Participants have the choice as to whether they attend - so we must never take them for granted
Why introduce the class ?
The class introduction serves a number of functions , but primarily , it sets a professional tone for the session . Imagine boarding a plane and not being welcomed either as you board , or even collectively ; not having the airline crew or at least a voiceover state the flight number , destination , introduce themselves or do the safety demonstration . You may know all of this information already , but it ’ s reassuring to have it confirmed . It ’ s similar for a group fitness class . The introduction is there to welcome our patrons to the class , confirm they are in the right place and build rapport with them . It may also give other details about the class , such as the duration , ‘ survival ’ advice to new participants and other information on what to expect - although you may prefer to provide this additional information later on as the class unfolds .
The medical warning
Current best practice for the medical warning is to say something along the lines of ‘ If you have any injuries or medical conditions then you should have medical clearance .’ At one stage , there was a tendency to ask participants to tell instructors about their injuries or medical conditions , but this could put an instructor at risk of working outside of their scope of practice . This is the case particularly if someone has hurt themselves prior to attending class , but hasn ’ t seen a medical professional . If we allow people to tell us their injuries , it implies ( unless we tell them not to participate ) that they are fine to do the class . This can be particularly serious if we provide modifications that lead to the injury worsening , as it could be deemed as giving unqualified medical advice . This has resulted in successful lawsuits in Australia .
Stating that the patrons need medical clearance to do the class puts the onus onto them to have sought that permission from someone authorised to do that . From there , if they still choose to do the class , the liability for any deterioration of the injury / condition cannot be put onto the instructor or the facility .
Taking ownership
We ’ ve looked at the ‘ why ’, now let ’ s look at the ‘ how .’ How do you make sure that the class introduction is something that you do every time you teach , even on occasions when you are feeling stressed because the class hasn ’ t started on time or a new participant has come in at the last minute that requires some additional help to get set up ?
I would suggest it is like anything that we aren ’ t likely to forget : find some ways to take ownership , even pride , in the class intro . While some facilities may give you a script , it is unlikely that they want you to follow it verbatim , as this would feel unnatural and probably be a bit boring for both you and your participants .
A professional tone
A couple of years ago I decided to give my class introduction a major overhaul . Up until then , my approach was to say , ‘ Welcome to [ insert class name ], my name is Mel ’ and then go into the medical warning spiel and check for new participants . It wasn ’ t wrong , but I felt that it could be given a more professional tone that also represented the values of the majority of the facilities I instructed a
My passion for travel has resulted in me having something of an affinity with the tourism industry . In my time visiting numerous countries and participating in tours , I have noticed a difference in how we were greeted as guests . Some providers , especially guides on day trips , use very casual language , while others , particularly on airlines , greet their guests with a ‘ Good morning / afternoon / evening ladies and gentlemen / everybody ' in English as well as in their main native language . The latter approach gave it a more professional tone , so I figured ‘ why not do the same for fitness ?’ After all , we are professionals in our roles , and our patrons have the choice as to whether they attend our class and facilities , so we must never take them for granted .
Incorporating the values
In the matter of a collective greeting , I decided that saying ‘ welcome ’ in each of the languages of the many cultures that are present in my classes wouldn ’ t work from a time point of view . Yet almost all of the organisations and companies I work for have ‘ inclusion ’ in their values . How could I represent that in my class introduction ? I took inspiration from the New Zealand tourism industry , where the Maori greeting ‘ Kia ora ’ is used extensively . From there , I put an Australian flavour to it , using the word ‘ Wominjeka ’ which means ‘ welcome ’ in the language of the Wurundjeri people who are the traditional custodians of my local area in Melbourne .
Additionally , I added Auslan signing to my introduction . While I didn ’ t ( and still currently don ’ t ) have any hearing impaired people in my classes , including it in my introduction ( and in the body of my classes where possible ) is a way of further demonstrating the value of inclusion at that facility . In the case of a program such as aqua , which tends to be visible to the general public , consider what this may suggest to those people , particularly if they have a disability .
Inaugurating change
Like anything , making changes to the introduction took work and a lot of practice at home , and the first couple of weeks saw me slipping back into old habits . One solution was to get a colleague to hold me accountable , particularly on the verbal changes , which I found to be the hardest . When it came to including Auslan in the introduction , I effectively had my patrons hold me accountable . For the first week ( and for any new or cover classes I now take ) - I announced what I was about to do prior to the class starting . That way my patrons would know what the hand signals were about ( this was prior to the bushfires and pandemic , when Auslan signers became very familiar to us ). I also wanted to give them permission to correct me or add to my vocabulary if they knew Auslan .
Naturally , there are times when I vary my introduction a little . For example , St Patrick ’ s Day ( I am of Irish heritage ) when I greet my class with a ‘ Dia Duit , fáilte ’ which means ‘ Hello , welcome ’ in Irish Gaelic .
Having a class introduction that I take ownership of , and pride in , has resulted in me very rarely forgetting to include it at the start of my classes , even if a class has got off to a rocky start . It allows me to breathe , collect my thoughts and press ‘ reset ’ on the class . It also provides a unique selling point when I interview for a new facility and the values are discussed – which is a win-win for everybody .
Mel Morony Mel is a group fitness instructor based in Eastern Melbourne . She is passionate about raising standards in the area of group fitness , for both participants and instructors .
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