Do you use this excuse often? ‘I can never remember people’s names’.
It is understandable in most situations, that remembering 10 to 50 people’s names would be difficult, but when participants have been attending your class for over 12 months, this is unacceptable. Worse yet, when the participant has been an active attendee for several years. Yep, it really is a poor excuse. Something that really changed my perspective on this and maybe it will for you too comes from the goodmenproject.com:
The first time you meet someone and ask their name it’s a test. When given a person’s name they have given you permission to think of them as an individual, as someone different from a random stranger.
Their test is this – are they special enough to remember the next time you meet them. When you say someone’s name the next time you greet them you have told that person they were important enough to remember, they were special enough for you to take note of them.
I can almost guarantee you have just made an acquaintance with the possibility of a more meaningful relationship in the future, whether it be business, friendship or relationship.
Unless you act in a negative manner you will now always be associated in that persons memory as someone who took the time to remember who they were.
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When I first started in the fitness industry I was an aerobics instructor. Yes, I learned how to teach an aerobics class, which required music, space and my mind, to create an exercise experience. There was no equipment other than the humble mat and sometimes we used light dumbbells.
How long ago was this? This was the early nineties and since then, the diversification of the group exercise format is beyond anything anyone could have imagined. Formats vary from equipment based to pre-choreographed and licenced programs, mind/body formats to HIIT, dance to athletic, there is something for everyone looking to train in a group environment. (more…)
Over the past week my mSwing business partner, Mark Davis has been signing off emails with POY.
It also appeared in text messages and I had figured (Mark being a man with a very well-developed sense of humour), he had somehow formed a word that I didn’t have a clue about, but would likely mean something quirky.
Not wanting to demonstrate my ignorance and lack of humour, I would smile and try to write something funny back. Now that I know what it means (because after the constant confusion about POY I finally asked), I wonder if he had felt confused by my responses!
So what does POY stand for? Wait for it, drum roll please… (more…)
I wonder if I am alone in this situation? I am walking around a supermarket and I spot down one aisle, a participant that comes to my classes. I quickly scan the groceries in my basket, are they ok to be seen? Are they healthy items? Will I be judged? Can I hide something under the lettuce? Making a quick decision that there are too many naughty items to hide under the salad and tomatoes, I duck into the next aisle and high tail it to the self-scanning counter. Now, the race to scan and make a quick exit before I am discovered purchasing the ‘wrong things’.
Am I being paranoid, or have I had enough experiences of very nice people looking into my shopping basket and saying “should you be eating that?” or ‘that is not very healthy!’? (more…)
