First of all, I know there are a lot of instructors reading this blog (I watch my traffic using Google Analytics.) Why aren't you commenting? Using the comments button at the bottom allows us to open a discussion and learn from each other. I would love to hear from you...
So - on to the main event.
It is February 11th and next week is the week you will start seeing major drops in your numbers. Your new year's new members usually last about 6 weeks.
How do you extend the shelf life on those new years resolutions? Here are my top suggestions. Please leave comments to add your best ideas.
1. Learn everyones' names. If you haven't already, you need to know, remember, and use every participants' name in every class. That's right, by now these people have been in your class at least a few times. Let them know you see them, you remember, and you care.
2. Learn something about each participant. Remember, you are a coach, a mentor, and a friend. Be approachable, and further, be involved. Try to remember what each person does for a living, or their spouses name, or how many kids they have, etc. You will be amazed at how far this goes to keep your participants interested in you. And guess what, you might even realize you are more interested in them...
3. Demonstrate their progress. Remind them of the things they are able to do now, that they couldn't do on January 1st. Whether it's zip up a pair of jeans, or touch their toes, make sure they remember exactly what they headed back to if they give up now.
4. Don't forget your old faithfuls. Don't neglect your core constituency. Keep things fresh by learning new choreography and using new music, but keep it simple with options. See the links to the left for new choreography...
5. Foster a community culture. Introduce your newbies to your best faithful participants. You NEVER want your class to feel like a clique. Foster a culture where your participants know they need to speak to new participants. The best way to do this is to alway introduce yourself personally, face to face, to new participants before you start class - even if you are running late. It's that important.
