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Building A Great Instructor
Team
by Pam Archer
"We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some
are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different
colors...but they all have to learn to live in the same box."
I don't know who first spoke the words of this quote, but they certainly
fit the topic of this particular article.
At Wellmont Wellness Center, where I teach classes, we have a reputation
in the area for having a great instructor team. Now, I am not referring
to outstanding instructional skills, though the instructors certainly
possess those, rather I am referring to the fact that we have worked
hard to build a cohesive, solid TEAM. Instructor turn-over is rare in
our facility and is only due to an instructor moving away. Most of us
have been teaching there for five years or longer. Two of us have been
there for 10 years!
Having been a group fitness instructor in the Health Club scene for
many years, I have experienced the gamut of instructor woes. The most
unpleasant environment is one in which jealousy and back-biting is prevalent
among the instructors. Not only is this demoralizing for the one who
happens to be the target of the ill feelings, but it also carries over
to the members and is manifested in their attitudes.
In one facility, if an instructor so much as made a mistake in their
routine, the members were at the front desk complaining "Why don't you
get an instructor out there who knows what they're doing!" Talk about
being under pressure! Leaving that facility was the best thing I ever
did for my fitness career!
When I came to WWC it was a breath of fresh air. The members were non-demanding,
friendly and loved all of the instructors. The first thing that I noticed,
was that the instructors also cared about each other. They were very
accepting and encouraging toward me. It was at WWC that I felt the freedom
to be as creative and innovative as I dared to be. I blossomed as an
instructor. I could go into any class and say "Today we are going to
stand on our heads and gargle peanut butter." and they would give it
a try...without grumbling!
Of course, we never tried that particular choreography, my point is
that they had receptive attitudes. I owe that freedom to the instructors
who set the precedent for me. All but one of those instructors moved
away, but we have continued to work on building and main-training a
cohesive instructor team.
During my time at WWC, I have served as the group fitness coordinator,
as well as at another facility. When I formed Archer Fitness, I had
to give that up. Our current Program Manager, Mitchell Berkman has continued
to build a fantastic program. Together, we have pooled our collective
knowledge and experience and come up with some components that we believe
are essential to build and maintain that team and team spirit.
Hiring Team Players:
Most of our current instructors were hired by audition....for all the
other instructors!!! We would set aside a time for a meeting and the
instructor would lead us in a mini class, including high/low, step and
resistance training. Each of us were allowed to ask questions. We then
filled out an evaluation form which included things like: Proper Warm
Up, Safety Concerns, Music Speed, Cueing, Motivation, etc. The instructor
was hired...or NOT, based upon our feedback. This process weeds out
instructors who aren't adequately trained and whose personalities don't
blend with ours. By the same standard, we recognized potential in some
instructors who perhaps needed additional training, but fit well with
the team. We were able to provide that one-on-one attention to bring
them up to speed. Though Mitch no longer uses this system, I firmly
believe it it the best way to hire instructors.
Require Confidentiality:
Discussing another instructor with a member, in a negative light, is
cause for dismissal. End of story! If a member has a complaint, tell
them to see the program manager. NEVER say anything against another
instructor to the members. If the team is supportive of each other,
so will the members be.
Offer Incentives:
We have several incentive programs in position. Any time we take another
instructor's class, we get paid 1/2 of our fee that we receive for teaching
a class. We are also allowed to team teach at our discretion with full
pay. With this incentive, we learn what is going on in the other classes,
teaching styles and NEW MOVES! It is fun to work together and takes
a lot of the pressure to entertain off of us.
We also have a sliding pay scale. Instructors are paid according to
credentials, certifications, experience and length of service to WWC.
This is incentive to continue our education and stay current in the
industry. WWC hosts workshops and certifications several times during
the year. We each receive a discount for attending. They paid for our
training, and continuing ed for a full year for BodyPUMP!
Form A Demo Team:
This was probably the most valuable thing we did, not only for the promotion
of the facility, but for us to get to know each other. When you get
to know one another, you become friends. We are a very close-knit group.
We comfort each other in times of sorrow and hard times, encourage each
other and laugh together. Yes, it takes a time commitment, but it's
fun and the rewards are many.
Regular Evaluation of Classes:
Mitchell, (and two others of us for BodyPUMP), evaluate classes on a
regular basis. Mitch has a form which covers all the components of a
safe class and includes specific instructional skills. He takes the
class and asks the instructor to fill out the evaluation form to evaluate
their performance. He also fills one out and sets aside a time to go
over it with them. This is a very effective, non-intimidating way to
evaluate. The instructor tends to be more objective and less defensive.
They also tend to have a more teachable attitude.
As a director, it is important to be approachable, caring and nurturing.
Create a relaxed environment in your facility. This makes for a positive
experience for members and instructors. Write cheery, encouraging notes
to your instructors. Pass along kudos to them that members tell you.
Gently correct the instructors using the method of saying something
good about what they do, correct by making a suggestion for a solution,
and then reinforce again by saying something else positive.
Building a cohesive instructor team takes time and effort, but what
a difference it makes in our instructors, which transfers to happy members.
Pam is the owner of Archer Fitness Consultants, Inc. in
Kingsport, Tennessee. She is Co-Host of the "Jenny's Fit In 15" TV show
on The Health Network. She has produced six exercise videos and starred
in seven. Pam travels extensively training and certifying group fitness
instructors for The Aerobic and Fitness Association of America (AFAA)
and The American Council On Exercise (ACE). She has been a guest on
many TV shows, including Canada's Breakfast Television, and Real Life.
She has appeared in numerous commercials for Wellmont Wellness Center
in Bristol, Tennessee and was the host of Friday Fitness Tips on WCYB-TV
5. . Her fitness related articles have been published in American Fitness
and IDEA Source magazines as well as numerous newsletters, including
her own, Archer Fit Press. She has appeared in Good Housekeeping and
Ms. Fitness magazines as well. Pam is a fitness consultant to
the Kingsport Times News newspaper and to WCYB-TV 5, an NBC affiliate.
She has been a Group Exercise leader for over thirteen years and has
been an instructor at Wellmont Wellness Center, in Bristol, TN, since
1991, where she specializes in senior fitness. She is a Continuing Education
Provider for AFAA and ACE and has trained hundreds of instructors all
over the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. She was a presenter
at World Fitness IDEA in 1996 and 1997 and will be the Master Presenter
for The University of Georgia Fitness Conference, 2001.
Pam is passionate about promoting health and fitness to people of all
ages, sizes and body types. She teaches continuing education seminars,
appears at health fairs, speaks to church, school and civic groups.
She believes that fit and healthy comes in all shapes and sizes and
that it is never too late to get into shape.
Pam is married to Charles Archer and the mother of three children. She
and Charles are active in community activities and live in Kingsport,
TN.
AFAA & ACE certified Group Fitness
AFAA Certified Personal Trainer/Fitness Counselor
AFAA Certified Resistance Training Specialist
AFAA Certified Step Aerobics and KickBoxing
Certified BodyPUMP Instructor
AFAA Senior Specialty Training
You may visit Pam on-line at
http://www.archerfitness.com
or e-mail her at pam@archerfitness.com
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