Following up on the topic of winging it... reposted from April 9 2013 - John.
What if you could get inside the minds of your students? It's common to hear compliments from your regulars about what you are doing well, but what about the students who come once and decide never to return? Imagine that you are unpacking your gym bag after class. There is a note sitting on top. It says...
Dear Instructor,
I regularly take your Thursday class, which is scheduled to begin at 5:30. Every week, before I can even consider coming to class, I must pack my gym bag on Wednesday night, arrive to work early on Thursday morning, and arrange for someone else to get my kids from school. But that is just half of it. To actually participate, I must also leave work early, fight downtown traffic and get in line before the rest of the people who want to ride too. To say that I put a great deal of effort into being on a bike each Thursday is an understatement.
Last week, you arrived in the studio at 5:33. Class did not begin until 5:41, but it ended promptly at 6:25. In the 44 minutes of riding we fit in, you interrupted or skipped the music 4 times. You changed your mind about what we were doing 3 times. You made 6 excuses and gave 0 apologies.
I could understand if once you ran late or had a mishap with your iPod. But this has happened before. It is becoming evident that you do not care about your class as much as I do. I have to work my butt off just to be there, so I find it upsetting that you don't put any time or thought into planning. I don't think I am asking too much when I say, please do not come to class unprepared. It is frustrating when I have worked so hard to beat traffic, but you arrive late. It is insulting that you are still arranging your playlist during the warm up. And how can this workout be effective when you change the plan (if it can even be called that) whenever a new song comes on?
You should know that you will not be seeing me in your class in the future. I will be contacting management to explain my concerns. I have to show up to my job prepared. Is it too much for you to do the same?
Sincerely,
Prepared Patrick
This is an example of a pretty serious student who has particular needs and high expectations of his class. Are his concerns valid? How would you recommend this instructor respond?
Originally posted 2016-09-28 09:54:46.
- Dear Instructor: The Importance of Preparation - July 25, 2022
- Be the helper - October 11, 2019
- Dear Instructor: If you don't have something nice to say… - January 15, 2017
From where I stand I can tell that this instructor is not prepared to do his/her class at all.
In my experience 90% of the work goes into preparing the class and 10% goes into delivery.
That assures that the instructor can take good care of the people that attended the class.
Needless to say that classes MUST start on time. I have never been late to any of my classes. I even make a point to arrive 20 minutes ahead of class and make sure everything is setup properly.
This fictitious instructor shows signs of not caring at all. I would just tell him to look for other employment opportunities.
Wow Krista,
I’m pretty sure I work with the guy that the above note was written to. My advice would be for that instructor to shape up or give up the class to an instructor that is willing to make the preparations necessary to teach an effective class. There are plently of people that would love that job. 🙂
I agree that the instructor is unprepared. However, I also think that students can be too quick to write an instructor off. For example, one time I had problems with the volume of my ipod. I could not seem to figure out how to make it louder. I think it is a problem with the connection into the ipod with the cord from the speaker. I do not use that ipod any longer and I purchased a new ipod to avoid this problem. But, I bet there are some students who came to my class that one time and decided never to come again.
Kristin,
First of all, looking at the scenario proposed by Krista – one needs to be very annoyed by the instructor’s attitude to feel the need to write a letter. Most members would either verbally complain to management or switch classes/club.
So even if the the letter is a bit too harsh, it is still based on facts I would say that the instructor would need to accept his failures, accept the criticism and work to improve on his failures. It is only by feedback from our audience that we can improve ourselves.
Again, being late is the instructor biggest failure and for that the solution is simple – come in early enough to be ready to start class on time. Or if this is not possible then switch times so that the instructor can ALWAYS be on time. Being late is the ultimate insult to your students.
Being unprepared rates almost as high as being late. So for that the solution is that the instructor has to have the class prepared ahead of time. I would suggest that the instructor creates a few class templates and apply playlists to these templates. Also have a cue sheet available during class. Time and practice will make the class flow as natural as possible.
Thank you for this excellent reminder. Although it would be a nightmare to receive a letter like this from a client, it is preferable to the more common approach; silence, and the inevitable disappearing student.
As studio owners, this speaks to one of our biggest concerns. We provide our clients and instructors state-of-the-art equipment which is maintained daily. We invest heavily in our instructors, realizing that they are the heart of our program.
