Tips for Being an Engaging Teacher

As a professional martial artist, I have asked myself more than once, ''What is my goal for the members of my dojo?'' As the years have passed, my answer to myself has changed with my maturity and perspective. Currently my goal as a martial arts teacher is to do the most good for the most people who walk through my dojo's doors.

While that may sound vague, I like it because it allows me to have a defined purpose but also be flexible with each individual member of my dojo. We all have strengths and weaknesses and as someone who is in the role of Sensei, I try to address those individual needs rather than set a specific blanket goal for the entire student body. That way, even if a student quits after months or a year of martial arts training, which I hope no one ever does, I feel like they have gained something of benefit from the time they spent in my dojo.

Here are some tips I wrote down many years ago in some instructor training programs I took. To be clear they are not my ideas but I have added my own notes and opinions and I am sure they can be found in many forms in various resources. That being said, these can be very useful reminders of how to engage and keep any conversation rooted in compassion and caring interest.

1) TALK SLOWLY. Typically, good speakers don't rush into a conversation. They take their time to reflect upon what is said and when they do talk, what they say is well thought out. Be centered and collected. Pausing and patience are some of the hardest skills to learn. If you are deliberate in your thoughts and speech, your words will be more impactful to your listeners.

2) Hold Eye Contact. Most people hold eye contact for more than half of a conversation, intermittently glancing away, then returning. Force yourself to hold it longer, even when you're not saying anything. This is effective because as a teacher, you must be in command of the class, and be the leader. To be an effective leader you must make contact and hold the attention of your class!

3) Notice the Details. Individuals with strong teaching skills notice the small details the average person misses. A skillful and engaging teacher will bring those details into the conversation. Watch for tone and body language. Your students deserve this extra effort on your part.

4) Give Unique Compliments. Charismatic teachers are able to really pay attention to people, beyond the facade, and pay unique compliments. As a teacher, trust and confidence are key to building a rapport with your students. If you want to be successful, you need to cultivate unique relationships and rapport with all your students. Do not be a robot!

5) Express Emotion. It is rare to meet someone comfortable enough to speak about their emotions. Keep in mind that it is at the emotional level that people connect the best. To me this simply means care! Employ the Three G's - Be Gentle, Genuine and Generous with everyone you come into contact with. Again, don't fall into the Robot Sensei trap! Let your true nature show, because most people can spot a fake!

6) Offer Interesting Insights. Good teachers can frequently tell you things you didn't know and identify what their students are interested in the most. This is all about reaching people. Peak their interest and you have their attention, channel their attention into effort, and challenge their effort to produce ever improving results!

7) Use the Best Words. As a teacher your ability to speak smoothly has a lot to do with choosing the right words. Constantly develop your vocabulary. Ambiguity invites interpretation, and that is not always a good thing! As a teacher you should be engaging and stimulate your students. All the better if you inspire some student to polish his or her own speech simply because you polished yours! 

I hope you can find some utility in these tips - There are many successful dojo in the world, whichever unit of measuring success you choose. Student body size, competition success, number of franchises, number of black belts, revenue, etc. While the factors contributing to their successes maybe vary greatly from one to another, I would feel comfortable guaranteeing that they all have engaging teachers at their helms!

Kanpai!

John Gaddis, Sensei

Gaddis Brothers' Classical Martial Arts