Over the past week, I've observed or participated in 11 Indoor Cycling classes, lead by Master Trainers and everyday Instructors. In the very first class I attended, by a popular MI, I found myself critiquing the quality of her amplified voice. It was terrible. I could hardly understand what she was saying and it really diminished what she was presenting. I'm sure that if she was aware of how poorly she sounded, she would have taken steps to correct the problem.
I'm super anal about the sound quality of my guests on the Podcast. I request demand that we use Skype when recording remotely. It's typically crystal clear and has the guest sounding like they're in the same room with me. I'll only accept using a phone line on very rare occasions.
So with all that in mind I made a point of critiquing every class I attended, listening for the following:
Can I clearly understand what's being said?
Was there a clear difference in volume between their speaking voice and the music?
I'm not going to call out anyone in specific, but in a number of the workshops and classes I had a difficult time understanding the cues given. None of the classes lead by men had the issue – only the women… and only those with naturally high voices. Now I realize that many of these classes were at a conference, with temporary sound systems, but that didn't appear to contribute to the difficulty understanding the presenters. I sat in on two team taught rides, where multiple presenters spoke (male and female) and it was only the female presenters who I had trouble understanding. I wanted to be sure it wasn't just me, so each time I had trouble hearing I asked other's in the class. In each instance they confirmed the issue.
The importance of hearing it for yourself.
I've encouraged you to record your class, so you can hear firsthand what your class hears. We devoted an entire podcast to the subject that featured communication expert Alexa Fischer.
You maybe surprised by what you hear.
I recorded this short sample a few months ago for another Instructor. She cringed when she heard it and instantly understood that she needed to make some major changes, if she wanted her class to understand what she was cuing. As it was, you barely understand anything she said 🙁
So, what are potential solutions?
#1 Get off your bike. When was the last time you walked to the middle of the room while you're teaching? If you've been reluctant to do this, here's another reason to hop off and work the room; you'll hear your amplified voice as your class hears it. If you don't like what you hear, then make some changes and run back out to see if it's improved.
NOTE: I don't feel you can depend on your class to give you accurate feedback. If you ask “how do I sound?” they don't have anything to compare to and will typically say “great” so they don't hurt your feelings. Better to hear for yourself.
#2Deliver from your lower register. Women (and men) with high-pitched voices need to learn to deliver their voice from their diaphragm. The feeling should be that you're breathing out while speaking, not like holding your breath.
#3 S l o w d o w n y o u r s p e e c h… Slow down and breath = your words will come across much better. If you ever feel short of breath while teaching, your vocal quality is probably suffering. The easiest fix for this is just stop talking until or limit your cues to short sentences.
#4 Consider purchasing a different microphone. I don't have specific knowledge about what mics work best with what voice type, but I do know that every mic is different and you may improve your delivery with a different mic. Would this make for an interesting Podcast?
Principles to being a successful Group Fitness Professional
You have your Mic on, your equipment is all set, you have new killer choreography, and your class is packed! You head over to hit play and start class… What’s going through your head? For me personally when I head over to my IPOD to hit play, I take a deep breath, clear my mind and focus in on what, Don Miguel Ruiz calls, THE FOUR AGREEMENTS: Be Impeccable With Your Word/Don’t Take Anything Personally/Don’t Make Assumptions/Always Do Your Best. When I do this, I know that the class that I am about to teach can change lives and inspire people to be better than when they walked in to class.
Be Impeccable With Your Word, say what you mean and mean what you say. This is so important when you are in front of your class because your participants are hanging on your every word and every word needs to mean something. Try to avoid filler words and repetitive motivational cues, like some of my favorites, GOOD, LOOKS GOOD, and KEEP GOING. Although some of those may seem like okay phrases to use, they really don’t provide and significant feedback that will help participants during class. Instead try being stronger with your phrases; Keep Going For 20 More Seconds, Your Form Looks Good, and Excellent Job With That Drill. These cues are letting your participants know exactly what to do and how they are doing at it. When your cueing is STRONGER and more EFFICIENT your classes are easier to follow and this will help grow your numbers!
Don’t Take Anything Personally. When your participants come in and want to criticize or don’t show excitement during your class, 99% of the time is has nothing to do with you. This is a hard thing for many instructors, including me, to understand but once you do, it will be that much easier for you to relax and enjoy your classes.
Don’t Make Assumptions, because not everyone in your class is going to tell you everything or always ask for help. When someone walks into your class, you are responsible to make sure that they get everything they need and are clear on the format and goals of the class they are about to take. Even if you have regulars in your classes it’s still very important that you not assume they know everything and make sure they understand and are clear on the set-up and goals for the class ahead. Great each person as if it’s their first time and if you know them or remember them, make the greeting more personal by using names or asking them if they are seeing progress on their goals. This small touch will keep people coming back time and time again!
Always Do Your Best, because people are counting on you to help them achieve great things! No matter what may have gone on in your day, you need to leave it at the door and do your best to help those who have come to achieve great things in your class. Make sure you come into class prepared and ready to motivate and inspire people to be better and the only way to achieve this is if we are doing our best! Best ways to be prepared is to plan out your classes well in advance, learn choreography fully before teaching it, rehearse your script of what you’re going to say and when, dress the part, show up early to check equipment and be available for participants, and the most important part, have fun!
Following these Four-Agreements as a Group Fitness Professional will ensure that you are always on top of your game and helping change lives every time you press the play button.
No more hunting for new music or counting out cues to develop your ride profile. Here is your ready to ride profile for a fully choreographed ride, that can be displayed from your phone, or printed out onto cue cards for your class. This ride is timed out, down to the second, to make your life as easy as possible!
No more hunting for new music or counting out cues to develop your ride profile. Here is your ready to ride profile for a fully choreographed ride, that can be displayed from your phone, or printed out onto cue cards for your class. This ride is timed out, down to the second, to make your life as easy as possible!