Even so, recently we had an instructor arrive for class announcing (albeit privately) that she “just wasn’t feeling it.” Her class reflected the same. She was totally unprepared for class, but not in excuse department. I was crushed for those clients who came prepared to be transported to that wonderful place only a superior instructor can take you. They were sorely disappointed, as was I.
We won’t subject our client’s to the possibility of that instructor doing that to them again. I hope that we don’t run into this in the future and we will be able to use this post as a tool to help ensure against it.
Great comments, Alan. I’d like to ask you – is it difficult for you to arrive at your studio 20 minutes before class? What benefits do you experience from such an early arrival?
Christine, how is the unprepared instructor at your club received by members and management? Is he so popular that they overlook his lack of professionalism or are steps being taken to replace him?
Kristin, I agree that there are plenty of members who have no patience and can’t accept that we are human and will occasionally make mistakes. Do you think there are ways we can minimize the damage when things go wrong to keep new and returning members happy even during a disaster?
Thank you for sharing the management position and your own similar situation. If your instructor or the one described above had come to you as the owner/director prior to the incident occuring, what advice or assistance do you think you might have provided to prevent it from occurring? Phrased another way: are there steps that owners/directors can take to help their teachers avoid burnout and complacency?
Hi Krista,
Arriving 20 minutes before class is easy for me. As a lifelong habit I am usually early everywhere.
The benefits of arriving early are many. It allows time for decompress from the outside and get in the mood to do a great class.
I also have time to do a sound check and make sure the microphone is operating, the music is at a perfect level and sounding good.
I greet the members that arrive early, make myself available for setting their bikes, and answer any questions they might have.
This is also a good time to connect to students and make things more relaxed for everyone.
In my opinion makes for a much better experience for all.
Alan, is it safe to assume that you do not have a class prior to yours that allows you to use your time so well? Would you do anything differently if there were a class that let out only 5 minutes before yours?
Krista, correct! I only have a class a day 3 to 5 times a week depending on my schedule. However, I come to the gym from my “real” job to teach.
Oops! I was to fast to click.
If I only had 5 minutes to setup I would skip some of the quality assurance steps and member interaction. However, I would always make sure I am as prepared as I can be.
I am sure your students appreciate your fastidiousness, Alan.
An interesting post Krista. Below is my suggestion on how this instructor should respond. But first we have to all agree that there are minimum expectations regardless of pay scale, owner fastidiousness, commute times, member expectations (which take on a life of their own), equipment short comings and life. In short we must try to do a good job.
Here is my rebuttal.
Dear Prepared Patrick,
Thank you for your feedback. I’m certainly sympathetic to your concerns. As such I was hoping we could work together rather than writing letters to management. Let me explain.
First you seem incredibly motivated to make my class so I will go out on a limb here and say that I must have done something right to either get such a prime time slot and/or your patronage. I have no one to blame for my lack of respect for you and the rest of my riders during this class. That is on me. I will endeavor to do better in the future.
That said, you are correct. Of late I have been less than motivated to put up with the rigors of a position for which the people I work for seem to care so little about. That is until someone writes them a letter. Then I find more management coming out of offices to scold me and remind me of mission statements than most large corporations have.
Patrick let me put this perspective for you. Comment cards or letters are historically negative. Positive comments or letters are rare because there is an expectation on the part of the paying customer – and management – that we are supposed to deliver a positive, upbeat and rewarding experience. And we do, most of the time. Therefore few customers ever write positive comments and if they do, management snickers and says that it must be one of the instructors friends.
Next, let’s look at what it takes to be prepared.
Of course the cost and time commitment of getting certified and continuing education! The purchase of riding jerseys is required by most studio for the appearance of being a road bike rider of the highest level. We must purchase music, mp3 player of some sort or delivery system compatible with what the studio has.
Then the networking and job hunting. No one likes to hire a rookie. To get experience one must go on the sub circuit which usually subjects one to the rathe of riders who were expecting their regular. Not to mention how subbing reeks all sorts of havoc with ones schedule. BTW, most of us have children as well.
