How to find your own inner, authentic teaching voice

Your authentic voice

L

ike most new teachers, I started out attending endless

auditions for a place on cover lists in search of that

elusive permanent teaching slot. New teachers know

the cycle all too well: can’t get in the studios without

experience, can’t get experience without opportunity.

At an audition for a leading gym I was told that I seemed to

undergo a personality change when stepping on the mat. I was

one person when I walked in the room and a different one when

standing in front of it teaching. This was difficult feedback to hear

and it wasn’t something that had been touched on in teaching

training. We had learned the mechanics of teaching, but we hadn’t

necessarily explored a personal teaching style. I realised that

‘my’ teaching was likely to be a close-copy to my (much more

experienced) teacher. I needed to step out of this shadow to find

my own authentic rhythm in order to become the teacher I wanted

to be.

So I started my quest to find my own personal teaching voice.

Here’s some of what I learned on the way:

n Be clear about what you want to share. Particularly as a new

teacher it can be all too easy to bend to the will of your students

and teach what they want rather than what you want. Let go of that

and deliver your teaching from a place of utter authenticity, being

true to yourself.