Giving Individual Attention In A Group Class

Today's episode explore my favorite ways to make students feel seen, safe, and challenged in group classes. Group classes are a popular way to exercise in every fitness modality, Pilates included, and you'll likely teach lots group classes over the course of your Pilates teaching career. The price point, accountability, community, and availability make group classes a staple, but what sets a good group class apart is the teacher's ability to give each student individual attention during the class. Tune in!

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Episode Music:

Tracks: Tobu - Good Times, Tobu & Itro - Sunburst 
Tobu Official YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
Itro Official YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/officialitro
Released by NCS 
https://www.youtube.com/NoCopyrightSounds

Transcript

[00:00:00] Welcome to Pilates Teachers' Manual, your guide to becoming a great Pilates teacher. I'm Olivia and I'll be your host. Join the conversation and the Pilates community on Instagram at @pilatesteachersmanual and visit buymeacoffee.com/OliviaPodcasts to support the show. Today's chapter starts now.

[00:00:56] Hello. Hello everybody. Welcome back to the podcast. [00:01:00] I've got a topic today that you can apply to any type of group movement teaching that you might do, whether you're on the mat or the reformer, or you do fusion classes, or even if you teach another movement modality, this is something that will set you apart as a teacher. Lots of ways to apply the tips in this episode. 

[00:01:25] Today's episode is all about giving individual attention in a group class setting. So group classes are super popular and there's a reason why they are there at gyms and studios and colleges, like there's lots of support for group classes. Because there's this accountability of having a set class that's on your calendar, that you are there without fail, there's a community connection, people like doing things with other people, you know, [00:02:00] it feels like we're all on a team, we're all doing things together, even when it gets tough, you know, you're not alone.

[00:02:07] And the price point in group classes is lower than doing a one on one session. So you still get the accountability and the connection and the community, but it is less expensive than doing a private session one on one with a teacher. Because if your entire goal was to have individual attention in the class, you would want a one on one session where you are the only one in the class to pay attention to.

[00:02:35] But as teachers who might teach some one on one sessions, but also have group classes on the schedule, giving members of our group classes, this individual and personalized instruction in little doses throughout the group class can be really powerful and a great way to build your popularity as a teacher, establish yourself as an expert and set yourself apart as a [00:03:00] fabulous instructor wherever you teach. 

[00:03:03] I think this is one thing, this individual attention is something that people who go to group classes really crave, that even though they're in a group, they want to be seen as an individual as well. It's one of the most common pieces of feedback we get in the studios in Chicago is that people are looking for that individual correction, attention, compliments, like all of that stuff.

[00:03:29] I find that this is a way to grow your attendance in your group classes as well, because when you do this, and this is something that people really like, then they will want to keep coming to your classes because they're getting that bonus of individual attention in your class. Giving those one on one adjustments or corrections or however you like to spin it is another way to share your expertise. In this case, in a Pilates context, but really [00:04:00] in any context, and it's a way to show that you care about your students. 

[00:04:06] Sounds like a win, win, win. Like, how can we do more of this? I've got some tips that work for me, and know that this is never an exhaustive list, but this is a little foray into ways to provide individual attention to students in your class.

[00:04:23] Some of these might seem obvious, but I think there's always value in stating the obvious. So things that you can do in your group class is use people's names, make eye contact when you talk to them, check in with everyone before and during class, do hands on assists where appropriate, and do hands free assists all the time.

[00:04:45] Using the names of people in your class is one of the easiest things to do and has such a big impact on the students in the room. It doesn't even have to be in the room, now that I think of it, because I take a reformer Pilates [00:05:00] class online that I literally just watched the replay of, and every week the teacher says hello to each person in the class by name, and then also says hi to people on the recording, which is me. So I also love that. It just makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside to just be acknowledged, to not be a faceless person in the mass, but really to be seen as yourself. I don't know. You just feel good to be acknowledged. 

