Great instructors/personal trainers/teachers aren’t born, they’re made. In any class setting, the teacher can really make or break the experience. A well-trained, knowledgeable, and personable teacher can really make that experience amazing while a less experienced, knowledgeable or personable teacher can create an undesirable environment. As a studio owner, finding the right teachers can be challenging. It is important to have the teachers in your studio representing you and the IM=X® brand with the utmost professionalism at all times. One of the benefits of the IM=X® Pilates and Fitness Franchise is our unique training system designed by Elyse McNergney, CEO and founder of IM=X®. Drawing on her decades of study, Elyse wanted to create a concise education program that would prepare instructors in a reasonable period of time with a layered approach to learning that maximizes both integration and mastery at every stage.
Effective teachers provide a respectful, positive, safe and student-centered environment. Great teachers are patient and approachable, enthusiastic, knowledgeable about their subject matter, have great communication skills, and are disciplined and professional. These skills are not developed overnight, but rather over time. In many ways a teacher is like a tour guide, introducing someone to a new experience or place, describing and demonstrating how to navigate the new place and entertaining along the way.
There are 4 stages of learning that apply to anyone learning a new skill. These stages are:
- Unconscious incompetence, not knowing we don’t know
- Conscious incompetence, knowing we don’t know
- Conscious competence, knowing we know
- Unconscious competence, a level of mastery
The first stage of learning, unconscious incompetence, is generally referred to as our comfort zone. This is a place that allows us to feel safe and in control, but doesn’t allow us grow or expand. Everyone begins their learning journey in this first stage of not knowing what we don’t know. It is in this stage that we begin developing a new skill set.
Once we are introduced to new ideas we begin to see exactly how much there is to learn and what it is that we do not know. This is the second stage of learning and is often our fear zone where our self-confidence dips, we become self-conscious and often find excuses not to continue. It may be hard to recognize in this stage that we are now becoming proficient and all we need to do is remove our resistance. This is the biggest hurdle to learning and one that needs to be overcome in order to continue on the journey.
As we move into the third stage, we are now in the learning zone. This begins to create expansion, allowing for greater confidence, building more skills and teaching us strategies for dealing with challenges and mistakes. This is where we become aware of knowing and with a level of concentration become accomplished.
Finally, in the last stage the knowing is more effortless, we are in the growth zone. This is the place of freedom, of finding our purpose, mastering our skills, becoming distinguished, and beginning to set new and bigger goals.
The teacher student relationship is like a triangle with 3 relationships to develop. The teacher has a relationship with their subject matter. They begin learning this as the student and developing mastery over the subject. The teacher also has a relationship with the student. By showing interest and patience, the teacher is creating a positive learning environment that fosters growth for their students. Cultivating both of these are necessary to facilitate the relationship the student will have with the subject providing an experience of deeper knowledge and ultimate success.
There are 6 steps to evolving as a great teacher:
- Start Small. Just as you began learning simple basic concepts in the beginning, it is helpful to introduce the concepts to your clients the same way. The IM=X® Basic Certification introduces new teachers to basic concepts of joint decompression and stabilization techniques designed to support and enhance a client’s experience in an IM=X® class. Learning 8 sequences that have been designed to reinforce stabilization while fatiguing muscle groups large to small offers a new teacher a structured professional class that can accommodate any client. The amount of material is manageable and provides a solid foundation to build on.
- Begin sharing your knowledge right away. The sooner you can repeat what you have learned, the more you know the subject matter. We encourage new teachers to begin practicing their skills immediately, first through exercises included in the certification class and afterward, by working with friends and family in the community.
- See learning as a system. The best teachers have an organized and systematic approach to receiving and sharing information. Following a system makes learning easier and teaching a breeze. Following the training system developed by Elyse in the IM=X® program offers teachers an opportunity to gradually add to and improve their skills over time while reducing the amount of time needed to begin teaching and earning money.
- Measure, Monitor, Adjust, and Control. Always take time to reflect on the accomplishments as well as the areas that can be improved and allow flexibility make changes where necessary. A key benefit of IM=X® training is the variety of formats provided as well as the inclusion of instruction on verbal cueing and stabilization techniques through the 5 Fundamentals. This further empowers new teachers with the skills needed to modify any exercise and customize every class for the clients without compromising safety.
- Ask questions, solicit feedback, and begin to build relationships with your clients. Getting to know your clients and their goals goes a long way in creating the warm, welcoming, and safe environment that leads to customer retention and studio success.
- Stay curious and celebrate learning. Attend continuing education courses to add to your skill set and knowledge and become an expert in your field. IM=X® offers franchise studio employees opportunities to return every year for tuition-free certification courses designed to improve your knowledge and allow for greater variety when teaching. The systemized program was created to allow a teacher to create endless hybrid combinations while focusing on stabilization techniques and maintaining safety for small groups. Opportunities to improve teaching skills help teachers gain greater confidence, grow their income and deliver the very best quality classes to every client.
Remember, every teacher was once a student and the learning process is the same regardless. As teachers, it’s important to put yourself in your clients’ toe socks 😉 and have patience with the learning process.