Once Upon A Time…

Back in 1980, one of my key methods to attract students to our Sydney studio was to stand on the stage in Hyde Park, and declare myself the ringmaster of a $100 competition. This was the most bizarre competition that anyone had heard or seen before, and I used to attract a large crowd of bemused onlookers, curious to discover the "trick" of my simple challenge. To win, you just had to stand up from a chair without pulling your head back. Hundreds have tried and lost - an unerringly simple task, yet so difficult to accomplish. No-one watching believed it was impossible to do. But my many years as a faithful chair and table teacher taught me that it was. I didn't judge it my Self - which made the show all the more compelling. Instead, I would call for volunteers from the audience - putting the $100 in their hands to award if they deemed the contestant successful. I would then train them as the crowd looked on - getting curiouser and curiouser - in the task of focused observation. Once trained, they would watch each hopeful contestant rise to the occasion, only to fail time and time again. By their own decree - not mine. It was a great show. However, I am not sure how successfully I proselytised Alexander's Discovery with this theatre of the absurd, but in those days it was that, or expensive adds in newspapers and magazines. What Alexander Technique teacher of the day could afford that? This was 1980, whereas I didn't get my first email address until the mid-90's, and serious websites as marketing tools did not come until the oughts. Today, there is a ubiquitous internet. Better, there is Facebook - an extraordinary result of human ingenuity and imagination which is more of a utility than a website. It is a great age for Alexander Technique teachers, for now you can access total strangers with laser-focused precision. Next month, in January, I will be walking you through how to use this medium to build your practise. Make no mistake - you must first know your pupil, know your niche, for the greater the precision, the more cost effective it becomes. You can start immediately by looking through the Facebook pages of people who already come to you for lessons. The way to start, as with any good Alexander lesson, is to observe, to collect information, to gather the conditions of use present before analysing and experimenting with that information. It this appeals to you, come along for the ride starting in January. If you are new to my coaching club, you can join now and start reading some of the back issues where you will find easy-to-follow ways to define your target audience - an essential step for Facebook advertising. Anyone who signs up between now and the New Year will get this period thrown in for free - it's a good use of your holiday time. Think about your practise, decide on ways to move it forward in the new year. Make it a New Year Resolution. It's your gift to you. Go to this link, sign up, and I will extend your access to the end of January, so you can benefit from the full month of FaceBook guidance. You won't be alone - there are now over 40 teachers and students in the group - and they are sharing every day their successes, questions and concerns. You can do the same. It is a community learning environment where the success of one person becomes available as a strategy for the whole group. We learn from each other, that is one of our secrets! It's the new year coming soon - time to decide if you will make working ON your practise as important as working IN your practise? Alexander businesses don't grow by good teaching alone, they grow by creating a constructive, conscious plan based on good information. Now is a good time to start collecting that information... Sign up at this link. Members also get access to my online book - 12 Steps to A Successful Alexander Technique Business - as part of membership. When you have free time, make that part of your holiday reading. It will certainly stimulate you to think very differently about your Alexander practise. The reports I am getting from people in our group - they read my book with a notebook at their side so they can write down all the ideas they get to creatively build their own Alexander practise. You can download it immediately once you join our learning community. I will take a break from blogging, so use the time to start reading up and preparing for the new year. This is the way your business grows - by giving it the attention it needs. Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!