Teaching Massage

Since I'm on a roll discussing the process of teaching, I wanted to talk about how excited I am about ABMP's new "Teaching Massage" book and class. I've taught martial arts and I've taught massage therapy for almost 5 years now, but this is the first time I've such a great resource for the art of teaching massage.

About the Book

I will say that I haven't read the entire book yet, but I have read the first few chapters and had time to browse through the rest with some depth. The book is authored by some of the major players in massage education over the years and was written collaboratively. Even just a glance through the table of contents is enough to get a massage teacher excited. It is packed with information about different learning and teaching styles, classroom management, learning theory, instructional methods, adult learners and special needs, lesson design and planning, and tips from the experts on how they teach certain subjects like pathology or ethics.

Why It Is Needed

I don't know about any of you massage teachers reading this, but when I started teaching I was thrown to the wolves. I'd never had any formal education or training in education itself. All I had was my natural talent for teaching. I'm told that I am a good teacher by people who have had the training, but that doesn't mean that I have a solid theory or system to what I do. I'm still, 5 years later, feeling my way through the process. This book (and course) is a Godsend for the massage instructors who experienced the same thing I did - which I am sure is most of us.

Unfortunately, it is often assumed that if you are good at what you do, you will also be good at teaching it to others. I have known brilliant practitioners that simply fall apart in the classroom because it requires a completely different set of skills. Instead of being the authority on where people go for the answers, as a teacher you have to set the stage for the students to discover them and be able to apply them - a very different prospect.

Because there also seems to be a fairly high turnover in the teaching of massage as well, I think it is fantastic that there is now a resource in which a massage teacher can get a foundation in instructional methodology and be better prepared to hit the ground running.

Why so expensive? It actually is sold as part of a 20CEU class, so at a little over $150 (or around $121 through amazon) it's well worth it.

I'll keep posting as I work my way through the book. Until next time...

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Creating a Safe Space

I just returned from a trip (not by choice) to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Murder rates are sky high, crime is rampant and there is a three-way (at least) drug war going on. And the only place in Mexico to get a US resident visa happens to be there. Go figure.

When we got back onto American soil, I had a vision of how it is in the movies - where the hero returns home and kisses the sand of his homeland - and believe it, I understood exactly how he felt. It was good for my companions to have me there, even though as a gringo I stuck out like a sore thumb. And it was against this backdrop that I began pondering the idea of "creating a safe space" for your clients.

I've taught the concept of creating a safe space to my massage students for years. However, my recent experience very much deepened my understanding of it.

Everyone needs to have a safe place to be - to work, to play, to be. Good old Maslow placed safety in second place on his pyramid of needs - second only to physical existence needs like food and shelter. When we exist in a place in which we don't feel safe, our body's natural defense mechanisms kick in. Stress chemicals flood our bodies - cortisol, epinephrine (aka adrenaline) - as our bodies prepare to either flee from danger or to fight it. (More on stress in a later post) When we are stressed, we seek a safe haven to retreat to - a safe harbor to weather the storm and recuperate.

A Safe Space For Healing

Massage can be a truly therapeutic form of healing if this idea is taken to heart. Most of us therapists understand this on some level - Our clients seek us out to find that safe space for healing. This safe space can be physical - such as our office space, a quiet room, seclusion from the hustle and bustle of life outside, privacy. And it can be conceptual as well, like an invisible bubble that shields your client in the same way a physical space can - a blanket of trust, warm and welcoming energy, moral support, encouragement.

You see, all healing takes place when we are at ease. Relaxed, stress-free and safe. Stage 4 sleep. Massage. Studies have shown that we heal at least 50% faster when we are stress-free and relaxed. Interrupted sleep, high-stress jobs, constant activity all interfere with our bodies' ability to cope and recuperate.

One of the most profound benefits that you can offer to your clients is that safe haven. A place where they can go to get away from it all and focus on what they really need - healing at every level, emotional, spiritual, mental, physical. This safe space is one of the most important, yet most intangible qualities about the work we do. It is vitally important to our clients and our success as massage professionals, and it is one of the hardest things to communicate.

Creating a Safe Place

Trust
We all know that it is difficult to relax with somebody that we do not trust. We keep our guard up and remain wary and suspicious. But we also all know (I hope!) the feeling of ease we get when we are with someone we can trust and let down our guard, take off the mask we show the world and just relax. Trust is something that can be granted in a surprisingly short period of time when the stage is right. It is impossible for our clients to trust us if we don't first start with the wholehearted intention to do well by them (see point #3)

Consistency
Consistency will build trust over time. We humans enjoy the stability that comes with regularity. It is difficult to trust and relax when we are on edge from not knowing what is coming next. When we do know what to expect, we get "in the groove". Consistency is comfortable. Think of all of the little things that you do the same way, just because it feels right. Brushing your teeth, crossing your arms, even the way you walk - it's all habitual. Clients will come to you not just because of the great work you do, but that you have a groove they can relate to, that is comfortable to them. They don't want things shaken up every time (or to come and listen to your drama). They want the stability and strength that rises from the Earth element. We can foster this consistency by creating little rituals - starting and ending your session the same way, greeting our clients the same way, finding out what they like and making sure it is there for them every time. Clients are attracted to the familiarity you create, if they aren't, they go elsewhere to find it.

