On Thursday 31st January, Loughborough University hosted the annual TalkSport conference where employers from a range of national and international organisations met students from all disciplines who are interested in a career within a sports specialism, or to work for a sports-related organisation.
A key part of this included an industry panel Q&A chaired by John Steele, Executive Director of Sport at Loughborough University & Chairman of the English Institute of Sport, with experts from a range of backgrounds and with years of experience and expertise across the sports industry. The panel included: , Guy Richardson (Founder & CEO EIGER Performance), Radha Balani (Director of Strategy at Beyond Sport), Steve Ingham (Founder of Supporting Champions & Former Director of Science and Technical Development at the English Institute of Sport), Penny Briscoe, OBE (Director of Sport at British Paralympic Association).
Among all the insightful industry-led workshops throughout the day, the top tips from each of these experts during this Q&A session was the most inspiring. None of these is remotely groundbreaking, however as a determined sport scientist looking to breakthrough into the sport industry myself, I hope sharing these will benefit others like me.
#Tip 1 - PASSION
Aim to work and apply yourself in an area of sport that you are passionate about. Remember, whatever you do, it must be important to your values and goals. With passion, whatever you do you will love and enjoy. This is truly what matters most.
#Tip 2 - PERSISTENCE
Be persistent, take risks and be proactive. Don't be scared to take the wobbly route towards your goal, if you persist, then you know you will get there in the end.
#Tip 3 - PATIENCE
Do not let your mental health suffer by worrying about your success as a sport scientist. Be patient and demonstrate the best 'you' everyday. If you are not patient in what you do, you risk becoming stressed, tired and worried, which in the end will dampen your interpersonal skills and ability to communicate with others.
#Tip 4 - PEOPLE
In the sports industry you will be working with people. This means the most important skill is your ability to connect with people and allow them to trust what you say is credible, reliable and meaningful. These soft skills were agreed to be the most important skill young sports scientists need to develop in order for the industry to move forward.
Overall, these 4 tips is what I took from this session and believe it will stay with me for a very long time. I hope this helps others too. Elliot
Elliot Sharp is a studying an MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Loughborough University and is looking to work towards his sport psychology accreditation.
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