Re: [Callers] Implied Messages in First-Timer's Orientation (Was: Head Mikes and Mike Heads)

if i had just five minutes: 1. teach the swing, teach it well. point out that the person always ends up on the right or left (dep on gender) and drill that in. tell them that if whoever they're dancing with doesn't put them on the appropriate side, just go there. then i emphasize that in teaching the first few dances (end that swing/right and left through/promenade/etc. wtih the gents on the left, etc). i also point out to them that the place where they swing their partner can be considered their "recovery point" if they get lost - just go to that place and wait and everything will be ok. now they have two ways to self-correct on the dance floor, which is empowering and tends to diminish that "frozen" feeling. i mention the recovery point during the walk-throughs of the first couple dances as a reminder. 2. the caller's in charge of crowd control, anything that goes wrong is the CALLER's (MY) fault. take the pressure off. 3. it's a party - let's go have some fun! at the end of every class i teach, i have a huddle, a round of applause, ask them if they're ready to dance (make them yell "yes") - more like a pep rally than a class. in fact, i think of myself as the party hostess. i can't MAKE anyone have a good time, but if i'm a good hostess i'll set up the right situation so that everyone CAN have a good time. the biggest part of that is getting people to relax, and that means YOU have to be relaxed. *********************** most useful thing i EVER did to increase my calling skills was to start calling for non-dancers, ie wedding and birthday parties.