People everywhere, including yoga students, hate change. Ever notice how many students come into class and have “their spot”. And this is an environment where we constantly talk about being “comfortable with ambiguity” and embracing the moment.
This is important to realize because change is truly a way of life—even in your yoga studio. A successful owner realizes this and works to minimize the effects “change” has on her students.
How? By Communicating Changes effectively.
Think about the detour sign in this photo. It’s a simple enough concept—post a bright orange metal sign that prevents drivers from veering into construction of a half completed bridge. Because of the sign they are able to navigate around the potential obstacle instead of having their car careen off the edge and drop to an unpleasant fiery ending.
What is effective communication? At its essence it means giving the right message at the right time. Sometimes it involves sharing the reason behind a decision. For instance, it’s a good idea to mention when a teacher leaves or stops teaching. It doesn’t have to be the goodbye that never ends—a simple, “We wish Jewel the best,” will do in many cases. To not say anything about a teacher’s sudden absence looks like they disappeared in the middle of the night when a black van drove up and took your teacher away. Hardly the image you want to portray. People will notice this. After all, a yoga studio is a community and people notice when part of their community is suddenly missing.
What kinds of things need to be communicated?
Here’s a guide to get you thinking about the kinds of things you want to make sure are known.
New teacher arrival. What a great time to introduce your newest team member to the community. Recently I was in a studio that actually had 5 or 6 small posters made up introducing their new teacher and posted all around the studio. What an impact these had on both the teacher and students.
Current teacher departure. While we discussed this earlier, the importance of talking about your teachers is critical. The “teacher” page of your website is usually in the top 3 pages most visited. Students want to know about your teachers.
Yoga Workshops and Yoga Teacher Training. Believe it or not, it is quite common for yoga studio owners to spend a lot of time and effort developing a workshop, special class or even a teacher training and then not tell anyone about it. (Maybe it’s not so unbelievable as owners often forget to tell their communities their new yoga studio is open.)
Schedule Changes. Mind Body Online software is amazing for several reasons, but one of the most important is it gives you the opportunity to keep your schedule updated in real time. Students often schedule their day, including when they will take class, by looking at who is teaching. They tend to get, shall we say “miffed” when they arrive and someone else is there instead.
New Classes. It takes some time for a new class to grow, but you can give it a head start by letting everyone know that it’s going to be coming soon.
Maintenance/Construction. If your bathroom is being renovated or repaired, put up a sign thanking students for their patience and explaining when the work is expected to be completed. Airports and malls are great at this kind of sign. Albuquerque’s Airport actually invented 2 cartoon characters to guide travelers through the construction process as it was being expanded several years ago.
New Student Information. This is the list of questions your front desk person (often yourself) answers many times a day. It includes:
- What to bring to yoga class
- Where to park
- Where the bathroom is
- When to arrive
- Where to put your mat
- Where to put your personal belongings
- Is there a shower
If you get the same questions over and over, why not post the answers on your website and create a “quick reference guide” for your front desk.
When and how to communicate something deserves consideration too. Do you send an e-mail blast, create a flyer, send it out in your yoga studio newsletter or put it up on the studio bulletin/community/message board. Maybe all.
And when do you do this. The rule of thumb is when events require larger investments then they require a longer lead-time. (Think several months for a teacher training costing $2500+.) However, even when you are hosting a free event, you should spend at least a couple of weeks sharing it otherwise it is likely no one will show up. (It’s only free monetarily—it still requires an investment of time.)
This basic list will get you started thinking about what, how and when to communicate changes at your yoga studio. The most important thing to remember is to make your students comfortable. Giving them relevant information empowers them and gives them that sense of comfort.
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