Season 3, Episode 3: Why does one cue land and another one doesn’t?

Tania Huddart: A good cue is both an art and a science. It takes practice, and a lot of tweaking, until you find what works for you. No two people teach the same way. So don't try to sound like anyone else. Be yourself when you teach. That's when your cues start to land.

Host: Welcome to Build Confidence and Purpose with Pilates. I'm here with Tania Huddart: Pilates teacher, teacher trainer and author of Teach Pilates with Confidence and Pilates & Purpose. Both voices you'll hear are made with AI. Every word Tania says is her own, and she's approved each one.

Last time, we talked about the people you serve. Today, the words you give them. Why does one cue land and another one doesn't?

Tania Huddart: Usually, it's not the words. It's what happened before them, or what happened after.

Host: Let's start with what "land" even means. How do you know a cue has worked?

Tania Huddart: You watch. That's the whole test. A cue has landed when the movement changes. Not when the client nods. Not when they say, "Oh yes, I get it." When their body does something different.

So you say something, and then you look. Did the words help them move better? If they did, lovely. Keep that one. If the movement stays the same, the cue didn't land. And that's not a disaster. It's information. Try saying the same thing a different way.

Host: That takes some pressure off. It's not about finding the perfect words.

Tania Huddart: There are no perfect words. There are words that work for this person, today. The same cue can be wonderful for one client and mean nothing to the next. That's why it's an art and a science. The science is knowing what the body needs to do. The art is finding a way to say it that this body understands.

Host: In a group, though, you can't watch everyone at once.

Tania Huddart: No. And that's one of the hardest parts of teaching a group. You're helping one person and keeping everyone else going at the same time. It takes time and experience to get good at it. But it starts with the first step.

Here's a way in. Give the cue to the whole room. Then look for the one thing you asked for. Not everything. Just that. Who's got it? Who hasn't? Then go back to the ones who haven't, with a different version.

Host: You said, "be yourself". Why does that matter for a cue?

Tania Huddart: Because people can hear when you're borrowing. You read a lovely cue in a book, or hear it in someone else's class. Then you say it in yours, and it falls flat. It might be a good cue. It just isn't yours yet.

No two people teach the same way. Only you can teach the way you do. So play with other people's ideas, by all means. But keep tweaking until the words sound like you. Every teacher has stood there with a cue that went nowhere. I have. Usually it's because I was trying to sound like someone else.

Host: You said it's often what happens before the words. What do you mean?

Tania Huddart: The first thing is knowing the exercise yourself. In your own body. It's very hard to be clear and creative about something you can't do. If you're unsure, the client hears it. Your words get vague, because the picture in your head is vague.

So practise the exercises. Know how they feel from the inside. Before you teach something new, do it yourself a few times. Notice where you feel it. Notice what you had to think about to get it right. Those are your cues. And teach what you love first. When you love an exercise, you know it well, and your cues come out clearer. It builds your confidence, too.

Host: And then?

Tania Huddart: Then you cue the position. Before any movement. Get them into the shape you want them to start from. "Lie on your back. Knees bent. Heels in line with your sitting bones." Or, "Lie on your side, facing the windows. Stack your hips over each other."

A lot of cues fail here, and the teacher never knows. They give a beautiful cue for the movement. But the client started in the wrong place. So no cue for the movement could fix it. Set the starting position first, so the movement has somewhere good to begin. It's like laying the table before a meal. Nobody notices when it's done well. Everyone notices when it isn't.

Host: And the breathing? New clients often seem to tie themselves in knots with the breath.

Tania Huddart: They do. So you choose. Do you start with the breath, or with the movement? If the movement's a bit complicated, I tend to teach the movement first and add the breath afterwards. But it depends on you, and on your client. Play with it.

And watch for the client who gets stuck on the breath. You can see it. They're so busy trying to breathe in the right place that the movement falls apart. When that happens, switch the order. Let them move first. Tell them it's fine. Add the breath once they're comfortable. Worrying about getting it right only makes the movement harder.

Host: Let's say you've done all that, and the cue still doesn't land. What next?

Tania Huddart: First, check you haven't given them too much. Once they understand the movement and the breath, you can add other kinds of cue. A picture. A bit of anatomy. A sound. But one at a time. Give one cue, and let them try it once or twice before you add the next. That one took me years to learn. The silence while they try it is part of the teaching.

Host: And if it still isn't working?

Tania Huddart: Stay calm. That's the big one. Your client is very unlikely to know that what you were trying didn't work. They don't know what was in your head. Only you do. So you can quietly change course. If you look flustered, they'll feel it. If you stay calm, the room stays calm. Stop. Think. Breathe. And try another way.

Host: What does "another way" sound like?

Tania Huddart: It's the same idea, said differently. Say you've cued, "Breathe out as you roll down." And they're rushing it, all in one lump. You might try, "Let the breath go, and let your spine follow it down, one bone at a time." Same instruction. A different door into it.

Or, "Keep your shoulders down." That one often makes people push their shoulders down hard. So you try, "Let your shoulder blades slide into your back pockets." Then you watch again. Did the shoulders change? That's your answer.

Host: Is it always the cue, though? Sometimes the body just isn't ready.

Tania Huddart: Sometimes, yes. It takes time for a body to learn new ways to move. A client can understand you perfectly and still not be able to do it yet. That's not your cue failing. That's learning.

And keep your language simple. Medical-sounding words confuse people. They spend the whole movement wondering what you meant. Clients can learn new ideas over time, but give them time to take each one in. Don't expect them to remember everything in one class. Say it again next week, and the week after. Repetition isn't boring for a body that's learning.

Host: And when you've tried three ways and nothing's working?

Tania Huddart: Then let it go for today. It will be better next time. And ask for help. Ask a more experienced teacher. Describe the client, and the cue, and what happened. Or ask them to watch you teach. I still ask. Another pair of eyes sees things you can't.

Improving the way you cue takes time and attention. Nobody gets it in a week. You collect cues over years, and you keep the ones that work for the bodies in front of you.

Host: So, three things to take away?

Tania Huddart: One. A cue has landed when the movement changes. So say it, then watch. If nothing changes, say it a different way.

Two. Do the work before the words. Know the exercise in your own body, and cue the starting position before the movement.

Three. One cue at a time, and stay calm when one misses. Your client doesn't know. Try again, and ask for help when you need it.

Host: And a question to sit with?

Tania Huddart: Think of a cue you use every week. When you say it, what actually changes in your clients' bodies? Watch for it next time. If nothing changes, find a new way to say it.

Host: You'll find Tania's article, How to cue movement exercises successfully, in the Journal at taniahuddart.com. And the anatomy of a cue is laid out in full in Teach Pilates with Confidence.

Next episode, we zoom out from the single cue to the whole hour. How do I make a class flow?

Tania, last word?

Tania Huddart: Be yourself when you teach. Watch the body in front of you, and let it tell you what to say next. It will be better next time. It always is.