BEYOND
THE POOL:
OFFERING A
TAKE-HOME MESSAGE
By weaving a take-home message into your
instructing, you can empower participants to
take control of their own workouts, as well as
other areas of their lives.
WORDS: CLAIRE SAWATZKY
ver felt like you were getting
nowhere on pool deck? Burnt out
from working so hard just to get a
participant to push themselves? Frustrated at
putting so much effort into a class but feeling
like you weren’t helping them beyond the pool?
I have. In fact, three years ago I nearly
gave up teaching. My numbers were great, I
loved class planning and I was teaching fun,
effective classes. So what was the problem?
I felt like an entertainer, like I wasn’t making
a real difference. I wanted to connect with
my participants in a way that would inspire
them beyond the pool; in a way that would
empower them to go home and enrich their
own health and wellness. But I couldn’t work
out what the magic element to do this was.
Luckily, I ran away to become a yoga
instructor, and learnt new ways to connect
with people so that they truly hear our words
of inspiration, go home and think more about
them, and bring them to fruition in their lives.
Aqua instructors are at the very frontline
of fitness, with huge capacity to make a
difference in a lot of lives. We don’t always
need new moves, new music or fancy
E
52 | NETWORK WINTER 2016
costumes – we can use some simple tools to
get people to connect with themselves.
These are the techniques that I use in my
classes now that I’m back teaching group
exercise, empowering my participants to live
their best lives.
Take-home message
Planning a take-home message for class
is a beautiful way to connect a little deeper
with your participants. It is useful to draw on
something you have a direct experience of,
or are working with in your life, so that you
can talk about a take-home message in an
authentic and meaningful way.
A take-home message can be something
as simple as ‘fun’ – choosing to look for the
enjoyment in life – something more goalbased, such as being accountable for our
own choices, or something more mindsetbased, like treating ourselves with love and
kindness.
When choosing a take-home message,
check that you are providing a solution,
something positive for them to go home with
rather than dwelling on problems or barriers.
The 30-second article
• A take-home message can be a great
way to connect a little deeper with
your participants
• Themes can include honouring your
body; commitment; freedom; giving
100 per cent; community; friendship;
and making good choices
• Reframing inspirational cues as
questions can redirect participants’
mental approach, getting them to
take control of their own workout and
approach to life beyond the pool
• Weave the take-home message into
the class slowly, and adapt the
phrases and manner in which you
deliver it in response to the people in
front of you
• If a take-home message isn’t working
in a particular class, be prepared to
drop it and use it another time.