Intention & Attention
These two go hand in hand. First you must start with the intention to build this safe place, then you must pay attention to the details to make it so. Make sure you ground yourself sufficiently before each and every session - clear your thoughts of your to-do lists and the guys who cut you off on the freeway on the way to the office - those aren't client-centered thoughts. Bring your whole attention to your client, because that is your role to play, the "safe space maker", so that they can heal the way they need to.

Remember the Process
Healing occurs in its own time. Let it take its course. Your job is simply to create a conducive environment. That doesn't mean that healing will take place, only that it can.

Playing It Safe

A key to remember is that healing only occurs when the client is ready. I have known many therapists (massage and otherwise) that have grown frustrated that a client doesn't seem to be making any progress. Well they never will until they're ready and I always say that

"You can't inflict healing, it must occur from within."

Creating a safe place is the first step in the process as the client's mind will never allow the healing to begin in an unsafe environment. Healing requires one to drop their defenses. If you can do this for your clients, you can bring to them the same feeling of overwhelming relief and joy as I felt as I passed into El Paso and touched home again. The funny thing (or not so funny) is that the stress of the trip has lingered and I still haven't been able to fully relax yet.

I think I'll head over to my safest massage therapist to find my peace of soul.

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Massage Therapy in a Down Economy

Given the fact that there is an update in the news every single day about the steps the government is taking to address the current financial meltdown, I thought it was appropriate to talk about how the general economy affects massage therapy.

It’s not as simple as saying business hurts during a recession. There is a letter from a massage therapist in the current issue of Massage & Bodywork that says their practice is thriving in spite of the economy. So what gives? Why are some MTs continuing to see success ad others going bust when the economy takes a downturn?

So What Happens?

There is some good news these days. Massage isn’t seen as solely a luxury anymore. The MTs and massage businesses that cater to clientele in this category can experience some belt tightening, but this isn’t the only market segment. Many more people see massage as therapy and health care these days than in the past. Before you get out of the massage-for-luxury market though, there are still people out there spending money on these things, so it isn’t as if the jobs are going to vanish. Hiring may slow down, MTs may not see as many clients these days, but the world isn’t going to end.

The simple fact is that when times are hard economically, people cut down on their spending and some of that spending may be massage. Usually people cut out what they see as dispensable first. So whether your massage business suffers greatly depends on how your clients value our work.

Building Value

Value is a perception. It is a perception of how much something is worth. Yes, there are some universal qualities to value, but it is mostly subjective. When you go to the ballpark and get charged $4 for a soda, you may feel like it is overpriced, but it is worth more to you there at the time than leaving the park to go somewhere else to get it more cheaply. So really the value is in the convenience.

If you sell your services as relaxation, people associate a certain value with that. People will associate a different value with pain-reduction; with athletic performance; with restored function, etc… You need to know what it is that you provide to your clients. Find out what makes you indispensible.

So What Can You Do When The Economy Isn’t Working In Your Favor?

1. Diversify
2. Refine (or Learn) Your Mission
3. Target Your Market
4. Be Proactive
5. Roll With the Punches

Diversify

Branch out a little. Don’t be afraid to explore new markets, new niches, for some extra income. Be creative in some of the ways you can do massage. You aren’t necessarily tied to your office. Do some chair massage, supplement your private practice with a job at a chiropractor or some independent contracting. Find some local sports events and call up the coordinators to see if you can come down to work on the athletes. Work a charity event and split the proceeds with the charity. Use your imagination.

Another option is to take a look at your books and your schedule and figure out when your down time is. At our spa, we found that M-Th before 3:00pm was our dead time. Then figure out what you want to do with that time, you can offer a discounted rate to book during that time, we closed our doors during that time without prior appointment, or you could even use that time to hold down another job.

Refine (or Learn) Your Mission

When things become challenging, it is a good time to make sure that your message is on target. What are you trying to accomplish with your work? Of course for you, but more importantly to your clients, what does it do for them? Really home in on that benefit and make sure that is the message you’re sending. If you have never really sat down and thought about it, start. And keep reading this blog because I’ll keep building on this topic.

