Season 6, Episode 4: How do I teach the client who learns differently from me?

Tania Huddart: Most of us teach the way we learn. If you learn by watching, you'll demonstrate everything. If you learn by doing, you'll say, "Just have a go." And that's lovely for the people who learn like you. But the person on the next mat might need something else altogether. And they're often too polite to say so.

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 episode was about what keeps clients coming back, and what keeps them away. Today we finish Part 1 of the course. How do I teach the client who learns differently from me?

Tania Huddart: You start by knowing how you learn. Because that's the way you'll teach, unless you notice it.

Host: Before we go on. Learning styles get a hard time these days. Is this still worth talking about?

Tania Huddart: Researchers argue about learning styles, and that's fine. What I can tell you is what I see in the studio. People take things in differently. So if you only teach one way, you lose some of the room.

Host: So how many ways are we talking about?

Tania Huddart: In the course, I talk about four. We all use all of them. But most of us lean on one more than the others.

Think about listening to a piece of music. That's mostly about hearing. But some people will see pictures as they listen. Some will feel the mood of it in their body. And some will be running a little commentary in their head about it. Same music. Four different experiences.

The first is visual. These people make pictures in their minds. They need to see something before it makes sense. And they can find spoken instructions harder to remember.

The second is auditory. They take things in step by step, a bit like the soundtrack to a film. They're listening to your words, and your tone of voice. And they like to be told how they're doing.

The third is kinaesthetic. That's a long word for people who learn by doing. They feel their way into a movement. It has to feel right before they're interested.

And the fourth is the one people haven't usually heard of. It's called auditory-digital. It's about self-talk. The little voice inside your head, running a commentary. These people want things to make sense. They often decide by going through a list of reasons in their head. And they'll use any of the other styles too.

Host: How would I know which one I am?

Tania Huddart: There's a short test in the course. It asks you questions, and you score your answers for each of the four styles. The highest score is your preferred style.

Do it yourself first, before you think about your clients. Because once you know your own, you start to notice it in your teaching. Your style isn't wrong. It's just one of four.

Host: And if I'm visual, and I'm demonstrating everything?

Tania Huddart: Then the people who need to feel it are watching you, and waiting. And the people who need it to make sense are lying there thinking, "But why?"

None of that is anyone's fault. It's just habit. And habits are easy to change once you can see them. You don't have to become a different teacher. You just add a few more ways in.

Host: So in a group class, with all four on the mats, what do I actually do?

Tania Huddart: You give everyone a way in. Use a variety of cues all through the class.

For the people who need to see it, show it. On your own body, or on someone else's. Or paint a picture with an image. For the people who listen, choose your words with care, and use your voice. A slow, calm voice for a slow movement. Your tone tells them as much as your words. For the people who need to feel it, let them do it, and help them notice what they feel. And for the people who need it to make sense, give them the reason.

Host: That sounds like four times as much talking.

Tania Huddart: It isn't, because you put them together. A picture with a touch. A sound with a picture. One cue can carry two ways in.

You might say, "Watch my spine first." Then, "Now you try it. Notice where the mat presses into your back." Then, "We're doing this so your back can bend a little more easily when you reach for something." That's three ways in, in three short sentences.

Host: Tell me more about the auditory-digital client. I think I've met them, but I didn't know what to call them.

Tania Huddart: Most of us have. They're the ones who ask "why?" Not to be difficult. They need it to make sense. If it doesn't make sense, they won't do it, however good it feels.

So give them the reason. Give them a short list, too. "Three things to notice. Your breath, your shoulders, your feet." They like a list. And check in. "Does that make sense?" For them, that question matters.

Host: And the kinaesthetic client? The one who can't follow a word you say until they've tried it?

Tania Huddart: Stop talking, and let them move. They learn by doing. Give them a few tries before you add anything. Then ask what they felt. Their body is telling them a lot, if you give it time.

And that's the thing to hold on to. You're not teaching a learning style. You're teaching a person. The style just gives you a few more doors to try.

Host: The course also talks about feedback. How does that fit in?

Tania Huddart: The main channels of communication in a class are intrinsic and extrinsic feedback. Two big words, so let me explain.

Intrinsic feedback is what the body tells you as you move. It comes from inside, like the sense of where your joints are. And it comes from outside, through what you see and hear. It's always there. It helps your client understand how to do the movement better next time. And it helps them know where they are in space.

Host: And extrinsic?

Tania Huddart: That's you. It's the feedback you give them. And the lovely thing about it is that it can be two-way. You and your client discover together how to do a movement well. You offer something. They try it. They tell you what happened. You offer something else.

So give them options, and wait for them to respond. Ask them a question. Or invite them to try the movement a different way. Think of it as building their independence. Every time they work something out with you, they need you a little less. And that's the point.

Host: Is one better than the other?

Tania Huddart: You need both. But be careful with the second one. If you correct someone every time they move, they start to rely on you. They switch off their own signals and wait for yours. And then the minute they're at home, on their own, they're lost.

The one time you don't wait is for safety. If you see something going wrong that could hurt someone, you say so straight away.

But their own feedback has a gap, too. It tells them something felt different. It doesn't always tell them why, or how to do it better next time. That's where you come in. And when a client feels they're making progress, their motivation goes up. We talked about that last episode.

We talked about the first pancake back in Season 2. Watch the first couple of tries before you say anything. Let their own feedback have a turn.

Host: Does learning style change how I give feedback?

Tania Huddart: It can. Your kinaesthetic clients will lean on their own feel, so ask them what they noticed. Your auditory clients want to hear how they're doing, so tell them, kindly and clearly. Your visual clients might need to see it again. And your auditory-digital clients want to know why it worked.

A good class has a way in for everyone. And a way back out to their own body, too.

Host: So what could a teacher try in their next class?

Tania Huddart: Two things. Choose one exercise, and teach it four ways. Show it. Say it with care. Let them feel it. And give the reason.

Then, once in the class, ask before you tell. After an exercise, ask, "What did you notice?" And wait. Ask first. Then tell. You'll learn a lot about who's in the room.

Host: So, three things to take away?

Tania Huddart: One. Know your own learning style. You'll teach that way, unless you notice it.

Two. Give everyone a way in. Show it, say it, let them feel it, and give the reason.

Three. Use both kinds of feedback. Let their body speak first, and then add yours.

Host: And the question to sit with?

Tania Huddart: Think of the client you find hardest to reach. Not the hardest client. The hardest to reach. What if they simply learn differently from you? What would you try next time?

Host: Everything we talked about today is in Part 1 of Tania's online course, Teach Pilates with Confidence: Understanding your clients. It's open now. You'll find it at taniahuddart.com/academy.

Next episode, we start Part 2, your teaching toolkit. Should I show it or say it?

Tania, last word?

Tania Huddart: Every person on the mat sees, hears and feels the world in their own way. That's not a problem to solve. It's what makes teaching interesting. Be curious about how they learn, and you'll keep finding new ways to teach.