[00:05:30] So as teachers, you're teaching not just people but the specific people in the room at that day and saying hi is huge. Welcoming people into the studio, into the room, into the virtual space is really important. In some ways teaching virtually is fabulous because their name is right there on the screen. And you might think, especially in person, that it's difficult to learn people's names. You know, I teach at [00:06:00] Club Pilates, and I do a five class block on Monday nights, and I might see 60 people, and that's a lot of names.

[00:06:11] And that, you know, it is a lot. I'm not going to say like, Oh no, it's fine. Like it is a lot of names, but there are also people that come regularly that you're going to see week to week. And a couple of things that helped me in terms of the learning names department was just one thing's just a mental trick and that is I stopped telling myself that it's hard to remember people's names and started telling myself that I am great at remembering people's names.

[00:06:36] And I think sometimes we set ourselves up with a little bit of a mental block if we say like, Oh man, this is so hard. But I, I've just started saying, no, I am great at remembering names. I remember names really well. And it's actually gotten easier to remember people's names. 

[00:06:54] Another thing that is helpful might work in your studio might not is the [00:07:00] studio I teach on has little name tags and whiteboard markers. So when people come in, they grab a whiteboard marker and write their name at their station on that name tag. I'm a really visual learner, so you could tell me your name 18 times, and it just doesn't stick the way it does when I see your name right next to your face. It also helps because sometimes people have unique spellings of their names, so shout out to Christina with a K and a Y, because now, I will never ever forget your name, because I've seen it, it's unique, and it's like linked to you now forever.

[00:07:37] When people come to class and they're a little bit late, I can process of elimination who's left on the roster and then write their name for them, and the act of writing people's names also helps me remember them. 

[00:07:48] Sometimes I know teachers can be worried that if they use the client's names in the class that the person will feel like they're being called out or that they're being picked on.

[00:07:59] And [00:08:00] I think it really depends on the atmosphere that you have in your class. Because if you use everyone's names all the time, whether you're offering them a correction or giving them a compliment, I don't think that it gives the feeling that you're being singled out. I try to use people's names a lot, everyone's name, at least once, because then it feels fair if you're just saying one person's name to say that they're doing something that you'd like them to do differently. I can see how it could be like that. But if you get in the habit of of just using names a lot. A, it helps you remember them. And B, it also makes saying someone's name less momentous because you just do it all the time. 

[00:08:47] Checking in with each person before class is another great way to practice using everyone's names and saying their names and also learn about the people like. I, [00:09:00] for a long time, wasn't as good at remembering people's names, but I would really remember the things that they told me about themselves, that they've got something going on in their shoulder, that they just had a baby six months ago, and talking with them before class is going to give you more information about them, which links to their name and also gives you material to talk about while you're teaching. 

[00:09:25] So you're building that class connection between yourself and the students. Every time you're checking in with people, you're learning about people, you're following up. Hey, I know your shoulder was bugging you, Emily, last week, how's it feeling today?

[00:09:38] And that's a really powerful thing to do. Um, you can check in with people during footwork if you're teaching a group class and see what's going on. You can check in if people come early, but just those little moments in class where you connect with someone on an individual basis is just really great and something you want to do as much [00:10:00] of as you can.

[00:10:02] And in terms of what I mean by like new material is if you know that that person had a baby recently, when you're focusing on some sort of abdominal exercise or you're doing something, you know, you can tie it into, you know, this is a way to gain strength back or to work through this, you know, especially if you're coming from postpartum and you can like wink at the person, or maybe you go up and just tell them individually and say, Oh my gosh, this exercise is so great for you who's struggling with this. You know what I mean? Like, there's lots of ways to do it. Doesn't have to be one size fits all. 

[00:10:36] Coming up after the break, I'm going to talk all things hands on and hands free assists and the importance of making eye contact when you talk to people. That's coming up next.

[00:10:54] Hi there. I hope you're enjoying today's chapter so far. There's great stuff coming up after the [00:11:00] break too. Be sure to subscribe wherever you're listening and visit Buymeacoffee.com/OliviaPodcasts to support the show. There you can make a one-time donation or become a member for as little as $5 a month.