Target Your Market

Once you have a really good message you have to make sure it is getting to the right people. Who benefits from what you do? And don’t say everybody. A mission that is too broad has little appeal to most people. Try to hone your message so that it really appeals to precisely the people you want to come into your practice. A jack of all trades is a master of none they say, so try to become a master of your chosen niche. Since I’m speaking in clichés – you can please some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, and some people none of the time. You don’t want to try to appeal to everybody all of the time – focus on the some people you can please most of the time.

Be Proactive

When in doubt about what to do, do something. One thing is for sure, sitting around and whining about how things aren’t going well isn’t going to make them better. Massage is a business that little just falls in your lap. You may be the best MT in the world, but if nobody knows about you, you’ll have no business. The only way they’ll know is if you tell them.

Being proactive isn’t about just doing anything though, it’s about working smart. Take the time to identify the things that are in your control, that you can control, and focus on them. Try to break it down into small, actionable steps, preferably into steps that you can do in a short period of time, like an afternoon or a couple of days. That way you don’t have to wait too long until there is some kind of payoff. Set some attainable goals that allow you to taste some success and keep you moving in the right direction.

If you aren’t already, call up those clients who haven’t been in for a while and check up on them. You’ll find that a good number of them will be happy that you care about them and you’ll get some appointments out of it. Send a letter or email to all of your friends and family and ask for their help (more on this technique in another post). Nothing beats referrals.

Roll With the Punches

It can be hard on your attitude when times are tough, but you have to maintain your outlook. Don’t waste your time dwelling on the obstacles, but look for the silver lining and the paths around those obstacles. I know it sounds trite, but there really is an opportunity in every problem, so try to look for the bright spot and how this can benefit you in the long run.

Conclusion

Above all, realize that things will turn out alright. I speak from experience. When we opened our spa in the Westin in Silicon Valley, we did our very first appointment the night before the 9/11 attack and the bottom fell out of the travel to our region. We rolled with it although it certainly changed our business plan. Do what you can do, try to minimize your risks, and don’t worry about the things you can’t control.

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More Thoughts on Muscle Energy Technique

In the latest (Nov/Dec 2008) issue of Massage & Bodywork Magazine, there is an article entitled “Sports Injuries: Breakthrough Methods in Treatment” by Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa. There is a lot of great information in this article, but something strikingly lacking is the use of MET (Muscle Energy Technique) in treating these injuries. I can see great value in the manual techniques that Mr. Khalsa describes, but have to argue that those should come after MET has been employed.

As my work has grown, I have moved away from a purely manual approach – in the sense that I used to do it all myself. Teamwork is key, and in this case your teammate is your client; more specifically, their brain. If their brain is holding tension or inhibiting a muscle, it can take quite a bit of work to get it to normalize, and often the effects are short-lived. You can be much more successful when you engage the client from within, instead of simply inflicting
a fix upon them.

In addition, MET reduces the irritability of the tissue so that the subsequent work is less uncomfortable. And it creates conditions in which I don’t have to work so hard. I prefer to work from the inside out on a client instead of the outside in.

There is no “I” in TEAM, but there is “A MET”!

This also helps to start the process of rebalancing the joint. Sherrington’s Law of the Reciprocal Inhibition of Muscles…

“When one set of muscles is stimulated (our agonist, or target muscle), muscles opposing the action of the first (antagonists) are simultaneously inhibited.”

…is important to understand. Many novice therapists make the mistake of only working the sore muscles. Often the soreness is caused by excess eccentric load caused by hypertonic muscles on the other side of the joint. In simple terms, they are sore because they are exhausted from resisting the tension of the opposing muscles. They are also weak (inhibited) because of the hypertonicity of their antagonists. Relax that tension and the load on the sore muscles is decreased. MET is great because that is exactly how it works – by balancing the muscles on both sides of the joint.

Incidentally, MET improves the communication between the brain and the muscles and clears dysfunctions such as the negative feedback loop created by a trigger point (TrP). I always use MET to reduce TrP activity prior to more aggressive and painful techniques such as cross-fiber friction or sustained (ischemic) compression. Sometimes MET alone is enough all by itself, but even when it isn’t, almost every time the irritability is reduced so that the other techniques cause much less discomfort to the client.

Yet another effect is that MET retrains the brain as to what the state of the tissue is and how it should be. It allows the brain to do a reset of the proprioceptors. Ultimately, it will be the new and healthier movement patterns that allow the work to endure.

So I will close with the immortal words of Snoopy.

“Get MET, it pays!”

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Muscle Memory

We’ve all heard somewhere along the line that muscles have memory. So do they? Yes and no. What does that really mean?

The Muscles Themselves

Muscles themselves only have a little “memory”. Myofascia is designed for movement, and it molds itself to the stress that it experiences. In that capacity, if the myofascia has been shaped by habitual movement, the muscles will only be used to, or even able, to move within that range. So in that sense, muscles do have a memory.

