Photo: StockSnap
Mackenzie Oliver
As a third year student studying Communication and English Literature here at UW, my education has been deeply embedded in the Communications department. I’ve been tutoring at the speech center for over two quarters now, and it’s been an amazing experience to be able to help my fellow students further develop both speechwriting and public speaking skills. However, that experience (until now) has felt very confined in the walls of UW campus –— I study public speaking because it is relevant to my major and something I enjoy, but not something I could imagine myself doing long term or apply to a job in the “real world.”
This summer, I took the initiative to make one of my biggest hobbies a source of income: I went through the month-long accelerated training program to get my yoga sculpt certification, and began teaching as a CorePower instructor in August. Throughout my training, I was confused why some of my fellow trainees were having a harder time projecting their words, or even just brainstorming class themes in a way that translates to speech rather than written word. I soon realized that the concepts came so naturally to me not because I was working any harder than my fellow trainees or the skills were more suited for my interests, but rather because I had experience with the technical aspects of public speaking and had subconsciously applied it to my training process.
Yoga as a pastime or a part-time job doesn’t feel very intellectual from the get-go: how could anything I could be learning in higher education help me shout instructions at people while simultaneously running around a 93 degree studio in a matching workout set? However, my experience in my public speaking classes and teaching others as a speech consultant has helped me not only deepen my understanding of my own yoga practice, but connect more with my regulars and my students on a day-to-day basis.
At the foundational level, it’s clear to see that projection and enunciation are the gateways to successful yoga instruction. Because the studio is hot, loud, and busy, making sure your voice is clear, understandable, and can be heard over the music is a crucial fact to consider when teaching. Keeping instructions concise and straightforward while projecting to your students and maintaining eye contact is something that came naturally to me throughout training, solely because I had practiced it so heavily in public speaking and am constantly drilling the same concept into my speech sessions.
Many of my coworkers and students at CorePower are also involved in the Communication Department at UW, and even directly collaborate with the speech and debate program. One of my fellow instructors and friends, Reese Allen, also spent time as a speech consultant and had a similar experience applying public speaking lessons to her sequencing process.
“I learned to alter my communication techniques and tactics to each individual student that came into the speaking center,” Allen said. “Learning how to alter my communication also helped me as a yoga instructor because my students in class are the same way. There are some students that aren’t okay with physical touch or corrections, so the way I interact with them is much different than students that I interact with often and have a bond with.”
However, another (more surprising) lesson that I learned in my public speaking classes that has helped me immensely with my sequencing process as a yoga teacher is the concept of stylistic devices. Every instructor is different, and we all have different approaches to the way we teach our classes and the way we address our students. I discovered early on that I prefer to be more supportive and motivating rather than challenging and harsh –— it’s just the style that I feel most comfortable teaching in.
When I sit down to set up my class sequences and the themes I present to my classes, I keep in mind the stylistic devices I’ve utilized in my public speaking classes and speech consulting appointments: I like to use repetition, positive reinforcement, and alliteration to appeal to my students and emphasize musicality, consistency, and comfortability. When I step into the studio to practice a new class or technique, I focus on speech style: how can I make my classes unique and genuine to my own spiritual practice? How can I utilize my public speaking skills to grow my class attendance and form bonds with my regulars? In being able to shout out my students individually by name, cue directly to their needs, and provide appropriate modifications and adjustments on the fly, I’m able to personalize my practice and make my class feel more intimate and specialized for attendees.
“One stylistic device I often implement in my classes is imagery,” Allen said. “For example, I may say ‘imagine your head is an anchor, drop your head and neck down towards your mat like a heavy weight.’”
We’ve often spoken in public speaking classes and as consultants about speech topics, and how much easier it is to be compelling as a speaker when you’re passionate about what you’re speaking about. In Intro to Public Speaking (COM 220), we’re encouraged to pick people or social issues that we care deeply about for our commemorative and advocacy speeches. The same goes for yoga instruction: the more passionate you are about the class you are teaching and the intention that you set, the deeper your connection will be with your students.
My manager often drills into us that “you have to make people want to come to your classes”–— the way I do that is by teaching in a way that is true to myself, utilizing my experience as a public speaking student and consultant to speak genuinely, passionately, and encouragingly.
“I think being confident as a practiced public speaker is one of my greatest skills,” Allen said. “No matter what field I go into, I know that I will take [it] with me.”