[00:11:13] Membership comes with some awesome perks, including a shout out in the next episode, a monthly newsletter, a monthly zoom call with me, and more. You can also visit links.OliviaBioni.com/affiliates to check out some sweet deals on products I use and love.

[00:11:34] Now back to the show.

[00:11:52] Offering hands on assists where it's appropriate is a great tool in our teaching toolbox. You may come from [00:12:00] a school of Pilates that really heavily emphasizes hands on assists or maybe you aren't feeling really comfortable with hands on assists, not all people want hands on assists, but it is a tool that we have that we can use that really helps people feel seen in our class and giving them that individual personal attention.

[00:12:24] As I said, not everyone wants a hands on assist and not all hands on assists are equal. There are some that feel a little bit more intimate or that, you know, tapping someone on the shoulder is not the same as putting a hand on a low back or a belly or something like that. So, you always want to make sure that the student has given you consent to touch them.

[00:12:46] I like to ask before I do every touch cue, even if I've gotten kind of the blanket consent at the check in, Hey, is it cool if I do hands on assists? People will say yes a lot of times. But they may not know exactly what that [00:13:00] entails. So I would ask, you know, in footwork, Hey, is it okay if I grab your ankle and give you a little deeper calf stretch here? And then you wait for them to say yes or no. And then you go ahead and do that assist. 

[00:13:12] Of course, you may have a relationship with your students where hands on assists are totally normalized and everyone's on board with it. So this is ,of course, unique studio to studio as well as from person to person, but it is good to check in with them.

[00:13:26] There's something about touch that helps people experience what they're doing in a different way. So whether it's that light tap on the shoulder, or it's, you know, you're the palm of your hand on someone's upper back when you're trying to help them find the press away and separation of their shoulder blades in a plank, something like that, it can be really helpful and inspire a light bulb moment for your students.

[00:13:52] So I don't want you to be afraid of doing it, but we always want to be appropriate with our touch. So we're using, you know, the [00:14:00] flat of our hand, we're doing some firmness. You don't want like a wispy touch, like wispy touches are weird. Just like a firm touch and then communicating what you're doing so everyone's on board. I think is a good way to do it and 

[00:14:15] A hands on adjustment doesn't have to be just a correction. You know, it can be helping someone's foot find the foot bar when they're taking their feet out of feet in straps. It can be helping someone get straps if they've got the wedge. Maybe they're pregnant and they can't quite reach the straps behind them. It can be grabbing the straps for them. So don't think it is only a correction. It can also be a literal assist. Like they need assistance and you're assisting them. 

[00:14:44] Now it is entirely possible that you don't like doing touch cues or maybe your clients have said, no, thank you. I would not like any touch cues.

[00:14:54] So there's lots of ways that you can do hands free adjustments that can be [00:15:00] just as powerful and helpful as a hands on assist, and it's also again a way to give individual attention, which is why I'm talking about this episode about giving this individual attention broadly because it's not just hands on assists. It can be a hands on assist, but it doesn't have to be. 

[00:15:19] So what do I mean by hands free? It means that you're not touching the person, but you are still guiding them in the direction that you want them to go. So a hands free assist could be something like someone's doing a lunge, maybe it's at the reformer, maybe it's just on the mat, but as they're bending their front knee in their lunge, their knee is going towards the midline, right? You want their knee to go over their toes and it. It's- collapsing is strong- but it's moving towards the midline and you want it to move less towards the midline. If you see that in your teaching, you could take your hand to the space that's to the outside of their knee in the direction you want their knee to go. And [00:16:00] you can just hold your hand there in space and say, Hey, can you bring your knee towards my hand? So you're not touching them, but you're giving them a goal like this external go this direction that they can then follow. 

[00:16:13] It doesn't even have to be your hand. It could be, you know, could you move your knee more to the right? Like, I like to put my hand there because I'm a, again, visual, tell me where to go and then show me, but you can do that. The person is in control of the movement. You're not pushing their knee wide, which would be the hands on version of that, but you're letting them control for themselves how far out to the side their knee goes.