The Bigger Picture

More to the point, it has more to do with the nervous system’s relation to the muscles. When the nervous system generates an impulse, neurons talk to each other – a line of communication is opened, potentially where none existed before. But once that line of communication is established, every time those neurons speak to each other it reinforces the connection. Of course this is why practice makes perfect – every time we do a particular action, our brain gets better and better at coordinating the muscles to do it. incidentally, when we start resistance training, the initial gains in strength are more due to improved communication between the brain and the muscle than any physical increases in the muscle itself.

This is what we’re really talking about when we say muscle memory – these habitual patterns of movement. When we learn how to do something a particular way, it can become very hard to undo it. For instance, you know how you can identify many people by the sound of their footsteps? This is because when we learn to walk we develop a unique gait. It takes over a hundred muscles working in coordination to walk and we all learn how to do it in a slightly different way. These patterns become ingrained and the connected neurons prefer the familiar. This is also why we massage instructors harp on our students to use proper body mechanics all the time – if you start by learning it the wrong way, it will be much harder for you to learn it the right way.

These connections, once learned, go on autopilot. And a good thing too. Who would want to have to constantly think about putting one foot in front of the other, or the position of your tongue while you are speaking? But once they become unconscious, we also lose some awareness about what we are doing. This is fine if things are working the way that they should, but when things are off we need to bring the awareness back.

When we get injured, we can develop bad habits, maybe habits that were necessary while we were hurt (limping), but no longer serve a purpose once we’re better (continuing to limp after healing). Our bodies adapt wonderfully to remain functional in response to these things. But once your body has found a way it likes to do things it can be hard to get it to go back to do it the right way, the optimal way.

Can it be done? Of course, but it may not be easy. Stroke victims can relearn to do things that they lost because of the neurons that knew how to do it dying. It is a matter of re-patterning.

So What Does This Mean?

For our clients, this means we need to understand how these patterns affect them. What factors were in place when developing these movement patterns? Did they break their leg as a child, or have something disrupt their development? Was there an injury? Athletic training? How long has it been there? The old saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks is somewhat valid – It’s a lot harder to break a habit that has been there a long time because to break a habit, you are really creating a new one to replace it.

Progress will be slow with long-term patterns. I have found that often, clients will feel some relief after massage, but it is short lived. This is because although massage is great, once they leave my office their old patterns begin to dominate again. I always tell my students that even if they come and see me once a week, there are 168 hours in a week – leaving 167 hours for them to undo everything that we worked on in that session. It is vital to educate your clients about what they need to change and think about in between sessions to let the work take hold.

Another implication is that as much as we work on the soft-tissue, it will have little to no long-term effect if we don’t address the neurological functions that maintain the pattern. It’s akin to eating one healthy, nutritious meal (your massage) amidst a sea of junk food (their bad habits). It won’t have much of a lasting effect. It is a process, and one that the client must be on board for. They won’t change until they are willing and ready to.

Reboot

I love Muscle Energy Techniques (MET), PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation), and Neuromuscular Therapy (NMT). I will focus on MET here, but use a variety of NMT techniques. They are all techniques that reboot the system by resetting the lines of communication. MET uses the higher thinking of the conscious brain to reprogram the lower order unconscious functions.

In every case you come across, resetting the interface between the brain and the muscles will make your job easier. You recruit the most powerful force in your client’s body, their brain, as an ally. If you neglect to address the neurological dysfunction, those old habits will be actively working against you. Most often this also clears the way to reveal the problems as well. MET will reduce hypertonicity (excess tension in the muscles) so the knots really stand out in the tissue.

Re-educate

Once you’ve done your part as a massage therapist, then you have to recruit the client to do their part. Do your best every session to give them something to go home with that they can do to take some ownership of their healing. An exercise, a stretch, a new movement pattern, a breathing exercise, or just some homework to take note of their posture once or twice a day. These things will help to begin the process of creating new movement patterns. Awareness is key.

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The Challenges of Being a Male Massage Therapist 3

Part 3 of 4 (1,2,4)

Homophobia and Thinking Sex in Massage Therapy

Sexuality has no place in massage therapy. Or so we’d like it to be. We can no more leave our gender, sexuality, or identity at the door than we can leave our endocrine system. We are sexual beings and even when it isn’t sexual, it still is in part.

What I mean by that is that we have a lot more tied up in our sexuality than we realize. It falls into a much larger category of gender identity, which includes the roles we identify with men and women and ourselves in relation to them. It encompasses the culture we are part of, religion, and past experience. It colors our attitudes, beliefs, and morals. It is such an integral part of who we each are that it is a little ludicrous to think we can do any kind of holistic treatment without taking it into account.