Once an instructor secures a position they are informed that they will be paid the entry level salary. FYI, across the USA salaries vary from a low of about $20/class to – in some very controlled and rare cases – $100/class. I was unable at this writing to find actual statistics for average indoor cycle instructor pay per class but would offer an educated guess of between $25 and $35.
While that may seem like a better than average hourly wage (since most classes are one hour, we can call it an hourly wage) please consider that this not some 40 hour per week job. For an instructor tying to earn any substantial income doing this they must teach at several studios. Work with a variety of management types and keep the rules straight for each studio.
Then for each $35 class (we will use the higher number for our math) one must prepare a ride profile, music playlist and have a plan on what the best delivery style should be. Let’s allow one hour for thorough preparation.
Then we have to allow enough time to fight the traffic – let’s say 20 minutes – so we can arrive 20 minutes early to finish preparing and sound checking. (New York, LA and other metropolitan areas can require even more time) Inside that 20 minutes whilst we finish our preparations we put on our smile, do our meet and greet, answer questions and clean the room of towels and water bottles left behind by another class. Let’s not forget the new rider that slides in 30 seconds before class starts and needs a bike fit.
Add to that settling disputes related to full classes arising from people saving bikes for those not yet at the club. Or dealing with the one or two who ‘forgot’ they needed to get at ticket to get a bike.
So now we have spent one hour and forty minute preparing for our class.
After class there is always one or two people that have a question usually about something we’re barely qualified to answer. By the time we clean the room – many studios expect the instructor to police the area and put clean towels on the bikes – shower up and go on to the next gig we have committed another 30 minutes.
Let’s do the math. 1:40 prep. 1:00 teach class. 30 minute post class what ever. This is a total of 3:10. So that $35/class divided by 3:10 ≈ $11 per hour. And we’re not done.
When you call in sick to your day job Patrick, they tell you to feel better and get well. When I am sick or taking a vacation or doing business travel I must do the work to find subs. No matter how last minute. God help you if you teach a 0600 class and wake at 0430 unable to move. The group x director does not ask if you are ok, they want to know why you did not get a sub.
So what do I need your help with? I would like you to understand that you don’t know what it takes to do what we do and knowing that, reconsider writing such letters to my management. While the net net is only $11 (before taxes) it is still my job.
Beyond that I don’t know. Indoor cycle instructors and indoor cycling in general have been commoditized. At this point pay scales and expectations are not going to change unless the membership demands it. While that would be great let’s face it, encouraging such will only force the club to pass the extra cost down to you.
Save the paper and ink Patrick. Come to class with an open mind, a willingness to get the work out you want and understand that we all have a bad day.
Very thoughtful and thorough reply, Chuck – I appreciate this contribution to the conversation. I wondered whether anyone would bring up the possibility that the instructor could have had valid reasons for the behavior. It wasn’t written in a way that would encourage thought down that path, but there really could have been extenuating circumstances that caused the instructor to be late and disorganized. Perhaps s/he had a sick child and needed to arrange a sitter since the club won’t allow them in the kids area with a cold. Maybe a former student grabbed the instructor outside of the locker room to tell of her progress since having a major surgery. It is possible that even upon entering at 5:33 there were 2 new students who needed to be accomodated. What if iTunes suddenly released a new update of their software and the playlist they were expecting to use was no where to be found? (TRUE STORY). Of course, we interpret “this has happened before” to indicate a pattern of failure, however it is quite possible that the patron is being too persnickety over what could just be a bad luck day where everything that could go wrong did.
Krista,
I’m not sure what prompted your post but is was – for me – thought provoking. Most riders are less than sympathetic to our ‘extenuating circumstances’. “I paid my extremely high dues I expect to get an instructor who shows up on time…”
It would make a good post to just relate all the true stories of stuff that happens to an indoor cycle instructor.
We do our best. At the end of the day we cannot make them all happy.
Krista,
Regarding the instructor at my gym: No, he is quite the opposite of popular these days. I know that several members had complained about his lack of preparedness, but it did not seem to be doing any good. Unfortunately, this put myself and one other instructor in a difficult situation. Members were constantly complaining to us, so finally, we went to the director with our concerns. This was fairly recently, so we are hoping to see a change soon. I do feel terrible for ‘tattling’, but it I feel as though the members deserve the best and this is not at all what they were getting with his class.
