Posts Tagged ‘Prerequisite’

After 8 years of coaching people on how to start and run martial arts schools (12 if you count the time I spent doing it for free for my friends) I’ve heard just about every excuse for failure imaginable. The other day, I was telling a client that I was starting another studio. He asked me if I’d been out of it long, and I explained that I sold a studio in ’09, and that I am re-entering the market because I believe now is a great time to be a school owner. Read the rest of this entry »

Simple Steps To Increase Retention While Making Your Job More Rewarding

You may not realize this, but retention is a whole lot easier when you invest time in letting your students know that you care about them, both personally and as martial arts students.

Sure, you care about your students… but do they know it?

Let me be the first to admit that martial arts instructors tend to not be the most sensitive people in the world.

Admit it – you probably don’t often express your feelings toward others, and usually just expect that your feelings are “understood.”

Well, unless you’re teaching jedi knights and X-men (mind-readers, in case you’re not a sci-fi junkie like me), chances are good that no one in your school is quite sure whether or not you really care about them – personally, or otherwise.

And, even if you don’t find it difficult to express that you care about other people, you may not even be communicating it in a way they can understand. Often, people have different ways of showing and interpreting appreciation (as any married couple can attest).

So, finding ways to make certain you get the message across to your students is a prerequisite to having good relationships with your students.

Don’t Sweat It – It’s Easier Than You May Think

Communicating that you care about your students really isn’t all that difficult or complex. All it takes is a little awareness and a few extra minutes invested each day in communicating with your students.

Here are a few simple action steps you can take to make sure your students (and parents) know that you are personally invested in their well-being: Read the rest of this entry »