By Josselyn Levinson-Dustin
Cueing is an art for sure. Picking just the right combination of words at the perfect time to give our clients that amazing lightbulb moment is our job and our joy. As teachers, our task is to convey all the brilliant knowledge we have in a way our clients will understand and embody. How we convey that knowledge can have huge implications for not only how well our clients move in their sessions or classes, but also for how well we as teachers retain clients and keep our businesses healthy. Cueing can be an invitation for curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, a relationship builder, a tool to facilitate trust, a client retention tool, and even a tool to help your Pilates business thrive.
Cueing as a business tool?
Yup. Let’s dive in!
When I think about successful cueing I think less about a memorized script and more about language that creates a sense of inquisitiveness. I often use questions when I cue so it’s less of a command such as, “Pull your ribs down” and more investigative like “How would it feel to draw your ribs down?”
Why do I do this?
When cues are framed as questions we invite our clients to be active participants in their own experience and present in their process of learning about themselves. We are asking them to pay attention. We are asking them to make the best choices for them. We show we are interested in their personal progress and journey. They start to move for them and not for validation from the teacher.
So why would this help with client retention and even business building?
Because autonomy and empowerment are powerful tools.
Teaching clients how to listen and learn from themselves may seem completely counterintuitive when it comes to making sure clients come back again and again. We think, “But wait. I, as the teacher, have to tell them exactly what to do so they will rely on me. That’s what keeps them coming back.”
While we want to assure our clients that we are indeed the expert, the deeper idea is to cultivate their internal motivation so they are hungry for more knowledge, rather than create a dependency that will drain us as teachers and ultimately lead to clients losing interest in their practice. The beauty of this idea of cueing with questions is that it turns our sessions into a continuous conversation over time where the goals change, the embodiment deepens, and more questions arise from there.
Sounds a bit more interesting then, “I nailed bridging. Guess I’m done.” right?!?!
So, let’s look at some examples to use in sessions and classes:
- Ab curls: “How would it feel to drop your ribs as you curl off the Mat? Can you curl higher then? Does the sensation change?”
- Bridging: “How would it feel to push your feet into the floor as you lift your hips up? Can you curl your tailbone to the sky? What shape do you sense you are making?”
- Side leg lifts: “Can you reach your leg longer before lifting it up? How much? Can you keep your pelvis as still as possible?”
What I also love about this way of cueing is it gives us powerful information about what our clients need in terms of modifications, programming, and goal setting. Maybe the client can’t curl that tailbone so we then know we need to work on spine mobility or maybe their neck is problematic doing ab work so we can program progressions to build strength. When we can build better programs for our clients based on the information they tell us answering our cueing questions, we can give them a better experience which leads to better client retention.
As we know client retention is all about relationship building. When we engage in a conversion by cueing through questions those relationships are actively built from the first inhale of a session to the last exhale.
About the Author
Josselyn Levinson-Dustin is the owner of Root & Limb Pilates in Berkeley, CA. Drawing on her background in dance, the Alexander Technique, and in-depth anatomy study she helps her clients not only learn the Pilates method but how to move their best for their unique lives. When she is not teaching Pilates she can be found creating and filming workouts for her online digital studio, paddle boarding, and exploring the beautiful Bay Area with her young son and husband.
Follow Josselyn on Instagram @rootandlimbpilates