What kind of motivator are you?
I was walking our little Jack Russell last week in the park and experienced something which inspired me to write this blog. My intention is not to pigeon-hole people into categories as motivators but simply to encourage you to deliberately decide what type of motivational message you're looking to give to your clients.
Whilst walking Jaycee (our little dog) I walked past a popular military bootcamp that has absolutely stormed in the UK over the last few years. The group of about 25-30 people were individually being invited to race the instructor up a steep set ot steps and back down again. A small number were accepting the invite only to predictably be beaten by this interesting approach to motivation. Those that didn't attempt this very worth while event had the pleasure of standing, watching and probably getting rather cold in the process, in addition to paying for the privilege through their membership.
Having personal experience of delivering outdoor group fitness sessions with our outfit model, I was both astonished and appalled by this egotistical and selfish display by the instructor. Maybe some of the group enjoyed this and found his display inspiring but I would speculate that for many, his episode was demotivating and another display that creates distance between the instructor and the consumer in an industry that many are trying to make as accessible and achievable as possible.
Whilst health, lifestyle and fitness services / products maybe sometimes seen as aspirational, I don't understand how a voyeuristic approach delivers this in a healthy fashion.
So, what type of motivator are you?
Do you lead from the front?..offer encouragement?..encourage a balanced approach?..empathise?...inspire?
or do you...
Breakdown barriers?..make the unachievable achievable?..educate? enthuse?
Many of the key lessons I've learnt have been through making the mistakes. For me this has always been the clearest way (although not always the quickest) to understand the value of and appreciate best practise. Sometimes, when a lesson is given to us, we fail to value the importance of it. That said, when it comes to peoples lives and making key decisions, providing the most effective guidance is crucial.
When it comes to motivation, using your strengths is key to performing to your best but really understanding how your clients are motivated will be much more valuable to you, after all, it's them that you're trying to motivate. In Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) terms, we have profiles for many traits of our personalities referred to as meta-profiles. For motivation, the following examples are typical:
Understanding this will not only help you motivate your client better but really understand them and what makes them tick.
It is worth mentioning that 'away from' motivation can be less powerful as a force for positive intent as it generally includes the one thing that the client doesn't want. The problem here is that the mind is a powerful tool and whenever you put particular focus into something, irrespective of it being in the positive or negative, you increase the likelihood of it becoming a reality. Therefore, it stands to reason to direct the radar at things that you actually want as opposed to things that you don't want.
If you'd like more information on NLP, motivational techniques or persuasive strategies then why not look at our NLP for Fitness Professionals course.
Whilst walking Jaycee (our little dog) I walked past a popular military bootcamp that has absolutely stormed in the UK over the last few years. The group of about 25-30 people were individually being invited to race the instructor up a steep set ot steps and back down again. A small number were accepting the invite only to predictably be beaten by this interesting approach to motivation. Those that didn't attempt this very worth while event had the pleasure of standing, watching and probably getting rather cold in the process, in addition to paying for the privilege through their membership.
Having personal experience of delivering outdoor group fitness sessions with our outfit model, I was both astonished and appalled by this egotistical and selfish display by the instructor. Maybe some of the group enjoyed this and found his display inspiring but I would speculate that for many, his episode was demotivating and another display that creates distance between the instructor and the consumer in an industry that many are trying to make as accessible and achievable as possible.
Whilst health, lifestyle and fitness services / products maybe sometimes seen as aspirational, I don't understand how a voyeuristic approach delivers this in a healthy fashion.
So, what type of motivator are you?
Do you lead from the front?..offer encouragement?..encourage a balanced approach?..empathise?...inspire?
or do you...
Breakdown barriers?..make the unachievable achievable?..educate? enthuse?
Many of the key lessons I've learnt have been through making the mistakes. For me this has always been the clearest way (although not always the quickest) to understand the value of and appreciate best practise. Sometimes, when a lesson is given to us, we fail to value the importance of it. That said, when it comes to peoples lives and making key decisions, providing the most effective guidance is crucial.
When it comes to motivation, using your strengths is key to performing to your best but really understanding how your clients are motivated will be much more valuable to you, after all, it's them that you're trying to motivate. In Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) terms, we have profiles for many traits of our personalities referred to as meta-profiles. For motivation, the following examples are typical:
- 'Away from' motivation - "I don't want to get fat"
- 'Towards' motivation - "I'm going to run the London marathon"
Understanding this will not only help you motivate your client better but really understand them and what makes them tick.
It is worth mentioning that 'away from' motivation can be less powerful as a force for positive intent as it generally includes the one thing that the client doesn't want. The problem here is that the mind is a powerful tool and whenever you put particular focus into something, irrespective of it being in the positive or negative, you increase the likelihood of it becoming a reality. Therefore, it stands to reason to direct the radar at things that you actually want as opposed to things that you don't want.
If you'd like more information on NLP, motivational techniques or persuasive strategies then why not look at our NLP for Fitness Professionals course.
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