ROI…
Return on Investment..
Something all business/ finance experts are looking for…. what am I going to get in return for spending my X amount of $$$?
As coaches/ teachers we do the same thing when calculating how to spend our often times meager budget allocations.
I have written and shared before a couple of motivational ideas (investments) that cost very little but can have a great impact (return) in your program… including this post called The Impact of $4.
If $4 is still too steep of an investment for you, how about 6 cents?
The past two years, twice a year (one time each semester) I have taken a picture of every student in class completing a lift. I take the picture of the student executing a push press rep… for a number of reasons…
- It is a lift most of the students like doing
- In addition to showing the lifter, it also shows the spotters (teamwork)
- It is impressive looking… the bar above their head with plates on it!
I take two pictures (to insure I get one good one) of each student using my phone…. it actually takes very little time. I pick the better of the two and delete the other. On each photo I add our class name and year at the bottom (Bingham Strength and Conditioning 2016) I organize them all in a folder and send them electronically to Walgreens.
By keeping an eye on Walgreen ads that come in my inbox, I can usually get these 4×6 pictures printed for about 6 cents each… and am able to pick them up the same day!
The day I distribute the pictures is always one of my favorite days of the year. I emphasize that I want them to save their photo, take it home to show their family, show their teachers and friends, and talk about what we are doing in class.
That 6 cents generates a great deal of excitement (ROI)… and when I take, print and distribute the pictures second semester, it allows the students (and their families) to instantly see the progress they have made in class by comparing the two pictures… almost like a “before and after”. Comments like these are common…
- “I have both pictures in my room”
- “My mom took my picture to work to show her friends”
- “My dad didn’t believe I could lift this much”
- “We still have the pictures from last year on our fridge!”
Is 6 cents still too much of an investment?
How about free?
At the beginning of every class period, I have one student’s workout card projected at the front of the room. I use their card to explain the day’s workout and talk about the class “challenge” for the day.
I pick a new student and card each day, from each class. I really don’t ever discuss my criteria for selection, but the students come to realize there is an unspoken method to the process… it isn’t random, alphabetical, etc.
Invariably during the course of the year, a student will eventually ask “how do you pick the card that you put up there each day?”
I then turn it around and ask them “How do you think I pick it?” … and they always know the answer… it is someone that has been doing things right in class.
It seems like a silly little thing, but the students WANT their card to be the one picked… they want to be recognized… they want to be told “Good Job!” in front of their peers.
It is so easy to do, the investment is zero $, and creates a sizable return each class period.
Every day… every hour… it makes one student feel good… it makes one student proud.
Related Posts:
Remember – You Can Do More… your brain is lying to you…. Don’t Believe It!
Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com