How To Prepare For A Private Pilates Session and/or Mixed Level Class

How prepared are you for crucial student encounters?

It’s easy to get lost in the demands of teaching and building a student base. There  are so many details to attend to, most of which concern our actual teaching. A crucial part of teaching, however, is preparing and knowing just how you might respond to tricky or new student encounters and situations.

Spurred by a question asked by one of you during our most recent Live Coaching Call, we are going to explore some simple ways you can better prepare yourself for those first conversations, sessions and classes with students including mixed level classes.

[haiku url="ProgrammingAndPreparation.mp3" title="Preparation"]

Questions I ask myself:

How can I keep the student at center stage?
How can I create a situation and environment that addresses the students needs, makes them the priority and keeps them safe?
How can I deliver necessary information and get them curious and excited about Pilates so their decision to sign up is and EASY YES?

Here are some of the key points we are going to address in the audio clip:

1. Create a formula that you always follow:
The intake – how do you do it (sitting, in private, do you send them the form first or go through it before hand, do they need to arrive early?) have all the details down.

2. During the first contact gather as much information from them as you can:
Create a format or form to follow for collecting pertinent information so you are prepared in the first session for anything special or specific they have going on.

3. Create a system for your first session and/or beyond:
What elements do feel like are always important to include in a first, the second through fifth sessions?

4. Balancing insight and body awareness with challenge and successful strength building within each session.

Things that make them curious, things that they can already do but are a little more challenging (pushing them to their edge) and then some totally new stuff to work on.
(Follow up with homework to support the session and prime them for next time).

5. All or as many ROM as possible (of course this depends on their particular situation), not just focusing on the “issues” especially if they are emotionally charged. Give them a whole body workout and make them feel good and successful in other areas of their body.

6. What are their needs? What do you think is important to them?

Listen now to find get more great information on preparing for a first session and how to integrate students into a mixed level class.

 

[haiku url="ProgrammingAndPreparation.mp3" title="Preparation"]

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