We need to accept that it is there instead of denying it. Then we can do something about it and make sure that it isn’t the central issue in our sessions. practices, and careers.

Homophobia

In this series, we are talking about this from the perspective of men not wanting massage from other men, as that is much more the issue in our profession.

In practice, you can break this into two categories. At the extreme, you have men who will never get a massage from another man under any circumstances. Don’t waste your time trying to convince these guys, but talk to them anyway. Remember that no man is an island and they have friends and family that they talk to. They may never feel comfortable with getting a massage from you (it’s their issue, not yours), but that doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t feel comfortable recommending someone else to you.

The other category is men who aren’t so adamant about it. They may never have had a massage from a man before, but this is often due to inexperience. Unfortunately, sometimes it is due to a bad prior experience with a male therapist as well. The key with these men is to pay extra attention to their comfort zone and don’t push their limits too much. I’ve had plenty of past clients (male and female) who commented after that I had completely changed their mind about getting massage from a man. Often men in this group will feel more comfortable receiving massage in a more clinical and less of a leisure capacity. Speak to them in terms of functional outcomes to make them feel more comfortable.

Make it easy and safe for your clients (and this goes for working with women as well). For massage rookies, usually disrobing is a point of distress. Tell them that they should only disrobe as far as they’re comfortable or that you can even work on them clothed (the Magic Massager works great for this). Mind your professionalism with a microscope and make sure that there is nothing in your speech, demeanor, or presentation that implies anything sexual about what you do.

Thinking About Sex

This is another common perception about men – that they are constantly thinking about sex. I’m not about to debate here whether this is true or not. I suppose it could be on a subconscious level that affects behavior, but it’s not really all that important.

What is important is that actions speak louder than words. The words are certainly important. Make sure that none of your words give any room for misinterpretation. However, you need to focus all of your attention on making sure that your actions scream professionalism, trust, respect, safety, and client-centeredness while leaving sex out of the equation.

Some women choose not to work with a male therapist simply because they don’t want sex to even be a possible issue, some because they may have experienced abuse in the past, some because they have body image issues and fear that a male will judge them, some because they don’t feel comfortable “letting it all hang out” in front of a man. There can be many legitimate reasons that a woman doesn’t wish to receive massage from a man. Of course, almost all of those reasons could make a person prefer a male as well. Although we strive to reduce gender preference, we will never eliminate it entirely. Understand it, reduce it, and work with it.

How do your friends talk about what you do?

An important thing that I see many MTs overlook is non-client communication. If you let your friends get away with joking around about what you do, you are tacitly condoning their inappropriate attitude. Make sure that you discuss with your friends some of these issues or they will be talking about the same inappropriate things about you to their friends. You have to emphasize and embody what you want your friends to say.

One of the main things I want to get across here is that an MT does not have to appeal to everybody. There are plenty of clients out there and the way the business is trending, there are many more to come. Find your niche and stop trying to be everything to everybody.

In part 4, we’ll take a look at the idea that women are more nurturing and better healers than men…

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The Challenges of Being a Male Massage Therapist 2

Part 2 of 4 (1,3,4)

The Problems

In the previous post, I mentioned four specific problems that impact male MTs. Job discrimination, homophobia, the impression that men are always interested in sex, and the impression that women are more nurturing and better healers.

Job Discrimination

As I mention before, I got passed over in at least one instance for a job because I am male. I’m sure every other male therapist has and will encounter this particular problem at some point. Many of the male students that graduate from my program get disheartened when they experience this – I have come to see it as an opportunity.

It’s not OK for massage businesses to perpetuate this gender gap. They see it as catering to their clients, but really it is just reinforcing a major problem in our field.

When I was fresh out of school, I went to work for a massage business called Equilibrium in San Francisco that was opened by two of my classmates, one of them male. As I would listen to them on the phone booking appointments I learned something – it is really up to the business the impression they give to their clients. When a client would call asking for a female, they would start in pointing out out all of my virtues and almost every time the session would be booked. And then out of those sessions, almost every time the client was very happy with the experience. How do I know? Because of all of the “I never thought I would get such a great massage from a guy” comments I received.

We need to work to change the lopsided preferences in our field, while accepting that some legitimate concerns do and will always exist (abuse, religion…)

So what can a guy do about this?

First of all, don’t be afraid to say something. I used to just let it go and move on, but I’ve learned over time that it is important to speak up. There seems to be a prevailing attitude out there that “that’s how it is” and the businesses go with the flow. Never pass up this opportunity to educate. It may not help you personally, but it will help all of the men out there in the profession. In this respect, we certainly all must work together to address this issue. We’ll all benefit in the end.

