When it comes to the strength and conditioning world, I am still a baby in this career field. Not only that but also this career field itself is still in its infancy stages with less than 40 years of development. To put that into perspective, the field of science has been maturing drastically for well over 2000 years, with new discoveries still being made.
There are not many regulating bodies in our industry, so good and solid information has the potential to be hard to come by. Finding knowledgeable groups of people and mentors still has not fully caught on for this industry, and the trainers and coaches that are “self taught” can reap the benefits of this downfall.
RECENT: Activate and Contract Lower Abdominals for a Healthy Pelvis Position
Continuing education is a form of progressing coaching knowledge in our current industry, and seminars have gotten popular. There are so many seminar categories and topics that seminars can be beneficial to the public. Knowing what area you can contribute to is something that you will have to determine prior to taking on this endeavor. For my wife Julia and me, strength for the general population is the area that we felt we could help and influence the most. Julia and I have both been reared under elitefts and stand by the pillar “live learn and pass on,” which we strive to do with our gifts as coaches. This space will predominantly be occupied by general-population individuals who are interested in strength training and strength sport athletes. The following is a list of helpful points that has aided us in several successful seminars.
1. It’s Not About You
Seminars are not meant to get your name out there. They are a way to bring the gifts that you possess in your career field to other people who are interested in them and to explain these gifts to them in such a way that they can comprehend the gifts and apply them to their needs. To aid us in our coaching prior to kicking off our seminars, we send out a survey to people who have signed up for the seminars, asking them what they would like to get out of the presentations because they already know the general topics.
2. Having a Team
This team needs to understand your drive and your overall goal for hosting the seminars. This team will be made up of people who have strengths that you don’t necessarily possess. My wife and I have built a network of individuals over the past several years who have allowed us to work with Barrett Snyder, a past elitefts intern who takes care of our scheduling and communication for hosting gyms. He is a good communicator and does well with getting into contact with people and pursuing leads for people interested in the space that Julia and I work to serve. Without his knowledge of our industry, writing experience, and ability to communicate with individuals on a regular basis, we would not be having the success we currently have.
3. Clear Plan
With the help of number two, this can be a very easy step to accomplish. It involves figuring out the minute things, like having a white board to illustrate something for visual learners, all the way down to the amount of time you are wanting to spend on movements, breaks for lunch, and bathroom breaks. Julia and I are both coaches. We are there to teach movement, so knowing how long we will present each lift is necessary and will need to be adjusted based on how much need the clients have when we break into our smaller groups for hands-on coaching.
4. Quality Over Quantity
Just because you have a seminar doesn’t mean that it is beneficial to sell as many spots as possible. This will lead to logistic difficulties when coaching, timing, and creating space in facilities. Because we want everyone to get as much one-on-one coaching with us as possible, limiting the number of available spots is necessary to give detailed attention to individuals who need help in certain areas more than others do. Be personable with attendees, and don’t give them as short of an explanation as possible. You are in the position of a teacher, and if the attendee does not understand what you are teaching, that is your fault, not theirs.
5. Gratitude
Even though this is listed as number five, this is one of the biggest variables for me. Julia and I are beyond grateful for anyone who wants to listen to what we have to say concerning strength and conditioning. Not only are we grateful for the attendees but also we are very grateful for the individuals willing to host us. Because of this, Julia and I were highly motivated to give a gift to our hosts. And because we both represent Elitefts, we think it is appropriate to provide gift cards to all the education and equipment this company shares.
These are a few of the ways our seminars have been successful. We have three more scheduled for 2020 and will learn more from each one of them on how to better serve the general population interested in strength. I am beyond blessed to be a co-presenter alongside my wife, who has been in the field 2x longer than I have been. Cheers to making people Strong(er) and Strong(her) in 2020!
1 Comment