JANUARY 10 LETTERS
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Do you have a strong opinion or disagree with somebody else’s views on the industry?
If so, we’d love to hear from you – email: healthclub@leisuremedia.com
soft skills can be taught – but are they?
© IST
I read the recent feature on staff
training (HCM Oct 09, p44) with
OCKPHO
interest. While anyone with the
appropriate academic ability and level of T
O
fitness can acquire the knowledge and
.COM/RICH LEGG
practical instructing skills associated
with being a fitness instructor, the soft
skills needed for relationship building,
motivating, gaining trust and influencing
are essential attributes to any successful
fitness instructor.
Fitness instructors need to be able
to empathise with the needs and
desires of their clients by interpreting
and responding to body language in
an appropriate manner. However,
electronic communication – emailing,
texting, online messaging – has diluted All successful fi tness instructors need soft skills for relationship building
the quality of these skills in today’s
workforce and led to a reduced soft skills can be taught: our personal staff must realise the value
confidence in their own ability to training diploma includes training of learning soft skills
communicate face to face. in effective communication, the I was interested to read your article on
Neither do the current standards psychological elements of instructing and whether instructors can be trained in
for fitness qualifications in the UK communicating with adults and so on. soft skills (HCM Oct 09, p44). It seems
effectively assess softer skills: someone However, even if soft skills are not the consensus is that it’s preferable to
could qualify as a fitness instructor with covered in the assessment criteria of a recruit attitude and then train skill.
absolutely no personality whatsoever. qualification, trainers should not be afraid I agree, but I also strongly believe that
The ideal scenario for a health to give honest and constructive feedback soft skills – life skills – can be taught.
and fitness training provider is, of on these areas, as well as support and Most of us learn our communication
course, to find and train academically guidance on how to improve. skills unconsciously through education,
bright people with already excellent debra stuart upbringing, peers and exposure. Most of
communication skills. Nevertheless, ceo, premier training us don’t know how we get the results we
do when we communicate – we just do
it, and enjoy our success.
the letter
Taking early legal advice can often prevent
A programme I developed for a client
a problem becoming a dispute. The team at
of the law
in South Africa addresses this knowledge
Croner Consulting answers readers’ questions
gap, increasing participants’ awareness
of unconscious rapport building and
Q
What offences exist and what penalties can be imposed if we breach the communication skills, then making them
Data Protection Act? ‘learnable’. It’s been very successful
in bridging the socio-cultural divide
A
There are a range of offences under the Act, the principal ones being (1) between staff and members.
where organisations fail to notify the Information Commissioner, (2) obtaining, Typically, only one in five instructors
disclosing or selling personal data without consent, and (3) breaching enforcement has the natural skills and attitude needed,
notices served by the ICO. While jail sentences can be imposed in very serious with no training required. However,
cases, the usual penalty imposed by the courts is a fi ne (currently up to £5,000). when instructors realise the value of
The Ministry of Justice is proposing to introduce much higher penalties: from April improving their social and life skills – the
2010 it is proposed that the maximum fi ne be increased to £500,000 where the impact it will have on the gym floor and
breach is serious and likely to cause substantial distress or damage, and where in every other area of their life where
the breach was deliberate. The new penalties are designed to encourage greater they have relationships – the penny really
compliance with the data protection principles, and to give individuals drops and there is motivation to change.
greater confi dence that their personal data is being handled correctly. ben jobson
consultant, trainer, coach & mentor
8 Read Health Club Management online january 2010 © cybertrek 2010
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
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