TV presenter Trisha Goddard paid a recent visit to the College to talk to journalism and media students about her experiences in the industry and to share some nuggets of information, gleaned from a sparkling 30 year career.

“Television was always my passion so I started making little films and sent them to the BBC” Trisha said. “For two years I was runner up in the Young Film Director of the Year Award but then, as my family couldn’t afford to send me to university, I went to work as an air stewardess.

“I would write articles for the in-flight magazine, submitting them for free just to gain the experience. By the time I applied for a BBC cadetship I had already had articles published.”

During the talk, Trisha invited students in the audience to think of a person in the room they would like to say something nice to – even if they had never spoken to them before. This was a lovely moment as students gave and received compliments, perfectly illustrating the power of communication and why it is key to a successful career in television and the media.

“If you’re a researcher, producer, presenter or anything in the industry, the best skill you can have is to listen and to actually hear. With any job in television you must develop the skills to be able to think in pictures because everything works like that in TV – it’s a really powerful base to have.

Trisha also spoke about her other main passion, that of mental health issues. “When we were developing the format for my TV show I told the producers early on that I didn’t want to just get my guests on stage and then destroy them. I wanted to explore and try to understand the mental health issues that made them do and say the things they did. That’s very important to me – I’m also an ambassador for the mental health charity Mind.”

The talk wrapped up with a lively question and answer session from the audience.

“I enjoy the feedback from students, it keeps me connected with them and I hope I am either inspiring or encouraging the next generation of talented young people in the media industry.”