LIFE COACHING
Getting on with EACH OTHER
Written on the eve of reopening the salon, Sophie captures the feelings of the moment in her column this month. Tomorrow marks the day that I can return to my salon and clients post lockdown. I knew it was going to be tough, but I truly had no idea how hard it would be to open a salon under the new guidelines given. As a contact service we have had to restructure the way we do everything. Making sure our staff and clients are safe has always been our priority, however we have never experienced anything like this pandemic and fear has been established in all of our minds over the last few months.
Cross-checking guidelines, risk assessments, panic buying, 9 hours a day on the phone, deep cleaning and responding to messages until midnight has been my reality for the last two weeks. My team have been incredible, understanding of changes that need to happen, and just ready and willing to adapt to anything thrown at them. I’m not going to lie: my head is bursting. The reality is that this is a completely new way of working for hairdressers across the country. It’s not just PPE; we know we will get used to that. It’s the things you may not see – timings, equipment, the way you enter the building, the way we work together. It’s any kind of human contact; and that is really difficult for us. If we all work super-hard to get this right, maybe the new normal doesn’t have to be the new normal? Maybe it’s just the beginning of our return to living without fear. The Hair column is contributed by Sophie Laidlaw. Sophie is Director @wonderland Livingston. www.wonderlandlivingston.co.uk 30 | LIVINGSTON
During the lockdown many of us have experienced a real sense of isolation, and some of us may have lost confidence in interacting with others; a little ‘rusty’ in the art of casual conversation. As we emerge from lockdown, we will all need to adapt to the ‘new normal’ and relearn how we can easily mix with other people, while continuing to maintain that crucial social distance. In NLP, we talk about ‘Mirroring’ and ‘Matching.’ People tend to like people who are like themselves, so when we mirror those we are communicating with, we build rapport and emphasise the connection between us. Can you remember the last time you had a conversation with someone who was paying scant attention to what you were saying? Perhaps they were looking in the opposite direction when you were talking to them, didn’t make eye contact and just seemed at odds with you. Really listening to what people are saying, standing when they stand, sitting when they do and even mirroring their movements can really help us to build rapport with those around us. If you stand or sit the way the other person is standing, you automatically form a connection and signal to them that you value them and are interested in what they are telling you. But remember subtlety is key. If you are too overt, it can look like you are mimicking and will almost certainly break rapport and have the opposite effect. The Life Coaching column is contributed by Francine Orr. Francine is an NLP coach, hypnotherapist and reiki practitioner. She supports people to find real and practical solutions to the things that hold us back in life. Francine usually works within Linlithgow Chiropractic, but currently working online via Skype, FaceTime or Zoom. Please contact her at francine@orrganise.co.uk @KonectMagazines
