...excuse me, I'm talking.
At the beginning of every dance season I like to sit down with each of my dance classes to let them know what to expect from me, the class and each other throughout the year.
This year, I forgot!!!!
Crap.
I was reminded that I hadn’t because of a comment from a parent that stated their daughter felt like she was getting yelled at quite a lot in class.
I’m not sure I agree with the term “yell” (I’ve been known to yell at my own kids but not at my students) … however I was super thankful that she was being honest with me. It reminded me that I hadn’t shared my expectations with the class and there were a good number of new students.
So often we get upset about the outcome of events because our expectations weren’t met. I mean think about it … two people can be at the same event or read the same piece of literature and their interpretation of it can be wildly different. And their opinion will be largely based on whether or not it met their expectations.
In this particular instance, with my student feeling like she was getting “yelled” at a lot, I needed to go back and share with the class my expectations and especially what my biggest pet peeve is …
My tolerance is zero if you’re talking while I talking.
There, I said it.
I can't handle it.
She is a talker. My bad for not being very clear from the beginning of the year what I needed from her and the rest of the class.
I think being forthcoming with expectations in anything situation in life is super important. Have a clear picture of what you're thinking the outcome is going to look like and share that with whoever is involved... so you can meet each other needs.
Don't assume. That will get you in trouble for sure!
Have I mastered this? No, but I can definitely say when I'm clear with my thoughts and expectations things tend to go way more smooth.
For instance...
This year with my competition groups I gave them the heads up that I needed to have rehearsals on the weekends before the holidays to get choreography done. If you can't commit to that I'm sorry, I can't have you in the number. By doing this I didn't have any complaints this year. I got those who could commit and it went smoothly. Lesson learned.
I urge you try this in any area of your life... personal, business, family, friends... wherever you're having some glitches. It really could be a game changer.
Let me know how it goes! I'd love to hear.