Get To Know Students And Set Comfort Zone

One of the ways for women to feel comfortable is through group lessons.

There has to be a trust level and a comfort level established and asking a few questions, getting a feel for who they are, what they’re about and what they do for a living helps establish that. They need to feel comfortable with me as an instructor, but they also need to feel comfortable with themselves as a group.

A lot of times what you get are groups of four or six who maybe work together or take the same seminars together. A lot of what they do, including the lessons, are corporate and a good networking experience.

If you establish that relationship, know what they do, how they interact with each other, it allows them to feel comfortable in the group setting. It also establishes their relationships with each other because maybe that’s the next person with which they’ll go play golf next.

If I don’t know then at the beginning, I typically introduce myself, tell them a little bit about Cottonwood, how long I’ve been here and what my goals are for them.

To help put them at ease, especially if they’re beginners, you’ve got to let them know we’re going to have some fun and that not every shot is perfect, so it doesn’t hurt to demonstrate a few sideways shots or top the ball on purpose, just to let them know that doing that isn’t an uncommon thing in golf.

I try to put a bit of a humourous spin on it because you’ve got to be able to laugh at yourself. If we’re doing a big group clinic and I’ve got a couple of other people helping me, I have them hit shots while I tell stories.

By getting to know the people involved, it helps you understand how they learn. As a general rule, teaching an accountant can be different than teaching marketing, advertising or public relations people.

If they are accountants, they may be about numbers and statistics, somebody who wants more detailed information about the process of learning the golf swing, but if it’s a group of marketing, advertising and public relations people, they are often more concerned about the results than the process that produces those results.

Getting to know your students is not unlike giving a speech or a seminar. You’ve want to get to know your audience first in order to make an impact.

Related Posts:

• I’ll Always Be Involved With Alberta PGA
• Take Advantage Of Down Time During The Holidays