3 Soft skills for hardcore coaching success in and out of the gym
I’m not saying certification isn’t important. In the beginning it is. But after that you should shift your focus from what to teach to how you teach it.
- Ericka Thomas
Transcript
3 soft skills for hardcore success in and out of the gym
The fitness industry is set up like a snake eating its tail. It gives certification and requires cecs to keep that certification and then offers limited sources of those approved credits. New trainers and educators in the wellness space are conditioned to believe that if it doesn’t give us some external validation through approved CEC’s or the magic of letters after your name then it’s not worth the time to study. So we look for more and more of what to teach clients instead of developing the skills to better communicate what we know.
One would think that the letters after someone's name should mean something to clients. They look good, that’s true. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Because in the real world, real clients don’t know what they mean. When was the last time you had a client contact you because they were looking for someone with a particular certification? It just doesn’t happen. The RYT after my name means registered yoga teacher. It’s a registry. Like a phone book for yoga teachers with a certain level of training that came from another RYS registered yoga schools. I have held multiple certifications including NSCA-CPT, ACE GF, Health Coach, FNS, TRE provider and of course E200 + 300 hr RYT.
Now those letters look impressive. But they don’t tell you anything. Those letters don’t communicate anything unless you ‘re going to explain what they represent. And in my experience most clients don’t really care. Letters on paper aren’t what clients look for. Clients are looking for connection, trust. They want to know who you are. Not all the boxes you checked.
I’m not saying certification isn’t important. In the beginning it is. But after that you should shift your focus from what to teach to how you teach it. Those letters after your name might get you in the door but they don’t get you more or better clients. They don’t get your clients better results. They won’t get you better results either.
What does, are things we call soft skills. 3 in particular for coaches but could be applied to pretty much anyone who works with people. These are areas that I have personally felt were missing in my own years of training and collecting CEC’s.
I’m going to go through these 3 soft skills that you can grow with zero or very low cost investment and don’t require another certification to maintain.
Speaking. Public speaking and communication is a skill. I can’t tell you how many people I know who flat out refuse to speak in front of people. They are fine talking to people one on one, but if there’s any kind of group, forget it. I hear things like I am not a public speaker. I hate speaking in public or I'm not good at it. I’ve got news for you, no one is. No one is born GOOD at it. It’s always a little uncomfortable at first. That’s true of anything you don’t know how to do. Public speaking is a skill. You A. have to practice and b. Need to prepare for it. Group instructors and coaches should already be doing this but if you don’t notice speaking in general as a skill then you might not be using it to its full potential and greatest influence. And no matter how good you are you can always get better.Typically coaches have an hour with their clients. You might be leading them in a particular way or listening mostly. I found in group fitness that I did a lot of talking, sometimes very loudly. So here are some things that I found very helpful for myself.
Take class prep seriously. Create a few back pocket mini mantras that you can use when you teach. This is especially important when you sub for new classes and you don’t know your audience well. So things like an intro (think 30 second elevator pitch) Maybe a class introduction for what to expect. Your intention for that particular workout and how to make it their own. A safety or alignment protocol. Or maybe a standard permission to change/modify and how to do that. DOn’t worry about trying to do and say new things every time. It’s OK to repeat yourself. You should. People don’t always listen to us as much as we think they do. Say it. Show it. Do it. Those are 3 ways people learn. Including you, so practice how you’re going to explain something if you’re not sure. But don’t be afraid to say it in lots of different ways. Collect fun fitness facts from as many different sources and areas as you can. Over time you’ll discover a particular emphasis that lights you up. Mine was nutrition and of course the nervous system and how it affects overall health. All those little nuggets are great ways to add value to whatever format you teach. And they are ways to connect on a deeper level with your people.
Be yourself but more. Energy is a real thing and if you’re in front of people you need about 10% more than you think you do to hold someone's attention and sound natural. If you sound bored they’ll be bored. And sometimes relaxed or quiet comes across as bored and uninterested. So be excited to be in the room. Be enthusiastic about what you’re showing them, teaching or leading. Even if on the inside you’re not. This is one of the best ways you can hold space for your people.
Protect (and train) your voice. This probably falls in the category of nice to have rather than must have but I bet there’s some YouTube channel that you can find for voice lessons. I got to the point as an instructor where my voice was getting very tired and sore. One of my friends was a vocal coach so I signed up for singing lessons. Partly because I caught myself saying I’m not a singer too many times. And partly because like any instrument, you have to learn to use it. It was so much fun! Not only did I learn a bunch of fun show tunes but I also got all kinds of vocal control. Best non certification training I ever did.
