Temporary Solutions, Permanent Benefits

What a year it has been. From devastating bush fires in Australia, Prince Harry leaving the Royal Family; to the panic of containing the Corona virus which has affected so many of us. Indeed, things have changed very quickly. It is during these uncertain times we have found ourselves in the position where we need to balance our desire for social cohesion with the safety of the vulnerable in our society. As the months have dragged into the second half of the year we have further come to the realisation that our future is unpredictable and now more then ever we need to work together to ensure we leave a sustainable planet for our children.

At Helen O’ Grady we have based the onus of our program on the development of confidence and speech through the dramatic arts. The award-winning, international methodology and techniques have given those that are extroverted the tools to express themselves in a confident and articulate manner and those that are introverted a sense of belonging and a safe space to develop their communication skills. These learnt skills our students will carry into their daily lives long after they have left the academy. The importance of effective face to face communication has long been understood to be the cornerstone of successful interviews, business practice and networking. But times are changing, and this year will be remembered for a complete overhaul in everything we viewed as normal and of course ZOOM.

By quickly identifying the need for an online course, the Helen O’ Grady Drama Academy drew from the expertise of our principals across borders to take our entire course online and later to give live lessons to our loyal students through Zoom.  We cannot wait to reconnect with our students in-class, but as we slowly and carefully reopen studios during this unprecedented time we have come to the realisation that this is the beginning of a “new normal”. A certainty of what the future will hold in a myriad of speculation will be the importance of online communication skills.

We have seen the memes and understand that too many in person meetings and interviews are often time consuming and could have been done online. That along with an ever-increasing movement towards globalisation is why working remotely will provide a broader web of skills for employers and be kinder to the environment. We are moving into a time where you can apply for a job in your hometown or anywhere else in the world your imagination and qualification can take you. Most importantly it is now more than ever that being able to conduct yourself in a confident and articulate manner online is an undeniable advantage for the future job market.

Although not ideal as we prefer a hands-on approach, the current circumstances have presented us with an opportunity to broaden our student skill set. Through Zoom lessons we are arming our students with the tools to express themselves in an online group environment and too have the confidence to ace that important interview! We believe all our students have the potential to make an impact anywhere in the world and as always, we are excited to help them get there.

Yours Sincerely,

Nastassja Potgieter