by Coach Chris
Quality is vitally important at Ripple Effect. Quality movement, quality relationships, quality space & equipment — and quality coaches! Not just in technical acumen and knowledge, we also want the best humans we can find. Not to brag, but…we have some of the best humans around on our coaching staff right now!
Even the best coaches can improve their coaching & relationship building skills. At Ripple Effect our coaching staff development is on a quarterly cycle. Here’s what a normal quarter looks like!
Month 1: All-staff meeting. We meet up with all the coaches for a seminar-style development day once per quarter. The topics range from technical coaching skills like seeing movement faults, to interpersonal skills like how to connect with new members. It’s a time where we share ideas, practice our skills in a controlled environment, and turn all of our attention to making ourselves better coaches.
Month 2: Coaching Evaluations. As the owner, mentoring and supporting my staff is one of my most important jobs. During this part of our quarterly cycle, I attend at least one class or 1 on 1 session with each coach, as an observer. I take notes on everything: movement faults they’re noticing (or not), the cues they use to help folks improve their movement, how they have the room set up, how well they succinctly describe the workout of the day and the goals for the workout, how funny their jokes are, their dance moves, etc. Afterwards we meet to discuss their performance. What did they do well? What could they improve on? What are goals we can have for the next review?
Month 3: 1 on 1 Meetings. I meet with each coach to talk about their career goals, and see what kind of support they need to get there. We also talk through their strengths and weaknesses as a coach, on the technical and interpersonal side, and make plans to work on developing both. It’s also a valuable time to check in human to human, to see how life is going.
Why is this stuff important?
To be on staff at Ripple Effect, you have to want to be a better coach. Coaches here have to be OK receiving and acting on feedback. Our coaches are amazing at this, because we do it all the time. It’s a skill, just like anything else! Sadly, many gyms (if not most gyms) don’t do any formal coaching evaluations (or even coaching development in general). We believe this process is a vital part of being the best we can be for our members. Our members are amazing and they deserve the best! The better we get at coaching and connecting, the better we can help our members. Helping our members improve their lives is what we’re here for.
We’re always looking for great coaches to join our team — especially if you’re looking to make a career as a fitness coach. Email [email protected] to learn more about our current coaching opportunities at RECF.
