As an instructor, how aware are you of how your actions and demeanor affect others around you, even when you are not teaching? Could a few minor changes in your “social proprioception” help you increase your class numbers, or make them more open to what you have to say? This is part of our series on creating community and increasing your class size.I wanted to share with you two articles from Club Industry online magazine and blog that align perfectly with the ongoing series on creating community and increasing student and class numbers in your indoor cycling classes. As you read these articles referenced below, replace “personal trainer” with “instructor”, and ask yourself how you might be perceived from others who are around you, who you may not be speaking with. Do you talk with everyone, smile at all of your students before and after class, or do you project (unknowingly) an isolationist signal by tending to stick with only the ones you know well? How about in the other areas of the gym? How you are perceived might subconsciously attract or deter someone from wanting to try your class. It might even have an effect on whether they listen to (and adhere to) your coaching cues when they are already a student in your class.
This information is also excellent for studio owners.
The first article is by Blair Mchaney, Help Your Club’s Personal Trainers Become Better Customer Experience Athletes
The second article is written by a member who had contemplated personal training for a long time, and is the perfect example of what McHaney is writing about in the first article. It’s written by Pamela Kufahl, Why Some of Your Members have Yet to Sign Up For Personal Training.
Again, replace the word trainer with instructor. I think there is much we all can learn from this discussion. (Hey, and if you are a personal trainer as well, all the better! Hope you get more clients out of this!)