Using the Bridgerton mirror to transform communication

It’s not every day that the creator of Bridgerton lifts the lid on what makes her TV shows so successful. So, when she does, it’s important we listen, says Georgie Russell, Director at Bladonmore.

Finding a way in

I was surprised when my teenage daughter told me that it was the soundtrack that first got her into Bridgerton. The Netflix sensation is, after all, rather better known for its steamy storylines and lavish period costumes.

For her, hearing orchestral covers of Ariana Grande’s, Thank u, Next and Taylor Swift’s, Wildest Dreams meant she could feel less of an imposter in the drawing rooms of 19^th-century Mayfair. They gave her an ‘in’ – which I can tell from a recent interview with the show’s award-winning producer, Shonda Rhimes, was exactly the intention.

‘Every show is a window and a mirror,’ Rhimes recently told the Financial Times: ‘A window into a life that you would never live or have never lived, and that reflects your own life back at you.’

Understanding the coordination game

So, there you have it. A simple recipe for TV gold that has propelled three of Rhimes’ shows through the 100-episode milestone and turned another into a global franchise after only one series.

But also somewhat depressing, no? The idea that us humans are so holed up in echo-chambers of our own making that we are unable to take on board new information unless we can see something of ourselves in it.

Thankfully, we can find absolution in neuroscience. According to the psycholinguist Herbert H. Clark, comprehension is context-dependant. Without common ground, our ability to understand and forge connection slows and deteriorates. It’s only with shared knowledge and experience that our brains can build the neural pathways necessary to integrate old and new information. So, we aren’t being egocentric. In fact, according to Harvard Professor Alison Wood-Brooks, we are working hard.

In her book, Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves, Wood-Brooks describes communication as one big exhausting coordination game. Dive below the surface and what appears to be a simple word exchange is actually a frenzy of mind-reading and decision-making, all happening simultaneously as each speaker endeavors to interpret social cues and respond appropriately. It’s a two-player game. Mute one, and suddenly the other’s just making noise.

Finding the common ground

Too often in the corporate world, speakers hit ‘transmit’ with little or no thought for who’s on the receiving end. Planning conversations start with, ‘What do I need to get across?’, rather than, ‘How can I make sure this resonates and inspires?’ Unsurprisingly, few corporate presentations win awards.

In coaching sessions, often a quick reframe around the audience’s needs can transform how a presentation is received. And interestingly, we’re not just talking about the words here. Clark’s ‘common ground’ comes in many different forms.

Film director, Chloe Zhao, raised a few eyebrows recently when she admitted she hardly understood a word of Shakespeare when she was directing Hamnet. She admitted to The New Yorker Radio that she only understood about a third of Paul Mescal’s lengthy monologue, set in the Globe Theatre. But she insisted it didn’t matter because the emotion resonated instead of the words, transcending literal understanding.

Reframing for impact

Holding up a mirror as well as opening a window – or doing a Shonda as I shall refer to it from now on – ensures you give your audience at least a flash of common ground to validate their existence in the room, and in the communication.

Only then will they be fully receptive to what comes next.

 

If you’re looking to make sure your story resonates so that your key messages can land, get in touch.