| Friend,
Keeping students coming to class involves more than just being nice to them. Sure, you have to treat your clients right or they'll leave faster than you can say, "tuition."
Still, just being nice isn't enough. Things like giving better service, keeping your school spotless, neat, and organized, and maintaining your own personal hygiene and appearance--that's just the basic stuff.
I mean, you should be doing those things automatically.
But if you really want to keep students coming to class, you need to elevate the quality of their experience in your classes. That means making sure they enjoy themselves in every single class.
Does it mean you can't run hard classes? Nope, and in fact, you should. It just means that you're going to run those classes with a smile on your face, and you're going to be encouraging instead of discouraging in your language, and so on.
In other words, you are going to run fun, hard classes where students leave sweating and smiling every single day they attend.
Here are a few tips for doing just that: - Class Tempo - Every class should have a tempo, and that tempo has to match the age group you are teaching. Younger kids have shorter attention spans, so you have to switch things up more often. Older kids can focus longer, but you still have to keep things moving. Teens and adults are capable of even greater focus, but you still can't have them standing in horse stance doing basics for 30 minutes straight. Keep the class tempo high by switching things up frequently. And, the way you do this is with...
- Training Modality - There are a ton of different ways you can train a technique. You can train it in the air, on pads, on heavy bags, with a partner, in a game... and every "mode" is going to seem different to your students. So, you need to change the mode--the way they are training a technique--often in your classes. Doing so keeps things fresh, and it makes the class more exciting. Speaking of which, let's talk about...
- Energy Level - Instructors often blame their students for having "low energy" in class, but the fact is the energy level of the class is set by the instructor. If your students are showing low energy in class, chances are good they are bored, or your energy is low. So, you need to make sure you are teaching at the right tempo and changing the mode a lot, and also that you are high energy when you enter your classroom. Just think about the difference between watching Jerry Seinfeld and Tony Robbins speak. Sure, they're both entertaining, but Robbins is dynamic... because he has to be to keep people excited and motivated during a 12-hour seminar! And frankly, I couldn't watch Seinfeld do stand-up for more than 15 minutes at a stretch, but Tony Robbins can easily keep my attention for an hour or more.
So how do you keep your own energy level high for teaching your classes? Part of it has to do with taking care of yourself. Eating right, getting enough sleep, maintaining positive speech, and only engaging with positive media and in positive conversations.
Negativity brings you down. I know that sounds woo-woo, but it's true. Stay out of the negative conversations on social media and with your friends. Don't watch the news if it brings you down. Instead, engage with positive and like-minded people and read positive books and articles.
Also, attitude plays a key role in how much energy you have for a particular activity. Think about it--if you wake up on Monday to go to that job you hate, your energy level is way low. But on Friday night when it's time to go out, or Saturday when it's time to go to the beach or to hang out with your friends, you're on fire.
And why is that? Because your brain wakes up to things you're excited about doing, and it primes your body to be ready to have a good time!
So, the trick is to get excited about teaching class each and every night. Remember that you are doing what you love, and enjoy it. Be thankful and grateful that you are living the dream--it'll bring your energy level higher and your classes will better for it as well.
Until next time,
Mike Massie MartialArtsBusinessDaily.com
Quick-start Guide to My Books and Resources: - Looking for a list of books and resources I've written? Click here! - Looking for low-cost business coaching to grow your dojo? Click here…
P.S. - Every day, your job is to teach exciting, fun classes... even when you aren't feeling your best. Commit to being upbeat and energetic on the floor, even when you aren't feeling great. Trust me, it will help your school grow, because people are attracted to happy, upbeat, high energy people.
|
