have helped your pateints’, taken your treatments in new directions, gotten longer lasting effects, and so on. I am completely humbled by all of this.
I’ve got an upcoming Online Shoulder Course that I’ll be launching very soon and I’m sending you a preview video. Before I shot 1 minute of video, I asked for input. I heard feedback about what you liked, disliked, wanted, needed, didn’t want or need based on your experiences in purchasing either instructional DVD’s or online courses.
You wanted:
- Basic anatomy review – check
- Evidence informed research supporting the techniques – check
- A real person with a real injury as the demo patient- check
- Far away and close up shots – check
- Good lighting and sound – check
- Clear instructions to perform the technique properly minimizing risk of harm – check
- Instructions and demonstrations of proper biomechanics and posture to perform the techniques – check
- Simple Easy to follow navigation through the course – check
- Online Course Manual – check
- Easy access anywhere, anytime, any device – check
- A full TREATMENT of the demo patient – check
- No demos of the technique, but actual TREATMENT of the patient on the table – check
- Lifetime access to al materials – check
- Access to me personally – coming soon!
Once again, I’m asking for your helpful comments and suggestions.
I’d appreciate it if you would watch the video I’ve attached, play them in your treatment room, practice the technique with your patients while watching and listening to my instructions and then come back here and comment on what you liked and any positive changes you’d like to see in the next course. I read all the comments and try to answer as many as possible.
I believe that having you co-create the courses with me will create an innovative series of courses that will change not only how our profession educates itself, but also how we utilize that education during treatment to best improve the quality of our patients life.
Here’s the videos. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Hi Robert,
thank you for developing online teaching for LAST. I am a Remedial Massage Therapist in Australia and very interested in LAST.
I like the anatomy video with its in situ approach, and I think it could be improved by some anatomical models/drawings of the actual soft tissues you were talking about.
The treatment procedure went very well and I feel confident I could attempt this with a client.
I have one question – how much pressure were you using? I know it will vary with patients, and I know we are responding to tissue tension but a general guideline would be helpful.
Also I felt uncomfortable not being introduced to your patient or being given any background as to why you were performing this technique in her case.
I thought you very clearly discussed and demonstrated the elasticity of the tissue post treatment, but I would have liked to see a clearer indication of the lack of elasticity before treatment. I think you were very focused on describing hand placement etc when you were first contacting her tissues.
I think you did a fine job describing what you were doing at the time you were doing it, though your narration did have the abstracted quality of someone finding it a little difficult describing what they are doing when their actions actually require a type of focus that is best achieved without distractions… So maybe you could consider performing the treatment sequence itself speaking only to your patient as you ask her to breath, and then adding a voice over narration that describes the treatment sequence and allows you to also describe your state of focus as you patiently listen and respond to the tissues…
I think it is great that you have asked for feedback to help produce excellent teaching materials and wish you success!
Carol
Hi Carol,
Thanks so much for your comments. I appreciate them!
I agree that I need to be more engaging in front of the camera. It comes easy to some but unfortunately not for me. I’m getting better every day though with lots of practice. I instruct live far better than on camera, but also realize that initially my live courses were not as smooth as they are now.
Concerning pressure utilized, this is described in an introductory video that is part of the course introduction. In this video I discuss the history, research involved that supports LAST and many of the principles of the techniques. It’s basically my first 30-40 minutes of content that I instruct in the live courses.
concerning anatomy drawings/models, the only way to do this is to either license someone else’s or have my own created. unfortunately at this time it wasn’t in the budget for either, but hopefully will be for the next course. I would also like to update and enhance these videos when the budget permits it. One of the benefits of lifetime access to the videos, is that I’m crazy about improving the course materials, from the course manual to these videos.
I’m looking forward to shooting the next course, making changes, improving upon lessons learned here.
Thanks again for your honest. I truly appreciate it!
Thanks again for all your comments. I greatly appreciate them
Hey Rob,
The videos were great. I love the “screen-in-screen” aspect of the video as it gives a clear view of what you are treating and we can reference back and forth to your posture and technique without missing anything.