Secondly, accept that things won’t change overnight and some won’t ever change. Move on and look for a place to work where it won’t be as much of a struggle. Look for places that are more male-friendly; establishments that are more sports, clinical/medical, or deep tissue oriented. In this respect, sometimes men even have an advantage. Men still dominate in sports massage (Benny Vaughn mentions it in his Olympic massage blog) and the perception remains that men can perform better deep tissue work.

Almost all spas want to have at least one man on staff because they will get some male requests. Be aware that at some spas, those requests might not be enough to keep you busy.

Once you’re working, one of the best things you can do as a male is to make sure that whoever books the appointments is on your side and trained to promote you well. Believe it or not, I’ve seen places where they almost talk down about their male therapists! The scheduler is the person who can help you the most so get them on your side! Make sure that they have experienced the wonders of your work. Make sure that they understand the challenges you face as a male MT and that they know to steer more non-gender-specific appointments your way. Make sure that they know how to sing your praises because when a person calls to book their appointment, the scheduler becomes a testimonial. They get asked often “who’s good” and ideally you want them to say your name. Train them how to say, “Yes, I had the same fear about seeing a male at first, but after one session with Mike I don’t go to anybody else.” If you an get the scheduler to say that on your behalf, great! Now the ball is in your court to deliver!

Part 3: Homophobia and Thinking Sex in Massage Therapy

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Hybrid Education in Massage Therapy

Right now, we’re standing on the cusp of a new era in education. With the advent of Learning Management System Software (LMS), there is a lot more power at the fingertips of teachers in delivering course material. Some material works fantastically well in an online environment delivered via LMS. Courses that are heavy in theory, reading, or lecture work very well. Of course, massage therapy does require a substantial hands-on component so online delivery isn’t a complete option for most courses. A hybrid model is to combine part in-class training with part online. This solution is ideal for massage therapy because the online component can replace or reinforce the lecture components of a class, leaving potentially more hands on time with the teacher.

What can LMS Software do?

An LMS is a system for the delivery, tracking, and management of training (wikipedia). It can include everything from online test-taking, grade-reporting, lecture & powerpoint components, video and multimedia presentations, online forums and class discussions, wiki’s, and more. One of the advantages is that the LMS can be either a guided, structured process or more free-form and self-paced.

I've been interested in using LMS ever since I found out it existed in a few online classes I’ve taken and trainings at work. As a teacher, I’m always looking for better ways to implement learning objectives. Technology isn’t always better, but it is a tool. Most of the students I see in the classroom are increasingly tech-savvy (text messaging anyone?), so moving some of the learning online isn’t that much of a leap. The added bonus is that after some work to set it up, some of the process is automated.

I’m planning on bringing LMS into my classroom in stages and I’ll keep you posted here about how the implementation is working. The first step is to take the testing online. LMS software includes the ability to import/create a testbank and administer the tests online. The nice thing about it is that the test is automatically scored and their grade entered in the LMS. Our program is spending too much time on tests and retests and grading and I’m hoping that after the initial testbank entry that this process will be much more streamlined.

As a parent, my daughter’s middle school just implemented an LMS called School Loop. It’s great to be able to log on and see your childs progress any time you like and check how they’re doing. She’s on there every day making sure she’s completed all her assignments. It’s great. So much for the old “I forgot my assignment at school” excuse.

What Are The LMS Options?

There are quite a few options out there, from the very expensive to the free. Commercial vendors include Blackboard, eCollege, and others. The two big free players are Moodle and the Sakai Project; both are open-source and have similar functionality. I have chosen Moodle, primarily because there is a larger user base and to the uninitiated I thought Moodle seemed easier to get into. I’m not a big advocate for one or the other, but from here on out I’ll be talking about Moodle, since that is what I’m using. Here is a good place to take a look at some of the eLearning options.

Hosting

Once you decide on your LMS, you’ll need to host it. There are packages that you can download to host a server on your own, but I elected to go with a free (ad-supported) off-site server called NineHub, but there are other free hosting solutions available. If you choose to go commercial, you’ll probably want to set up a vendor-hosted solution that can provide enterprise support. Setting up NineHub was a breeze though and I was off and running.

A Sample Test

Once I got into the system, it took a couple of hours to learn my way around. Give yourself some time to get acquainted, especially if you aren’t at all familiar with the online classroom environment. You can get some help from a downloadable guide from Moodle. In short order I was able to figure out how to import some of the questions from an existing testbank and set up a small quiz. It worked! Based on that test, I’ve decided that we will try a pilot test in a few weeks in an actual class to see how it goes. We’ll gauge student response and see if it has the desired results in reducing teacher overhead. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Closing Thoughts

I’ve been in classes using online learning before and can definitely see the potential. I’m excited to try some of these solutions in my class now. As learning continues to evolve, as teachers we need to use the best tools available to ensure the best learning. While technology can’t guarantee more effective learning, it has a place, and in it’s place it excels over anything that has come before.

