SIP 086: Training Summer Swim Lesson Managers

What are the essential skills you should be teaching your lesson managers?

You can find information at https://www.swimminglessonsideas.com/resources/

Under the Level Description guides. They details the specific needs of each "level" and what to look out for including guidance for lesson managers. 

Criteria for an effective swim lesson manager: 

- Understanding of level structure, essential skills, and how to teach them.

○ How do you hold a child for supported front and back glides

§ Why is this so important?

§ Need to enforce and teach others how to do it.

○ Be outgoing and not afraid to give feedback. 

§ Through training

§ Can still be an introvert and anxious. Must overcome through mentorship and direction

○ Familiar with your program's nuances. 

- Confident enough in own ability to communicate your programs specifics and procedures to parents. 

- Mature enough to make safe and rational decisions in a changing environment. 

Ways you can train your lesson managers. 

Teaching Swimming Online Course and Wordbook. https://www.swimminglessonsideas.com/courses/teaching-swimming/

Prove mastery. 

Information dump and gathering. 

Review the Discussion questions with an Aquatic Professional.  (found in the print version and PDF).

Have a management training where the aquatic professional directs lesson managers in how to be a leader amongst their peers.

- How to run an effective meeting.

○ Have one main speaker. 

○ Avoid the "chime in." 

○ Be clear with your objective. Stick to the task at hand without tangents. Teens are adults when it comes to learning. 

○ Engage as many people at the same time as possible.

§ Small groups with repetitive training exercises. 

§ Delegate leadership to trusted staff with specific tasks

□ Be clear in instruction, and be clear with expected feedback and expected actions. 

® "run these scenarios, make sure everyone gets a turn, and ensure that everyone gets a chance to participate and get feedback. Focus specifically on this [one thing].

- How to give effective feedback to your instructors

○ Should you intervene in a lesson?

○ Followup before and after the swim lesson

○ Give training materials. 

- How to organize swim classes

○ What criteria do you use to group like-level swimmers?

○ Consider location

○ Program specific routines

- How to communicate with parents.

○ Lean on your expertise 

○ Remind manager that they are experts in this field and parents are not. They paid to send their kids to swim lessons. 

○ Talk to parents frequently. Meet them. Introduce self, and follow up during the lesson.

○ Give updates on what their specific swimmer is doing. Avoid generalities. 

Mentor your managers. Guide and groom them. 

Check in on them and make sure that they understand you're there to support them and get them to improve. You're both on a team, you're not there to punish them when they fail; which they will. 

How do you make sure they're doing a good job?