Developing Empathy for your Clients’-Adapted from my CSUMB Lecture

Why?

1) In your current roles, you’re going to work with A LOT of injured people. Upwards of 90% of people will have low back pain at some point in their life.

2)One of the most valuable skill sets you can develop in personal training, and in life, is EMPATHY

3)A trainer who can’t empathize with his client or patient will LOSE the client and potentially negatively hinder outcomes

4)You may find these “soft skills” one of the most important skills to learn in this field

Brainstorm for 10 minutes on your own personal experiences:

What was the injury?

What was the mechanism of injury?

How did it hinder your activities of daily life?

What emotions did it make you feel?

What did you learn from it?

In order to train and lead people, you must be able to walk a mile in their shoes. Every client wants to be heard and understood. You may more often than not find yourself as more of a confidant rather than supervisor of an exercise routine.