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In: Communication and Presentation Skills, Free Articles, General Coaching, Instructor Issues & growth, Programming and Management
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One of the best ways to grow as an instructor is to attend other instructors’ classes. You can assess what you like and what you don’t like, you can look for similarities with your style, and you can seek out coaching styles that you would like to adopt. And if you suspect you may have a bad habit, you can ask yourself poignant questions like, “Is that what I sound like when I yell ‘Go!’ all the time?” Here are 30 things to evaluate when you take another class.Read more…

shy instructor

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In: Communication and Presentation Skills, General Coaching, Instructor Issues & growth
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Are you the shy instructor? It is possible to feel confident and energetic when teaching your indoor cycling class even if you are an introvert. You don’t have to be an extrovert, a performer, to get up in front of a class. In part 1 of this series, you will learn to stop trying to calm your anxiety and to stop thinking of public performance as a “gift” you were not granted.
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In: Free Articles, Instructor Issues & growth, New Instructors
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New instructors are faced with a dilemma: you cue the music to begin teaching your first indoor cycling class and realize there is so much information to cover within the first few minutes of class. Will you remember it all? Will you explain everything correctly? Will someone remove the butterflies from your stomach? Welcome to part 1 of a 3-part series to master your class intro. Read more…

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In: Communication and Presentation Skills
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Community in an indoor cycling class isn’t something that just happens automatically with a mix of time, music, and work. A class that is based on community needs conscious nurturing and leadership from the instructor. The ability of the instructor to build and maintain community makes the difference between the mediocre class experience and the one that is memorable. Here are some thoughts about the importance of community in your class as well as a list of specific ideas you can use to help create community.
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In: Free Articles, Instructor Issues & growth
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While instructors most often lead adults in group exercise classes, we also share many parallels with teachers of children. Check out Rita Pierson’s TED Talk, “Every Kid Needs a Champion,” to see how she prioritizes personal connection or relationship over all else when helping children succeed. You’ll find some great ideas to bring into the cycling studio.Read more…

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In: Education - Legal, Instructor Issues & growth, Programming and Management
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Last week a lawsuit was filed against SoulCycle alleging negligence on the part of the studio and the instructor that led to a serious injury by the plaintiff. This is a case that instructors and studios around the world should be watching closely. In this article, we provide 13 best practices to help protect yourself from legal actions. You may want to share this with your entire staff and with your peers in the industry.Read more…

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In: Communication and Presentation Skills, Free Articles, Instructor Issues & growth, Mental Training, Mind-Body
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I’ve taken 10 tips from a Business Insider article on overcoming nervousness and channeling energy into a more productive presentation and applied them to the indoor cycling instructor. Many thanks to ICA member Moritz Geissler for sending me this link!Read more…

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In: Communication and Presentation Skills, Free Articles, Guest blogger, Instructor Issues & growth, New Instructors
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Guest contributor and ICA member Izabela Ruprik has been collecting indoor cycling certifications over the past few years (about to take her 7th cert)! She attended a class the other day and came away frustrated so she wrote about her experience. She wanted to share this very important message with all instructors from every program: Always share what the purpose of your workout is with your riders!Read more…

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In: Coaching and Cueing, Communication and Presentation Skills
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Do you like to be yelled at or do you like to be listened to? Will you perform better for someone yelling in your ear, or with gentle encouragement from someone you trust? I ask you to consider the idea of “gentle coaching” as you develop your own unique coaching style. Even if your natural style is more authoritative, you may find some ideas here that will help you personalize and expand your appeal to your students.Read more…

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In: Coaching and Cueing, Communication and Presentation Skills, Instructor Issues & growth, New Instructors
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New instructors are often unsure how much they should be talking or what they should be saying in their classes. One of the litmus tests to discover if you are talking too much is to simply ask yourself, “Why am I talking?” The answer may surprise you. Caesar provides tips on examining the purpose of your cues and making sure your riders aren’t confused by what you say. Read more…