What Lies Beneath

I was lucky enough to get a ticket to be in the virtual audience for a recording of Mock The Week recently. It’s recorded on a Tuesday and aired on a Thursday. If you’ve seen the show you’ll be aware that it’s a half hour of irreverent comments on topical subjects of the week. It was great fun and so good to watch a live performance again.

What you may not know is that the recording for that half hour programme lasted almost three and a half hours. There’s then a great deal of work in editing down all the footage to make it the snappy half hour you see on TV.

there’s often a lot more going on than meets the eye

It put me in mind of the ‘hidden work’ we undertake when we’re preparing a presentation or workshop.

For example, when we are engaged to deliver one of our safety magic presentations, online or in person, it may only last 45 minutes on the day. But prior to that day we work closely with the client to ensure we have a clear understanding of the impact they want it to have and the takeaway they want their audience to leave with. We also have to devise and script the magical pieces that will help reinforce the messages being delivered. Then we spend time linking it all together so it, hopefully, works seamlessly on the day.

It’s easy to forget, or underestimate, the amount of work that needs to go into what we see being delivered. Whether it’s a TV programme, a presentation, or a workshop, there’s often a lot more going on than meets the eye.