Storytelling. People connect through stories. I know a lot of coaches in a lot of different formats who hold back here because they don’t want to share their personal lives. I get it I was one of those, especially after I took my business online. There’s a false premise out there that in order to “do online marketing well you have to splatter your personal life all over the internet. You don’t. There’s such a thing as TMI. And we all deserve privacy. Stories don’t have to be too personal. When my kids were little they had hamsters, many many hamsters. It became a soap opera in our house and gave me loads of material to share during particularly long planks in kickboxing classes.It lightened the mood and students would ask for hamster updates every week. That’s said,with your people, stories can help you get your point across better than just facts. What’s more powerful? If I tell you that cutting out sugar can lower your cholesterol or if I tell the story about my friend who dropped his total cholesterol from over 400 down to 170 in 8 weeks by changing his diet. Stories can help you make personal connections with your clients and clarify your niche. Telling your own story about your experience in menopause is going to speak volumes to clients in the room who can relate. So when you find some of those fun facts, think about how you could share them in a story format to be more memorable. For me this is where I’m trying to get better. So I’m starting to do some research into TED talks and pulling books of how to craft what I say with the end point in mind. Some books to check out…Talk Like TED by Carmine Gallo, Public Speaking to win by Dale Carnegie, Communicate to influence by Ben and Kelly Decker, Nonviolent communication by Marshall Rosenberg PhD The only way to get better at it really is to practice. Practice practice. So try this. Think of a story. Yes you have one. Maybe make it your story of how/why you became a coach. First do a brain dump of all your thoughts on paper. Then sculpt it to 18 minutes (TED length) Then, 5 minutes. Then 3, then 1. You get the idea. Distill it down. Now you can use it anywhere, including the elevator.
Sales. So many female entrepreneurs struggle with sales (I know I did and sometimes still do)because we have so much money mindset baggage and programming telling us that sales is sleazy. We are afraid to ask for the sale because we don’t want to come off as salesy. But when you cultivate better speaking and storytelling skills the sales skill becomes influence and invitation. Speaking and storytelling makes selling easier. How? Using the confidence and enthusiasm for what you have to offer from all of your preparation to speak and well crafted storytelling to create connection you're going to invite your clients to hire you or buy your thing or join your membership. Think about who you’re talking to, tell your story but make it about them.You’re not going to worry about making the sale you’re simply extending an invitation because you know that what you have to offer is a solution. Then keep telling that story. Even after you get sick of hearing yourself. Keep telling it even if you get bored with it. Someone out there might need to hear it.
OK so how can you really get better at these skills? Yes, yes practice but HOW? Maybe a course or certification? Maybe. You certainly can find them. I’m sure they’re out there. So if you wanna drop the cash, go for it. I’m looking for a copywriting course as we speak. But before I drop the cash I wanna learn everything I can for free.
I’m going to give you some suggestions from some of those books I mentioned earlier and then some of these ideas are things I’ve found helpful in training for other things that can be applied here. These are a few little fun homework assignments. Think of them as exercises to stretch into some of these new skill areas.
We’re going to pretend you’ve been invited to do a TED talk.
We already talked about practice, actual practice. So to get started with that, brainstorm 5 stories that you can tell your students. They can be funny, fitness related, personal or not. Maybe you’ll be able to use them in classes or with clients but for now they’re just for you. One could be your introduction. Write them down and practice delivering them. They should be short.
Then record yourself delivering those stories. Many people balk at recording themselves. It’s hard to see yourself and hear yourself. I get it. I felt that way too. So early in my online career I challenged myself to go live on FB every day for a month, unscripted. If you really want to get over your resistance to things like being on camera give it a try. Guarantee you'll get over yourself by the end of that month.
Look back at those recordings. Try to be objective. Get some friends to look at them and give feedback. Try to boost your energy. Take some of those nuggets of info that light you up and sprinkle them through your stories. What can you add to the story, take away from it whatever it needs, that lights you up. You are a source of energy for your clients so you need to be able not only to offer them something but also to refill your own energy well too. (that’s another podcast)
Work those stories and rework them until you know them like the back of your hand. Then put them in your back pocket and use them in your day to day life. In front of classes and with clients. Watch that preparation build confidence and create connections and maybe boost your income too.
Thanks for listening! I talk a lot about clear communication and connection and how to translate what we know to who needs to know it here on the Work IN. I think it’s a critical component for anyone in the fitness industry, wellness fields AND in business. In this industry as my coaches say there are a lot of ANDS. You’re a coach AND a business owner. A mother AND creative entrepreneur. A wife AND a business woman. And you already have what it takes to succeed. But bootstrapping any business is tough. Doing it on your own is daunting. So I created Bespoke C3 to be a customized virtual head start for the newest coach on the block. YOU. I want you to be around for a while. Your dreams deserve direction without distraction, purpose without procrastination and encouragement without the bullshit. Bespoke C3 takes you step by step from kitchen table checklist to tech savvy CEO in one year. That can be you. Go to Savagegracecoaching.com/clarity to get some.
Hey there!
I’m your host Ericka Thomas. I'm a resilience coach and fit-preneur offering an authentic, actionable realistic approach to personal and professional balance for coaches in any format.
Savage Grace Coaching is all about bringing resilience and burnout recovery. Especially for overwhelmed entrepreneurs, creators and coaches in the fitness industry.
Schedule a free consultation call to see if my brand of actionable accountability is right for you and your business.