For new Tower Captains

Building your confidence

The pandemic has left many of us feeling stressed and a bit anxious. It has been difficult at times to stay positive and our confidence can take a bit of a hit.

Becoming a new Tower Captain, can be challenging in the best of times, and often we may feel as though we lack confidence in the role. There will always be better and worse ringers than us, but in order to do our job as effectively as possible, here are a few techniques which might help build confidence.

Understand your role

Have a clear understanding of what your role as Tower Captain involves. This might require speaking to your local vicar and also the previous Tower Captain. You could ask others in your guild what they think the role is but having a focus on what you are trying to achieve will help direct your efforts in the right areas.

Know your band

In every band you will have a variety of different ages, personalities and ability. They all need a different style to help them perform at their best. Know how to make the quieter ones get more involved, whilst ensuring the experienced ones get a good ring too. At the end of a practice, everyone should feel they have achieved something, even if it's just a good time.

Have a plan

A structured approach will help you oversee the ringing and ensure nothing is forgotten.

Ignore negative thoughts

Don’t allow the negative voice in your head to throw you off keel. Take control of it. Confidence grows when the voice in the head changes from ‘Are you sure that's right?’ to ‘I’m sure something's not right here’.

Construct a positive self-image

Develop a positive image of yourself by limiting comparisons to others. This requires further self-reflection and actively adjusting your mindset. Visualise yourself as the Tower Captain you want to be and then actively seek out the skills you require.

Learn from others

In normal times, the advice would be to visit other towers to see how their Tower Captains handle the practice and if you see a well-run practice, ask the local Tower Captain how they constructed the evening. Don’t assume it's fluke. An experienced team needs little managing, but it takes time to achieve this level of competence.

However, we don't live in normal times so instead, reflect on practices that were inspiring, stimulating and well run. Which practices did you always look forward to going to? Such practices don't just happen, even if it might look like that. You can learn a lot from them and don't be afraid to ask for advice from those running them. You could even ask them to become your mentor.

And finally

‘Fake it ‘til you can make it.’ This old adage belongs in the hallowed halls of cliches from the past. It has been banded about since the 1970s and is regularly invoked to encourage pretence with regards to one capabilities. There is a fine line between this sentiment and a flat-out lie, so use with caution.

What type of Tower Captain are you?

Tower Captains are at the coal face of setting the culture and atmosphere in a tower. They are the make or break of how individuals are recruited, utilised, encouraged and developed. They may well be the cause, directly or indirectly, of why individuals decide to leave a tower, or quit ringing altogether. What makes types of Tower Captain exist, what traits to they have and do these traits affect their behaviour. A simplification of course, but you'll recognise some familiar types.

» Read on

Training

Training is available to help you learn more about being a Tower Captain:

• The Tower Management workshop covers all aspects of a Tower Captain's role and helps you build a plan to take back to your tower.
• Was the old Tower Captain also responsible for teaching new recruits? If so, you or another member of your band might find the teaching bell handling day course very useful.
• The teaching foundation skills day course will help your teach the necessary foundation skills for good ringing and move your new ringers successfully on to ringing changes. You'll also learn about coaching and building a successful band.

» List of courses and workshops