When TV coach Alison Matthews suggested running a ‘mindset skills’ session for Talent Manager members, my immediate instinct was scepticism.
TM members are, on the whole, a pretty eminent bunch, with many years of prime-time programme-making experience. Surely what they needed were new opportunities, not a new outlook?
It turns out it was my ‘mindset’ that was wrong – and Alison helped put me right.
The penny dropped when Alison and I were discussing directing. One of the single most effective tips I was taught in my days as a director was to look away from a contributor, to break eye contact, when they had said a key sound bite. That simple little movement – technique? trick? –momentarily breaks your rapport with your contributor, invariably pausing their speech in mid-flow, and meaning their ‘sound bite’ is easily editable.
‘Mindset skills’, Alison explained, was this writ large: it’s about learning techniques for changing emotional states, and therefore behaviour, such as learning how to ‘switch on’ your ‘confident-self’ when going into an interview. Or ensuring you are calm and relaxed ahead of a difficult conversation with a contributor or staff member. Or making sure you feel energetic – (and us working parents know how hard that is!) – ahead of a pep talk with your team.
Warming to the idea, I realised it was this old dog needed to learn new tricks.
Luckily TM members evidently have a more positive ‘mindset’ in the first place: the tickets sold out quickly – and great fun was had by all.
More importantly, after some CV tips and advice on how best to boost your TM profile and improve your job prospects, everyone left in a much more positive state of mind.
@PeterChipping: "@Sensability @tvtalentmanager Great event last night. Off to create those networks now!"
@BritChickVick: "Brilliant networking evening last night with @dvtalent Got some great stuff out of it. Going to be following up with things right now!"
Big thanks to The Station for having us!