[MUSIC PLAYING]
Hey everyone, Angie Miller here.
And I'm so glad you joined me here today
for more education, motivation, and tips
to take our teaching to the next level.
So instructors-- we're like magicians.
We can make unbelievable things happen, keep our audience
captivated, and trick them into thinking it's effortless.
But let's face it, we do make mistakes.
It's part of the job, and it's part of life.
But it's all good, because mistakes are
great learning opportunities.
We just want to make sure that our mistakes don't
become habits that compromise our teaching.
So today I have six mistakes we want to avoid making so we
don't become the bad instructor, and instead we stay
the bad-[BLEEP] instructor.
So number 1-- instructors who teach to a plan instead
of teaching to people.
I'm all for having a plan, preparing
and putting it into action, hoping
it goes just as we expected.
But what about when it doesn't?
We have to be flexible, whether we're
teaching a branded format or one that's all-around.
We have to watch the room, witness form and technique,
and recognize when the plan isn't working so that we
can offer safe modifications.
Or maybe we completely scratch the move altogether
and adapt in the moment.
The goal is to not be so married to our plan
that we can't deviate from it, especially
if common sense dictates that we need to.
Number 2-- instructors who cue what's wrong
and forget to cue what's right.
As instructors, we're trained to monitor the room
to keep participants safe.
And when we do this, our eyes just
seem to gravitate to what's not working--
the participant who has bad form, or the participant who
can't seem to get the move.
And our cues become all about corrections.
We draw attention to what we don't want,
and we tap into their worst fears--
that they're going to do something wrong
or that they're going to stand out in front of a crowd.
Of course, we can still cue to correct.
But what if we focus on what is working--
acknowledging those who are doing it well,
and keeping our cues positive-- like,
I love the soft knees, instead of, don't lock out your knees.
If you want more on this, check out my video, Words Matter--
Positive Cues to Coach Your Participants to the Next Level.
Number 3-- instructors who motivate by yelling, whooping,
or blasting the music.
Sometimes, for all of our energy and enthusiasm,
we just can't get the class to give back whatever
it is we think we're giving.
So maybe we blast our music, assuming that louder is better,
or we scream into the mic, hoping
to command their attention.
Or worse, we bellow out a stream of high-pitched whoops
that break eardrums rather than build motivation.
It can depend on the time of day, the type of class,
and the membership as a whole.
Some members are just more vocal.
But trying to force people to do what
is outside of their comfort zone won't
motivate them to come back.
It will scare them away.
So check back next week for part 2 of mistakes
you don't want to make.
So again, I'm Angie Miller with AFAA.
I'm really glad you joined me here today.
I hope you'll continue to connect
with me on social media.
On Instagram, I'm AngieMillerFitness.
And on Facebook and Twitter, I'm AngieMillerFit.
My website is AngieMillerFitness.com.
Keep doing what you love and loving what you do.
I will see you next week.