The anatomy portion was great also with good and clear/precise description of what we are treating and possible reasons why one might treat the area. I think that it would be cool if you were able to incorporate somehow (no idea how you could, possibly in a third smaller screen) 3D anatomy pics from 3D4medical imaging apps to give some perspective of tissues around the area. That would be icing on the cake, and it is simple to open a Netter while watching videos too. I also don’t know if a third screen would be too much to take in visually for some practitioners. Otherwise, everything in my opinion is dead on. I would be able to learn this techniques and have a good understanding of the anatomy I am dealing with. Can’t wait for the course to fire up online. I will definitely be one of the first to sign up. Thank-you for your continued time and effort to make us better therapists. You are truly a pioneer in our industry.
Cheers,
Jason Dvorak, RMT
Infants to Athletes Massage Therapy
Hi Jason,
Thanks so much for your positive comments.
I think incorporating 3D Anatomy into videos is definitely beneficial to have in an online course. Unfortunately licensing the videos is extremely costly as is getting my own done. I actually contacted 3d4medical and they do not license their videos, but do license their static images, though quite costly.
The future plans are to gather funds necessary to incorporate the 3D anatomy videos into all the online courses. A bonus of enrolling into my courses is that you get Lifetime access to them and as I am able to add more value to the future videos (3D Anatomy), I will be reproducing these to update them. The more value I can add to a therapists practice, the more that therapist will be able to better communicate and treat their patients.
Mr Libby,
The content on both videos is very good but I notice your verbal delivery is less lively than previous videos. The soft monotone and slow even pacing makes it less engaging and the unrelieved off-white background doesn’t provide any offsetting visual interest. Of course, the background should not be busy and your work should be the main focus but I found myself sort of zoning out even though I wanted to learn.
Hi Mary,
Thanks so much for the comments. I appreciate all of your points. I agree that I need to be more engaging in front of the camera. It comes easy to some but unfortunately not for me. I’m getting better every day though with lots of practice.
We thought a lot about the background, trying to decide if something should be there or not, my ligament pain posters, something else… but in the end, decided as you said, make it about the technique. I’m looking forward to shooting the next course, making changes, improving upon lessons learned here.
Thanks again for your honest. I truly appreciate it!
Hello Rob
Just wanted to let you know that I found the two video previews to be very professional and inspiring so far. I would agree that you are improving in the smoothness and flow of the instruction. I have watched other you-tube instruction videos and it’s kind of funny how everyone develops this super serious persona. It is so hard to let your personality come through without looking fake or over trying. The general anatomy video with your own personal tips on landmarking correctly is exellent. Maybe give the skeleton a pet name in the videos? Introduce the skeleton by name – also introduce the live patient as well to add a more personable touch.
This is a fantastic start to a very promising educational series. I love the work you are doing and thank you so much for taking this giant step in sharing your knowledge in and on – line format.
best of luck,
Patti
I really like both videos. You are clear, you take your time and I really like watching you carry out the technique until you see the change in the client. It was interesting to see how where you were pressing didn’t have the same resilience to the tissues like it did when you were done the technique.
The only change I would recommend, I think you should be wearing a Ninja outfit in the video. Other than that, great work!
I took the Foot course a couple of weeks ago. I have used two or three techniques with most of my clients, and because I was eager to use my new knowledge I would poke around with most of my clients’ knees, legs and feet and, if something was sore I would use the appropriate technique. The clients would then share really old injuries that they had but were never properly addressed. The work showed immediate results.
The class has brought a new awareness to a part of the body that I never really knew how to treat.
Thank you! You’re awesome!
I have really gotten a lot out of your classes, I really appreciate your innovative work and perspective. It is a perfect blend of the more sensitive and intuitive work of CranioSacral Therapy with the more cerebral work of anatomy and physiology.
You mentioned in the Foot Course that you don’t like to label ailments or issues in the body but just try to improve the person’s quality of life. I have always thought that way, so it is comforting to know that a therapist I really respect shares the same approach.
Keep up the incredible work.