[00:16:41] A hands free assist could be being right next to the person and demoing the movement that you want them to do. You know, if they're bending their elbows in a kneeling plank on the reformer and you want them to keep their arms straight and push, you can be next to them and show them, you know, this [00:17:00] is the movement that I'm looking for. Or for triceps, you know, can you hug those elbows into your t shirt as you're straightening your arms behind you for a tricep press, something like that. It's the individual attention you're giving them that matters, not the fact that you're touching them. 

[00:17:16] So don't let either your discomfort with hands on adjustments or, you know, that the person has vocalized that they would not like to be touched. Like you can still give individual attention to that person. 

[00:17:33] Last, but certainly not least is making eye contact with people while you teach them. It's one of those things that brings connection to your teaching because you're talking to the people in your class. You're not talking at them and you're not talking to the room.

[00:17:49] I know as teachers, we've created this program and there's so much information that's in our head and it can be easy to dissociate a little bit and forget about the people who are right there because you're trying [00:18:00] to remember what comes next or the equipment settings or, you know, such and such a thing.

[00:18:04] So look at people when you're giving them directions, whether it's an individual direction, that's like, Hey, Steve, can you drop your shoulders? But just giving people directions while looking at them is I think better than just looking around the room. Like we're not scanning the room, giving a speech, like we're making individual eye contact. And people who give speeches would also say you should make individual eye contact with people while you're talking. 

[00:18:32] So, whether you're giving them a correction or a compliment, look at people while you do that. And then, if you look at them and you ask them to do something differently, and then they do it differently, acknowledge it, say, that's great, that's exactly what I was talking about. Yes, that's it. 

[00:18:47] You know, even if you don't know the person's name, going back to the first one, but you still want to address them individually. I love to say, Hey friend, that's [00:19:00] my go to, but I also taught kindergarten. So, everyone's a friend. Sometimes I'll say, Whoa, there, cowboy, if they go off and they're doing something that is not what I wanted or like easy tiger, something like that.

[00:19:11] And those are phrases that work for me. That's a hundred percent my style of teaching and talking. It makes sense for me to say things like that. You might say, no way. If I said, Whoa, there, cowboy, I would get the weirdest look in the world. Totally fine. Find phrases and ways to address people. 

[00:19:29] I will say there are other movement modalities that I've done. It hasn't happened in Pilates, but I've been in other classes where people are addressed just by what they're wearing. They'll be like, Hey, you in the pink shirt. And I'm like, not a vibe. Like that is not something that resonates with me. Um, that doesn't make me want to do what they're telling me to do that doesn't make me want to be in that class actually. So I am not a fan of, yeah. Um, calling people out by characteristics or by what they're wearing. [00:20:00] That's my two cents. 

[00:20:02] I also think that if you implement these strategies for giving this individual attention, you will be less bored in your teaching because you will be more engaged with the people in the room as well.

[00:20:15] And people are interesting. People are always different and there's no shortage of stuff to do with them. And when you're looking at them and you're paying attention to them, it not only makes the class that you're teaching better, it also gives you more things to think about in the future when you're teaching classes because you paid attention to what cues landed, what people were understanding, what they were struggling with, and ways that you were able to help people in that little one on one moment. 

[00:20:42] As a Pilates teacher, I already know that you care about the people that you teach and that you love Pilates and you want to share that with more people. Giving this personalized attention is one way to do that. 

[00:20:55] As always big shout out to all the supporters on buy me a [00:21:00] coffee, Both including and especially newest supporters of the project, Cheryl and Heights Pilates. Thank you so much for joining this journey with me. The March newsletter is coming out soon and there'll be lots of opportunities to connect with me for a coffee chat. Visit the buy me a coffee page to both support the project and hang out with me again. It's a win win. I hope you have a great couple of weeks and I'll talk to you again soon.

[00:21:34] Thanks for listening to this week's chapter of Pilates Teachers' Manual, your guide to becoming a great Pilates teacher. Check out the podcast Instagram at @pilatesteachersmanual, and be sure to subscribe wherever you listen. For more Pilates goodness, check out my other podcast, Pilates Students' Manual, available everywhere you listen to podcasts. The adventure continues. Until [00:22:00] next time.