Imagine this scenario: Freshman in College, never sleeps, mistakenly scheduled 8am classes M-F (who thought that was a good idea?), overwhelmed with far too many credits--first two classes of the day.
Class 1: Economics 101. Professor “G”. Wears the same tie with dollar bills on it every.single.day, thick glasses, talks slowly and in monotone as he reads the lecture to you, every once in awhile he will become animated, using giant economics terms that #literallynooneunderstands, and scribbles on his projector, using lines and arrows and abbreviations that also #literallynooneunderstands.
Class 2: Statistics 221. Professor “A”. Walks into class a few minutes early, chats with the students as they arrive, jokes around about something silly but engaging, starts class right on time by asking who has seen “Let’s Make a Deal”. A game show! I’m intrigued! Tell me more, Professor “A”!
So, which class do you think I learned more in? Same amount of useful information, one presented with pizazz and brevity, the other, well, was a less-than-stellar grade and has taken a lot of real world experience to make up for the things I didn’t learn.
Lesson learned: BE THE FUN ONE.
Same goes for teaching a group fitness class...
It’s important to keep cues brief even if they are informative.
UpBeat Instructors know the magic of the 3 minutes before class–the perfect time to set your class up for success, and with our UpBeat Signature 3 magical minutes FDA and CAKE, we can execute the perfect call-backs mid-class for an effective quick cue.
Outside of that, it’s important to cue within a song with brevity, sharing information as you can, but practiced and concise. An informative cue can be as simple as layering in a layman's term with a balletic cue: "bend, or plie" "rise, or releve" "find the knee, or passe".
Making education fun and engaging involves creative wording and brief phrases or short sentences. Make it a paragraph and their brains will peace out, and they’ll miss the music and you’ll miss your transitions!
Have you ever had a joke fall flat in class? I have! And guess what, usually it's because the participants couldn't quite hear it--theres a lot going on! Music, Moves, cues, sometimes an echo in the mic. But, regardless, consider that participants will only hear about 10% of a long, drawn-out piece of information.
Verbal-visual cues spark the smiles and connect the class to the workout.
Don’t be afraid to reach for the ̶C̶r̶u̶m̶b̶l̶ Chip cookie. Lengthen your spine like a licorice pull n peel! Squeeze a big beach ball when you come in! Dip your knee in chocolate! Kick your car door closed!
See, we don't even have to explain it, because you felt it--saw it--experienced it!
As your participants recognize the concepts they'll learn in those three magical minutes (core connection, mind-body connection, time under tension, and muscle over momentum), they’ll begin to utilize these practices without the necessary cueing. You’re empowering them for a more effective workout!
Participants tend to listen more when they’re not on the verge of collapse.
Lastly, save those call backs for when your participants are not out of breath, literally gritting their teeth listening for the finish line, or in a waterski position questioning all their life’s decisions–that’s when you hit them with a zinger ball joke.
You've got this!
Smile with your butt!
and
Squeeze your balls, team, let’s burn it out together!