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tiy logo Sales techniques that
can help you teach

Teaching is   selling  
Teaching is   persuading  
Teaching is   enticing  


Motion is Emotion
     
  If you have worked in sales you may have heard the expression 'motion creates emotion'. Teaching is selling and the same rule applies. If your student is distracted or demotivated, make a game that gets them up and moving around.  
 
 


ABC - Always Be Closing
     
  Another sales expression. In teaching this one relates to keeping within the structure of your lesson. Always remember the goal of your lesson and keep bringing your explanations and exercises back to the core principle behind your lesson of the day. What do you want them to have learnt by the end of your lesson? Make sure you keep bringing the subject back to that theme.  
 
 


Simplify to Clarify
     
  If the student is having trouble - break it down. Still having trouble? Break it down even further. Even if you feel that the student is 'being difficult' (which can happen - especially if they feel that they are hopeless at the subject), be patient and you will eventually reach a level that they simply cannot deny understanding (such as 'being able to recognise a verb' or 'being able to count to ten'). It's important to be patient for two main reasons :
1. They may not be 'being difficult' and may become very discouraged and upset if they feel that you are disappointed.
2. If they are 'being difficult', you becoming frustrated might become a game in itself and the student will put their energy into this new 'game' and away from the lesson. 		 
 
 


Keep the information Useful
     
  It's all too tempting to over-inform, especially if you're teaching something that you know a lot about. It is good to explain the reason behind something if it can give the student a 'rule of thumb'. However it is not necessary to explain the entire history of the subject if all they need to know is a particular application of it. What if the only part of the explanation that the student didn't understand or remember is precisely the one that you were trying to teach? If the student has a real interest in the 'extras' then they will make time for the additional learning after the lesson. But during the lesson 'always be closing', keep the goal of the lesson in mind and keep coming back to the main points.  
 
 


If you're not selling them, they're selling you
     
  Students may refuse to work for a number of reasons: they say they're "not interested", "too stupid" or "will learn it later" - none of these reasons are good enough. Let them tell you their excuses and prove each one wrong. The "I'm too stupid" reason comes up quite frequently, the child sometimes sees the fact that he's having extra lessons as proof that he's 'not clever enough'. Tell them the truth - that people have extra lessons for many different reasons. Any experienced tutor will have taught students of all levels of intelligence and scholastic achievement. The only thing that all these students have in common is: They want to do better.  
 
 


Engage to Persuade
     
  How do you engage someone? By talking about what interests them. How do you know what interests them? By asking them about what they like doing and what they're good at. The challenge for you is to then relate the subject you're teaching to these interests. If this means explaining algebra in the context of a football match then that's what you have to do!  
 
 


Get a "yes" out of them
     
  If they're getting several answers wrong, throw in a question that they know the answer to. The positive mental impact of giving a correct answer will keep the student motivated. Ask them something that you know they can answer correctly.

-"what's the plural of 'mouse'?"
-"mice!"
-"correct!"


-"how do you say 'blue' in French?"
-"bleu!"
-"correct!"


Simple and effective. 		 
 
 


Demonstrate
     
  Learn to talk with your hands, use your body to act out ideas and topics. When teaching a foreign language associate key phrases or words with hand gestures and facial expressions. Play out a historical scene, give the student a part to play in the re-enaction of a historical event. Bring it to life. Show how the principles of science play out in real life - get them to pour you a ml, then a cl, then a dcl, then a liter of water. Make it real in the physical world.  
 
 


Present them with a problem,
then sell them your tools to solve it
     
  Give them a situation. Ask them "what happens in this case?" Let them try to answer, then point out the difficulties in their solution. Then introduce the lesson topic - the tool that will best solve their problem. It's a winner.  
 
 


Find their button and Push it
     
  Sometimes tutors are the ones coming up with excuses on why they can't teach a particular student. They say the child is 'too clever', 'too slow', 'too talkative', 'too lazy' and so on...
Remember that every disadvantage can become an advantage that can help you teach them.
'Too talkative'? Good, that means they're sociable, refuse to talk to them about anything other than the topic of your lesson. The promise of socialising will so tempting for them that they will accept.
'Too slow'? Good, they tend to be thorough workers. Find a simple, structured explanation for your topic and patiently repeat it as many times as they need. They will appreciate your clarity.
'Too lazy'? - turn everything into a game.
'Too clever'? - Give them the opportunity to prove their intelligence by giving them exercises and games where they get to compete with you (and occasionally let them win!) 		 
 
 


Each problem is an invitation
     
  Through each problem, the student is actually inviting you into their world. Don't ignore them, help them. Listen to them and answer their question in a truthful but simple way. You will gain their respect - then take them back to the topic of the lesson.  
 
 


Listen twice as much as you talk
     
  You will save a lot of time is you listen to what the child is telling you. Stay focused on the lesson but listen to them. They will tell you what they have trouble with which will make you a more effective teacher. Accept what they know and pinpoint what they don't know.  
 
 

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