From an early age I have been
passionately involved in the performing arts. Initially my parents put me in
for dancing lessons as they were very concerned by my lack of balance and
coordination (Not a lot has changed there unfortunately – I still can’t put one
foot in front of the other without tripping a lot of the time!) My Dad was a
keen member of several local theatre companies and I had been going to watch
him perform in shows since a baby. My earliest memory is of my Dad playing the
Lion in The Wizard of Oz and being chased around the house by him in his
costume screaming and shrieking with delight as I hid between my mum’s legs
whilst he roared at me. I am also repeatedly told about the time I heckled from
the audience when Dad played the role of ‘Ladies Man’ Vince Fontaine in the
musical, Grease. Dad’s character was flirting with one of the female characters
on stage to which I rather loudly asked my mum “What is Daddy doing with THAT
woman Mummy?!”
Unlike my Dad who was naturally very outgoing and confident, I have never been this way. This often confuses a lot of people. How on earth can you stand on a stage in front of thousands of people if you’re timid and awkward?! The answer is simple, because I’m in character. When I stand on stage I am not me, I am whomever the character is that I am portraying so in essence, it isn’t me on stage.
During my time at University, I
would consistently get high marks whenever I was in character and performing
but as soon as I had to give a presentation in front of people as myself, I
would fall to pieces. The fear of being in the spotlight for everyone to view
and judge me as me would terrify me.
When I first began working at the
New Continental Hotel, my anxiety really kicked in. Being on the front desk
means you are the first to meet and greet guests and as such, the first to make
a lasting good impression of the hotel. Initially, I found the role very
overwhelming and spent so much time being aware of myself in front of guests
that I was prone to making more mistakes through constantly doubting myself. I
remember how frustrated I was at my inability to muster up confidence in my own
self, until something clicked – my job is a bit like a performance. I have a
general script to stick to in terms of the information I need to give guests
upon their arrival.
Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not
saying I’m perfect or that this approach stops me making mistakes from time to
time – I’m still human! But what it has done is make me revel in a role by
aligning it with my interests outside of work. The guests are my audience, Trip
Advisor is the performance critic and my work colleagues are my fellow company
of cast and crew.
I try to mould myself to suit the individual audience members or in this case the hotel guests. Quite often I have had colleagues look at me bewildered as I have spoken in a very RP voice on the telephone only to greet the postman in a strong Plymothian accent. It’s not always intentional either; I’m just so fortunate to meet people from every walk of life within the hospitality industry that I want to treat them all in an individual and warm way that is personal to them.
Everyone has different approaches to work but if you can find a way to enjoy yours and keep your ‘audience’ happy, it doesn’t matter what angle you approach it from…
The Receptionist! x
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