You can read more about eLearning here and here.

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Killer Introductions for Massage Therapists pt3

This is the final entry in the “Killer Introductions for Massage Therapists” series. See parts 1 and 2 here (1 & 2)

Putting It Together

Once you know what you deliver and who you deliver it to, you are ready to design your killer introduction. Now you are equipped to frame what you do for your potential client instead of letting them put you in a box. Try these introductions on for size:

“Hi, my name is Mike Wolnick and I’m a Massage Therapist.”

“Hi, my name is Mike Wolnick and I use massage therapy to help athletes overcome chronic pain and injury to maximize their performance.”

Which introduction do you think is better? This kind of introduction is very powerful. Let’s look at why:

1. It describes your work specifically. It’s hard for anyone to frame #2 as a sex worker or a spa therapist.
2. It appeals to your niche. If you are really good at dealing with certain client issues, or just really enjoy working with some types of clients, why try to appeal to everybody? This introduction is going to appeal to athletes.
3. It plants a seed. If you just introduce yourself as an MT, if they personally don’t need massage right then, they’ll forget about you. But if you frame it right, you’ve made a connection in their mind. In this case, if the client experiences an athletic injury, that is tied in their mind to you now. Even better, if they have a friend in a month complaining of some nagging sports injury, you’ve made that connection for them too! Otherwise they might never have associated massage with their friend’s pain.
4. Sounds more professional. Which introduction would you take more seriously?
5. Changes Your Competition. Do you think introduction #2 is competing with the spa down the street? Of course not, now your competition is other things that help with athletic injury. You even set yourself up in a better position to work with other professionals in that new area – sports medicine, orthopedic surgeons… Now it’s a matter of the client thinking about what very different method they can use to deal with their injury. Would you rather have surgery or get a massage…?

I’m just using sports massage as an example here, so adapt the idea to your own work. One other thing to note is the tone of the introduction. Use action words (overcome, maximize) and address the partnership involved in massage (help). And finally, make sure you don’t promise on anything you aren’t positive that you can deliver!

Using this process will help you to better build your business with the kinds of clients you want to work with. I guess you could say my introduction is:

“Hi, my name is Mike Wolnick and I help people change their lives and develop exciting, successful careers in massage therapy!”

Let me know how it works for you!

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Benefits vs. Features in Massage Therapy (Killer Intros pt2)

This is a continuation of a series entitled “Killer Introductions for Massage Therapists”, see part 1 here.

Benefits vs. Features

Simply defined, a feature describes what it is and a benefit describes what it does. This is a very important distinction. Features are things like the style of massage, techniques, and anything that describes your work. Benefits are what the client actually gets out of it; how their life is affected by the bodywork.

One of the biggest problems is that most of the things described in textbooks as benefits are really features. Do you think your clients really care about better circulation? Endorphin release? Decreased secondary edema? Any of the other things that are commonly described as benefits? Of course not.

What they really care about are the benefits they receive from these effects.

1. Better circulation = More energy, less pain (from stagnant irritating chemicals)
2. Endorphin Release = Less Pain so maybe they can sleep better at night
3. Decreased Secondary Edema = faster recovery from injury

It is vitally important that you translate what you do into something meaningful to your clients. They care about what your work will do for them, not about what it is you do. So make a list (write it down!) of the benefits you deliver to your clients.

Taking The Next Step

The next step is to figure out who you give these benefits to. You deliver different results to stressed out executives, pregnant women, and athletes, so why would you say the same thing to each of these clients?

Massage has a great many effects and benefits on the human body, pick the ones that are going to have the most effect for your target market. Going with these examples:

1. Executives: Stress-reduction, better job performance, increased energy, reduced headaches…
2. Pregnant Women: Decreased sciatic pain, Reduced discomfort from side-lying positions…
3. Athletes: Increased performance, reduced risk of injury, more playing time…

Think about what is important to your target market. Once again, write it down!

Back to Part 1 On to Part 3

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Killer Introductions for Massage Therapists pt1

When Massage Therapists are taught how to be professional and build their business, they are often taught to introduce themselves with the good old “Hi, my name is Mike Wolnick and I’m a Massage Therapist.”

Although this isn’t really a bad thing, it’s just not quite good enough. Why, you might ask? I mean it gives your name and it lets the client know what you do. So what’s the problem? Let’s dig into this a little deeper.

The Problem

Every person out there is going to have a different body of experience with massage therapy – shaped by the media, past personal experience, the past experiences of the people they know, etc… In other words, they already have some kind of opinion about what massage therapy is. When you tell that person you are a massage therapists, you are now whatever they think that means. If they think that MTs are prostitutes, that is what you are to them now. If they think of spa massage, you are now a spa MT, if they think of clinical massage, now you’re a clinical MT. So what do you do about this?

