Synopsis

It is often said that hairdressers are the nation's unofficial therapists and have historically been part of ‘confessional booths’. This unwritten responsibility can sometimes leave those in the industry feeling out of depth or overwhelmed.

As creatives, we are constantly investing  in various ways to improve our technical skills, but  are we ignoring the part of the profession that  comprises a  huge part of the service?The emotional intelligence and psychology involved in the every day life of serving the public is often overlooked and taken for granted.

The national qualification for hairdressing covers technical ability, practical skills, and theory on the science of hair. None of the modules on the curriculum, however, cover the equally essential part of the profession; connecting with your client. This soft skill is what constitutes 50% of the service. A client may forget how you made them look, but they will never forget how you make them feel. 

Serving the public in any capacity, especially in fashion and style, requires emotional intelligence, a good understanding of psychology, and non-verbal communication. The intimacy of changing the way someone looks, building rapport, and psychologically reading your clients is an unspoken skill we are expected to pick up along the way. 

In The Mindful Hairdresser, Jordanna Cobella, a nationally know hairdresser and stylist in the UK, provides her unique touch on fine-tuning these skills to make for better customer service and becoming a much better hairdresser. 

After making ongoing observational visits  to businesses around the world and learning the different methods of communication; the art of consultation, Jordanna  developed  her own style of communication at her own high-end salon in London where she challenges her team of 30 to expand their on-the-job skills to include this emotional intelligence side of the profession rather than just focusing on the practical skills. She also educates the industry in London at-large on behalf of Wella which allows her to have exclusive industry insights into this world. 

This book empowers hairdressers, stylists, and salon owners to optimize the synergy between human connection and technical ability. The examples and proven methods of communication and cues she teaches allow the day-to-day lives of a hairdresser to run more smoothly, prevent burnout and drastically improve the service for clients. 

Learn these tips to become a more mindful hairdresser:

1. The trust triangle and how to shift the burden of responsibility in achieving unrealistic expectations during a consultation.
2. Communication strategies such as psychologically getting the client on board and trusting you before you begin working on their hair.
3. A list of potential nonverbal communication queues to pick up on and how to respond to them.
4. Single-tasking to avoid burnout while managing your tasks to complete things to your best ability and how to fully focus on one thing at a time to avoid the stress of multi-tasking and potentially running into problems/complaints.
5. How to exert the right amount of authority with a client when you are first qualified even though you may not be the most confident.

With a unique background of working in the Metropolitan Police and graduating with a Law degree, Jordanna is au fait with serving the public and the interpersonal skills involved in  people management. Drawing parallels with both professions, she collates all her observations, learnings and research throughout  the years and shares them with her fellow peers in this book  with the primary aim to empower hairdressers with a deeper understanding of the emotional intelligence behind the profession. 

Outline

INTRO

1)  THE POWER OF A HAIRDRESSER 

2) EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

3) NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

4) CONNECTING WITH YOUR CLIENT

5) THE TRUST TRIANGLE

6) AVOIDING BURNOUT

7) UNOFFICIAL THERAPIST

8) MINDFUL HAIRDRESSING TECHNIQUES

9) THE FUTURE OF HAIRDRESSING

Audience

There are around 250,000 people working in the hairdressing and barbering industry  in the UK aloneand 772,000 in the United States This figure is comprised of salon owners, hairdressers, beauticians, apprentices and front of house receptionists. All of which are exercising the emotional intelligence skills that are not taught as part of the curriculum and, generally speaking, not part of any training program in-house or externally. 

Interestingly,  hairdressers spend their first few years of their career picking up these skills from  peers through observation.  With no guidance from the national curriculum nor any training providers, there is a large gap  in the  education of psychology and the true power of the responsibility that comes with being the nations unspoken therapist.  This empathetic role can develop into compassion fatigue which affects their well-being , mental health and, in turn, productivity and performance.  1 in 3 hairdressers have experienced a period of 'burn-out' that they believe is due to the energy  it takes to be emotionally present for each client. 

If these individuals were better equipped with coping mechanisms,  mindful practices,  a deeper understanding of psychology and emotional intelligence, it would not only prevent burnout, but also make for a better service for their clients and potentially a better client rapport. 

Promotion

INSTAGRAM

I have a following of 11.3k on my IG profile, @jordannacobella, which is made up of hairdressers in the UK and US.  I plan to plug  my sales through a series of video teasers on my grid and  use this as a platform to communicate my message to others who may share on the link and recommend it to their peers.

Competition

1) Self-Care for Hairdressers by Rebecca Beardsley. This book  focuses more on the ways in which you can avoid stress on the job and how you can make more money. My book is aimed at the psychological element of hairdressing and  what it really takes to connecting with people. Avoiding burnout is addressed from a place of compassion fatigue and taking on too much emotionally rather than stress management. 

2) The Salon Jedi - Caroline Sanderson. This book  is written for salon owners struggling to find a way to step off the salon floor and put more energy into growing and building a profitable business. My book is aimed at anyone in the profession who is looking for an insightful guide to the emotional intelligence behind the service.