“Thank you for saying something to those two girls. I can't tell you how frustrating it is for me to have to sit and listen to their mindless chatter while I'm trying to focus on my workout.”
It was yesterday and I had just finished subbing a class at one of the high-end clubs where I have a regular endurance class during the winter.
I started to say “You're wel…” when she interrupted me with; “Not all the Instructors will say something. I don't have a lot of flexibility in my schedule and this is one of the few classes that works for me… so thank you.”
I wanted to ask her why, when she is in that situation, she didn't say anything to the people who were disrupting her time in class? But before I could, I answered my own question.
She respected my social rank or status in the class and was waiting for me to demonstrate the leadership she believed came with my position as the Instructor. I have some knowledge of this member. She is a very successful local attorney and when you see her in street clothes you know she means business. I'm going to guess that her Social Status hasn't come from a meek or non-confrontational personality.
But when she's in class, with her Lycra shorts and a bright yellow jersey, she has the same exact status of everyone in the room, except one – the Instructor, who yesterday was me.
It's actually kind of funny when I think about it. I've often described my students as people who you will regularly read about in the business section of the newspaper or see interviewed on TV. And here's little old me, the leader of a group of high power Lawyers, CEO's and business owners… hard to believe. But for one hour every Monday morning I am the Big Dog 🙂
And more importantly, they all expect me to be the leader.
Put yourself in your student's position. Whatever social status they have outside of class vanishes when they strip down in the locker room and squeeze into their bike shorts. Some go from a position of absolute authority to near social impotence in the three minutes it takes them to change. Imagine the frustration they must feel riding in your class, trying to focus on their workout, but forced to listen to a detailed recap of yesterday's Housewives of the O C or some other nonsense.
There's a good thread running about this over at Pedal-On Students who won't shut up that has a bunch of suggestions about how you can address this problem. My personal favorite is setting clear expectations at the beginning of your class. Master Instructor Kenji Freedman is phenomenal at setting these expectations in his class opening. You can hear it at the beginning of Podcast #143.
Do you understand your role as the leader in your class?
If you promise me that you won't get a big head, I'd like you to go look in the mirror and repeat after me;
“I'm a celebrity and it's about time that I started acting like one.”
Now I'm not suggesting that you should start arriving for your next class in a chauffeur driven limousine, nor am I recommending that you follow these seven steps to becoming a celebrity. But I am suggesting that you consider acting in a way that will cause others to be interested in you… which is really no different than the people you are interested in and some of our attraction to other celebrities.
The dictionary lists ce·leb·ri·ty [suh-leb-ri-tee] as a noun meaning 1. a famous or well-known person. If you've been teaching for a while, I'm going to guess that within your little world, you are well known = you are a celebrity 🙂
So if the though of you as a celebrity is intriguing, here are a few things you can work on…
Develop your Shtick
Fernando's lines; “You look marvelous my darling… you really do!” and “It is better to look good than to feel good” launched the career of Billy Crystal back in the 80's. Your shtick may not be as corny as Crystal's, but what made these lines so memorable were how Billy delivered them with an accent that many of us have tried to imitate. A very popular Instructor I know starts every class with “GOOD MORNING MINNETONKA” with a delivery fit for the opening of a World Wrestling Match or Boxing title fight. People in her class look forward to it in every class and would feel something was missing if she didn't do it.
Consistency is key to both your Shtick. What you say and how you say it should be unique and your delivery should be as consistent as possible.
Dress the part
What's the first thing you think of when I say the names of these famous singers; “Lady Gaga?” (her wild clothes) “Bono” – lead singer with U2 (his sunglasses) Brett Michaels (bandanna head wrap) “Dolly Parton” (her… wigs) you get the point.
Consider a Theme Song
Where would Gilligan's Island be today without … five passengers set sail that day for a three hour tour, a three hour tour. Admit it, you could hear the song as your read the words 🙂
What would be wrong with having a consistent song for your class intro [wlm_firstname]? A song that your students begin to associate with your class?
Gyms are experiencing a surge in the popularity of group fitness classes, and as they move out StairMasters to make way for aerobics studios, they're finding that the linchpin of a successful class is a charismatic instructor. Often former dancers or musical theater dropouts, instructors motivate students, mostly women though some men too, to pack themselves like sardines into a studio and to come back, again and again.
A demi-class of female friendship is developing: the fitness instructor and the student. “My friends and I always gush about the instructors we have a girl-crushes on,” says Katie Lee, a writer and TV personality in Water Mill, N.Y., who takes spinning classes about four times a week.
Instructors market themselves on the Web by teaching free classes on Google+ Hangouts. They attract followers by posting videos on YouTube and offer daily affirmations to sometimes tens of thousands of Facebook subscribers.
Last year my big goal was competing in my first full Triathlon. To prepare I followed the training from this excellent Triathlon Training DVD series produced by USA Triathlon. The series is designed for a beginner and it helped me understand exactly what I was getting into.
It sells new for $125 and I have it for sale on ebay if you are interested in getting a jump start on your training plans.
Image from a Zazzle.com shirt – click image to see more.
Where are all the young fitness Instructors?
It's a great question. I thought Stages Indoor Cycling's Master Educator Dunte Hector may have some understanding of the perception the fitness industry has among college students. After all he's only 23 and is very active at Texas Tech University.
Before we recorded his Race of Truth Audio PROfile, I asked Dunte to share his ideas and observations about the opportunities for young people in fitness in this episode of the Podcast.
If you have or know someone who's considering a fitness career – this interview may be of interest to them.
I feel like a PRO talent scout and I just completed signing day with the NFL (National Football League). All my big stars have committed to contracts with our team!
Starting Quarterback from the University of Alabama has signed with …
Well actual I feel I am a sort of PRO talent scout… one of my greatest pleasures is giving experts in our industry a platform, letting them show their stuff and watch as their stature and authority within our community grows from obscurity to WOW – DID YOU SEE WHAT HE POSTED? 🙂
I'm very excite to tell you that the ICI/PRO team has signed some very impressive talent for 2012!
ICI/PRO contributors who are contractually committed to ICI/PRO for 2012 are:
Indoor Cycling Group (ICG) / LIVESTRONG Fitness – weekly articles and monthly Audio PROfiles
Master Instructor Jim Karanas,
Master Instructor DR. Joan Kent
Cycling Fusion – weekly articles and monthly Audio PROfiles
Spynergy Indoor Cycling Studio Consultants – monthly articles
Studio Owner and Startup Expert Bill Pryor
But I'm not done by any stretch. There are a few holdouts (you know who you are) who I'm still negotiating with and whom I feel will add even more value to ICI/PRO – helping our members thrive as Indoor Cycling Instructors over the next year!
And contrary to the NFL – we have no salary cap to limit our talent here at ICI/PRO!
Look forward to additional signing anouncements shortly.
Last year my big goal was competing in my first full Triathlon. To prepare I followed the training from this excellent Triathlon Training DVD series produced by USA Triathlon. The series is designed for a beginner and it helped me understand exactly what I was getting into.