Christine, it happens to me too. Students know us better than they know management, so it is in many ways more natural to express their complaints to us. I think you did what you had to do by passing those complaints on to someone in power. At the end of the day, that instructor reflects on you too and stories of his classes could prevent new folks from signing up at your club. That is cause for concern. Thanks for sharing that experience.
I very good post, Krista. Our members do expect a lot from us and we should do our utmost to deliver it.
Chuck, If a person feels undercompensated or too burned out to put in the effort. They shouldn’t be teaching. We have the opportunity to change people’s lives with our classes not just lower lower their bike split.
Teaching fitness is a calling. We do not do it for the money. When we start analyzing whether it is “worth it” to prepare for a class- it’s time to hand over the mic and become a participant.
Ooops, wasn’t done.
But I get where Chuck was coming from playing the Devil’s advocate. Many members are VERY PICKY and look for things to complain about and never give praise even if it is warranted. So a few bobbles can be overlooked (we can lessen the appearance of them if we learn how to smooth over them and not be obvious and overly apologetic) But Krista “letter” seemed to be directed at a lazy, fly by the seat of their pants, whatever song comes on- I’ll figure the drill as I go kinda teacher. That seems beyond the Picky stage and needs attention.
Preparedness covers all sins and whatever comes our way as instructors. What I mean by this is…if we have last minute traffic, sitter troubles, i pod issues, spotify update issues (ask me how I know!), if we are prepared with back-up, we are good to go last minute. We can pull out a CD (kickin’ it old school, I know, but it works)or boot up our phone/i pod and go forward with the confidence a plan gives us.
I truly cannot imagine throwing in music, changing it many times during class and flying by the seat of my pants. So extremely frustrating for participants, especially if this happens on a regular basis.
A comment on ‘burnout’. I have experienced it a few times in the twenty years I have been teaching. However, I believe only those closest to me (John) knew about it and could sense it in my teaching. We need to ask ourselves- am I over training, over teaching, over committed, over/underwhelmed with club management, do I need to make changes in other areas of my life so I can enjoy teaching again, or am I just plain done? Then make a decision and go forward. For me, the answers varied depending on circumstances, but the last time I decided to cut back my schedule at the ‘big box’ and add classes at studio type venues. That has worked well to restore my passion for teaching. I also added back another career outside of teaching.
A thought on “We don’t do it for the money….” Well, I do! Through the years, my teaching income has helped pay a lot of bills in the Macgowan household. I would possibly be willing to teach ONE class a week on a volunteer basis, but other than that, I want (and need) to be paid for my time and knowledge. Teaching is a career for me.
Chuck, you missed your calling as a writer! 🙂
Being prepare is not THE MOST IMPORTANT part ! Being present is the MOST one !!!
There are limit of starting late and you never know what can happen, so if you are late one day you must have reason if not you have a problem. As Chuck says we are not well paid for what we do … and Chuck your minimum rate is way above what we make in my area …
If the people in front of you think that starting 5 minutes late is a big lost what were they doing waiting you … they were normally starting to warming up … If I would have to start really late after a short excuse I would deliver a different type of class than what was plan to please them so I would adapt to the present and go out of my preparation.
I agree Pascal, being present, in body and mind, and connecting with students, is paramount. However, if we aren’t prepared with a plan (profile), being present only goes so far. We are there to lead them (which I know you are! :)) and coach them as well as connect with them.
Great point….be present and prepared!
Thanks for chiming in Amy. While I really like teaching I would very carefully chose when and what – if any – classes I would teach voluntarily.
We live a nice life here in Silicon Valley. But the rumors are true, it ain’t cheap to live, work or raise children here. The dollars I earn keep my daughter in vehicles to drive, prom dresses and soon college. In my house Marianne and I have kind of split the cost burden in two. She and my son Curtis are the intellectuals so she educates him. My daughter Claire and I are the athletic team but a tad slower on quantum physics. So I get to play sports (mostly watch her) and educate her.
I love doing it and because I love it I’ve committed significant family resources to achieving my goal near the top of this industry. In my opinion I’m getting close and the pay is starting to reflect that.
Love it sure. A calling, maybe. But whatever you call it, don’t diminish the value of what you do.