It may have taken some courage for anyone to come along to your session for the first time. What do you do to make sure you provide a warm welcome, and then make sure they come back?

• A warm welcome
  • A smile and a cheery “hi!” is always a good starting point!
  • Don’t single them out and make them introduce themselves to the group. Go to them and find out their name and previous experience. Understand why they have come to your session and what they want to achieve
  • Take some time to understand initially whether they are a bit shy or quite outgoing, or somewhere in between, and engage them with the group accordingly. Don’t overpower them, but likewise don’t ignore them
  • Think of each one of your participants as your customer, paying for your service. If the roles were reversed, how would you want to be treated?
  • Use their name throughout the session
  • Ask if they have any pre-existing injuries or medical conditions and be aware of these during the session.
• Understanding their ability
  • Understand from the start – are they new to this activity/sport?
  • Understand what do they want from coming along (learn a new skill, get fitter, get better, meet new people). This knowledge will shape how you support them in their first session and beyond
  • New to this activity/sport? Introduce the mains concepts without overwhelming them with technical rules and skills, unless they ask for more information
  • Ask what they are able to do and don’t put any pressure on them to be at the same level as everyone else.
• Build their confidence
  • Pair them up with someone of a similar ability, or slightly higher ability if they are looking to develop their skills. Choose someone who will support and encourage them
  • Help them set their own ‘personal best’ which is achievable and meets their own needs
  • Praise them in a meaningful way. Be positive about what they have achieved. This can be done individually or as part of the group, depending on what they are comfortable with.
• Help to create connections
  • Introduce them to a couple of other group members – whether they have come or their own or with someone else, bringing them into the group will help their sense of belonging
  • Provide phone/email/facebook details to allow the new participant to be in touch, not just with you but with the wider group – to develop their social network
  • Run some ‘just for fun’ games within your session to bring the group together
  • Welcome your participants to invite along their own family and friends. It will build your group numbers and also encourage your participants to bring along people they are comfortable with – they will also help motivate each there to keep going!
• Building and maintaining the right environment
  • Have a plan for poor behaviour in your session. How would you tackle swearing, verbal abuse, intimidation or disagreements among participants in your session?
  • Set some ground rules. Do you allow phones, photos to be taken, numbers to be swapped? Explain these to your new participant
  • Be a role model: exhibit the behaviour you would expect from the rest of your group
  • Make sure you are knowledgeable of your sport/activity to be able to field questions from new and existing group members.
• After the session
  • Find out how your new participant got on. Did they enjoy it?
  • Provide them with details of how you can be contacted before the next session and welcome them to ask any questions between now and then
  • Praise their efforts and achievements in a meaningful way. Point out how you can support them to achieve whatever their identified goals are
  • Remind them when and where the next session is and say you look forward to seeing them again [next week].
• Further information
  • – not just for coaching children. This learning can also be very useful for developing lower skilled groups
  • – full of lots of really useful information