The problem is that you allowed them to define what you do for you.

So What Do You Do About It?

You want to turn the tables and frame what you do for them, as it should be. The key to this is a thorough understanding of what it is that you really do. Your first thought is “I do massage”, but this isn’t quite as simple as it sounds. What is your focus? What is it you really bring to your clients? Start to think in terms of benefits.

Part 2

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Making a Living with Massage Therapy pt4

This job pays x (insert rate here). Is that good?

I don’t know, is it? Asking this question is putting the cart before the horse. There are a couple of things that must be considered before this question is asked.

1. How much do you need?
2. How much work can you do?
3. How busy will you be?
4. What do comparable establishments with comparable clientele pay?

How much do you need?

The first and foremost item that needs to be considered is what you need to live. If you are young, single, and living at home with mom and dad, your expenses may only be a few hundred dollars a month. On the other hand, I had a student that had over $9000 a month in expenses by paying 2 mortgages and the like. Obviously their needs would be very different.

Start by figuring out your bills and obligations on a monthly basis. Rent, car payment, gas, insurance, cable, phone, memberships, etc... add it all up. Don't forget to include annualized costs as well like car registration, magazine subscriptions, or that annual family trip you take (just divide by 12 for a monthly cost). Also, estimate what you spend irregularly on things like clothes, new shoes, and the like. Try to average it out into a monthly cost. The important thing here is to put a number on your lifestyle, NOT to give yourself a bare minimum budget that you can just barely survive on. It is good to know the bare minimum that you can scrape by one, but you don't want to live that way all the time. You can even plan for the future by adding in the things that you aspire to - new car, starting a family, starting a business.

How much work can you do?

Because we work directly with our clients, and generally we can only work with one client at a time, we MTs are inherently limited in the quantity of work we can do. There are also physical limits as well. Although I've done 10 massages in a day before, I certainly wouldn't and couldn't keep up that pace on a regular basis. Personally, I found my comfort zone to be about 15-20 massages a week. What is your number? It may be higher or lower, but how many appointments a week works for you? Without putting your body, your health, or your family/social life at risk? There are 4.33 weeks in an average month, but using 4 will help you to play it safe and estimate higher.

How busy will you be?

Before you can determine if you will be able to live off of the income from your practice or that job you applied for, you need to know how much work you will be getting. This isn't as important if you are making a set hourly wage, but it is vital if you are paid by commission or per client. This is so important that you should never leave an interview without finding out how many appointments a typical MT at a business does a week. Why? Because it may sound great that a spa will pay you $60 an hour, but if you're on-call (or worse, sitting around) and only getting 3 appointments a week, you're making a lot less than $30/hr at 10 appointments per week. Also find out the cycles of the business. Some places are relatively steady, others are feast or famine. Make sure you see the big picture.

What do comparable establishments with comparable clientele pay?

If everything is working for you in these other questions, this one isn't so important. If you ain't broke, don't fix it! But it is good practice to know what comparably experienced MTs, in comparable establishments, working with comparable clientele, and in comparable locations are paying their MTs. Minimize comparisons between massage businesses that seem similar but are not. A small day spa that caters to locals in a ritzy resort town won't be comparable to the huge, posh spa at the resort up the hill. Compare apples to apples. Still, the difference isn't as much as you might think. Cost structures in massage businesses can vary widely - how the business is run and the cost of overhead can be very different from place to place. Spas are expensive to run, so don't expect the lion's share of what the client pays.

Another common mistake is to compare what the business charges the clients. Sure the sticker price of the services can give you a good idea about the clientele, but it isn't necessarily an indication of how they pay their MTs. My wife and I took a look at working at the Ritz-Carlton Spa in Half Moon Bay when it first opened. We were shocked to see that they only paid their MTs what amounted to $10-15/hr in commissions (on a service price of $100+). The 10% they were paying wouldn't have been bad if they were charging $300+/hr, but they weren't. They claimed they had interest from MTs as far away as Utah, and my immediate thought was they would have to be from out of state and have no idea about the cost of living here! Needless to say, we passed on it. They wanted their MTs to rely on tip income, which in my experience, no matter the setting, is unreliable at best.

Summing it up

Once you have answered these questions, then you'll be equipped to determine whether the pay is good or not. If a job isn't going to make enough for you, then you either should pass on it or you'll need to supplement it. If it will keep you busy but the pay is low, how will you have time to supplement it? Or if you are already doing your limit in appointments per week, how can you add more to make more money? These questions will allow you to figure out if a job or practice will allow you to live the way you'd like. A good job or practice will balance all of these elements.

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