Having worked in television for over 20 years its fair to say that I’ve got a few stories to tell. Many of them are stories that make me smile and come with a feeling of pride and accomplishment. Others though, have a little more to tell in the name of bringing their share of complications and mishaps!
Yes we ALL make mistakes….and anyone who says they don’t is either fibbing or has a rather over inflated ego! Live television is what is says…..LIVE!!! It’s a daunting and frightening way to work to be honest where there’s such immense pressure to get everything right – and if you don’t get it right then millions see you getting it wrong! That kind of pressure though I feel happens to all of us – live tv or not.
In our day to day we ALL have situations where it really matters that things go well. When we want things to go perfectly! I constantly relate my tv career/experience into my training sessions, and also even into how I bring my children up. Getting things right is important yes – however working tirelessly to get everything perfect all of the time isn’t achievable. It also isn’t very healthy.
Being able to forgive ourselves if we make an error is what I think is a skill that needs to be learnt. It’s not something that is inherent. The good news is that it can be learnt.
The footage below of the BBC weather reports bring together so many skills that I transfer into my daily life and my training/coaching sessions. Have a look at them and see if you can work out what I’m doing. What skills are being used?
In the second shorter video I’m on a different media platform – and this required very different skills. You may or may not notice them, – however if I were to break it down you’d soon see how and why they are different.
Being able to “tweak” what you deliver according to your audience is not just what people do in the world of TV…it’s something that everyone does all the time. Some consciously- and some subconsciously…..Think about asking for help from a teacher at school….how would you ask the teacher compared to the way in which you would ask a friend? It’s different….maybe only slightly so but different all the same.
Apply this thinking to situations as an adult – how would you behave/speak/dress when going for a job interview as opposed to hosting an event/training session – and how would this differ again if you were sat chatting about similar topics but in the staffroom?
We are all capable of changing our behaviour as and when it’s required and we can even learn how to behave appropriately in many different situations if we need some assistance – it’s just that sometimes we need a little guidance andcoulv do with a few “extra tools in our toolbox” to help us though!
