- Keep your language clean and avoid incendiary topics.
- Check your appearance and make sure you are neatly groomed at all times.
- Also, make sure your dojo is kept in tip-top shape, and that it is immaculately clean when the student walks in the front door.
- And finally, memorize the student's name (and the parents' names) and use them when you greet them and throughout the lesson.
Selling Without Selling
Approach the intro with the attitude that you are there for the student, not that the student is there for your benefit. Remember, you have to woo a girl or guy before they will agree to go steady with you. Just stay focused on customer service and exceeding their expectations, and you'll do fine in this regard.
Teaching The Intro
From the technical standpoint, your goal is to make sure they learn a few fundamentals so they have a starting point when they take their first group class. So, don't try to teach them your entire system in 30 minutes. Just teach a few of the core basics, and maybe a self-defense technique as well.
Also, the last thing you want is for them to be lost in their first group class. So, make sure you teach them about your school's etiquette, how to line up, different commands that are used in class, etc.
Be Positive
Avoid criticizing the new student. Instead, point out what they are doing right to reinforce those behaviors. Learn how to be a "good finder" and how to use language effectively to build up the fragile confidence of new students.
And Finally...
Make the intro fun, both for yourself and for the new student. It can quickly become very, very tedious, teaching the same three or four techniques to new students, week-in and week-out.
So, my advice to you is to remind yourself why you're doing this. Remember that you're there to help these students, who come to you because they are struggling with:
- Bullying
- Low self-esteem
- Poor grades
- Lack of focus
- Low self-control
- etc.
Focus on making that student feel like a million bucks at the end of the lesson, and I guarantee that every lesson you teach will be its own reward.
Okay, that about wraps up this series on teaching intros. I'll be coming to you with a few random topics for the next week or so, then we'll get into another email series on a very important topic for school owners and instructors. Stay tuned!
