» Training

Lifelong LEARNING

Develop top-notch skills by creating or

seeking out professional development

opportunities. BY KAREN LEMOINE

Do it online

Finding time to complete continu-

ing education credits has become eas- ier with the advent of online learning. Many organizations now offer these cost-effective courses; they eliminate travel costs and give people the free- dom to learn wherever and whenever they have access to the Internet.

Everyone needs customer service skills

“We have our own orientation man-

ual that is used to integrate all staff into our culture, whether it’s fitness staff, cleaners, restaurant staff or our management team,” says Steve Roest, president of The Fitness Institute health and fitness club in Toronto.

economy. “People may be spending less, but they’re still spending money. They’re just being more selective. I tell my staff to make sure they show our members that we appreciate their business.”

Make it fun

Internal training sessions can dou-

ble as fun team building experiences, says Roest, who designs staff educa- tion sessions this way frequently. “I’m a big believer in team building,” he says. “When training your staff you’ve got to make it fun, but you’ve also got to give them something back. The oth- er month I took my management team to my house for lunch, had a consul- tant do a workshop with us on cus- tomer service and then we went and played paintball. When you want peo- ple to buy in to something, they’ll do so much more readily if they’re having fun and feel a part of a strong team.”

Consider peer education

Peer education can also be a great

method of educating your staff mem- bers. It is cost effective and can help build team morale and boost sales. The Fitness Institute brings all of its

“When you want people to buy in to something, they’ll do so much more readily if

they’re having fun and feel a part of a strong team.” - Steve Roest, president of The Fitness

Institute health and fitness club. (Pictured L to R, The Fitness Institute tennis director Scott Hurtubise, front desk manager John Quinn, Steve Roest and personal trainer Alex Martin)

Publisher Human Kinetics, for ex-

ample, offers fully-interactive cours- es that it has developed with various national certification organizations. The courses are written by peer-re- viewed experts in the field and are de- signed by online course development professionals. Q and A sessions within the content and a case study format help to make learning this way more interesting.

52 Fitness Business Canada May/June 2009

“Part of our initial training is to go over our ‘20 basics’ which we’ve based on the philosophy of the Ritz-Carleton hotel chain that strives for excellence in customer service. Some of these ba- sics are things like using names when- ever possible and anticipating clients’ needs before they ask.” Roest points out that customer

service training is more important than ever for fitness clubs in today’s

health professionals together– person- al trainers, chiropractors, physiothera- pists and massage therapists – to learn as a group. “They learn from each other,” says Roest, “and they also get a better understanding of how they can help a client. We find this helps boost internal referrals to the various servic- es we offer.” To supplement this type of learn-

ing, the club also provides full-time staff members with $500 per year for continuing education training of their

choice. FBC

Karen LeMoine, BPHE, MSc, has worked in the health promotion industry and in the non- profit, academic and public sectors. Currently she works in human resources as a workplace health specialist. She is a Can-Fit-Pro Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor. You can reach her at fitathome@rogers.com. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56