discomfort. Imagine that the pre-class time is a party and that you
are the host.
After the class, go back to the party. Have some ‘play out music’
for after the cool down. In classes where I don’t have a quick
changeover with another instructor, I will stand by the door and bid
‘goodbye’ to people as they leave. This also gives me the perfect
opportunity to check in with any newcomers and suss out how they
found the class.
2
Use participants’ names
Using your customer’s (or in our case participant’s) name is usually
the ‘go to’ with rapport building training. There’s a reason for that – it
works. In today’s world we have so many impersonal interactions
and communications on a daily basis, that when someone in a
professional capacity uses our name spontaneously, it catches us
by surprise.
So, how can we learn names? Firstly, we need to give in order to
receive. Personally introduce yourself to the person and then ask for
their name. Learning names is similar to learning and remembering a
language – you have to use that language. It’s the same with names
– you need to use the person’s name in conversation. Aim for three
times within the time that they are in your class that day, the first time
being the next sentence you say to them. If you find that you need to
ask their name again the following week, don’t be embarrassed – they
can see that there is one of you and a whole bunch of participants, so
they will cut you some slack. If you are teaching in a facility that uses
Links, then you will most likely receive a ticket with the person’s name
on it. So, to learn the name each week is easy – cheat! Over time you
will get to know your participants’ names and before long you’ll be
greeting them without needing to check their ticket. It may seem like
a simple gesture, but the look on someone’s face when their name
is used is priceless.
3
Find points of commonality
Another aspect of rapport building worth focusing on is establishing
common ground. This is because ‘people like people like
themselves.’ Is there anything you notice about the person in the
first ten seconds of meeting them? Are they wearing distinctive
clothing or jewellery? Do they speak with an accent? Ask about it.
This is known as a ‘hook’. When they respond, think through any
experience you have that relates to what they are talking about. For
example, if a patron speaks with an accent, for me it’s gold. As well
as meeting people from all over the world in my other job as a tour
guide in Melbourne, I love to travel, plus I’m fascinated by linguistics
and learning languages. So, wherever a participant may say they
60 | NETWORK WINTER 2018
are from, it’s likely that I’ve visited the region
or learned a little about it from someone I’ve
met previously. From there a conversation
will form.
In absence of such an obvious hook,
you can create one simply by asking how
the person’s day has been. Whether they
mention work, family, pets, hobbies,
gardening or cooking, you should be able
to relate to it. Your own experience does not
have to be direct: establishing an indirect
point of commonality can also work well.
For example, if a participant says that they
are a nurse, well, I’ve never been a nurse,
but a few of my friends have, so I can refer
to them and the experiences they have told
me about.
Keeping it professional
Keep in mind that at all times we are in a
professional position. Members are not
our friends. Hence, it is important to be
appropriate about what we disclose. I
have covered classes in which participants
seemed to know every detail of their regular
instructor’s love life, and others in which
the front row’ers appeared to have intricate
knowledge of the working conditions of the
facility. Aside from the fact that the latter
example may be in breach of a centre’s code
of conduct, we must remember that rapport
building needs to be about our members,
not about us. We also need to be mindful
about keeping within our scope of practice.
Hence, if someone discloses something to
us that would require counseling, further
medical attention or even law enforcement
agencies to get involved, it is important that
we refer appropriately.
These three simple but effective
strategies should provide a good starting
point for building rapport with participants.
So, in the words of the Lonely Planet’s
phrase books, next time you have a new
participant, ‘Don’t just stand there, say
something!’
In the second part of this article, we’ll
build on these foundations and explore
further techniques for enhancing rapport
with participants to keep ‘em coming back
to your classes!
Mel Morony 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.