|
Skill Development
Often there is a perception
that guides and instructors are different. Traditionally
guides are seen more as leading the way, while instructors
tend to spend more time being a teacher. However to deliver
a quality adventure guides have to be able to develop skills
and instructors have to be able to lead and organize.
It is important to remember
that the main reason for skill development is to manage risk
and increase efficiency of movement so people can go longer
and farther.
Technically speaking
instructors are guides and vice versa. How much guides can
teach and well instructors can lead will ultimately
determine the overall quality of the experience.
As most adventures include
movement, skill development can take many forms. It can
include; movement skills, tactics, personal skills, terrain
evaluation and awareness of the setting.
Teaching people how to move
efficiently allows them to go farther. Showing them how to
negotiate the terrain allows them to reduce risk. Teaching
people how to evaluate the terrain allows them to make their
own decisions giving them autonomy. Understanding themselves
allows them to push their own boundaries while learning
about their environment can build a connection.
The art of guiding is to know
when to work on a skill and when to just sit back and let
people experience the adventure with the skills they have.
Timing is everything and can either build or undermine
credibility.
Teach too much and the
adventure becomes boring, if you teach too little, people
can start to fail. Guides need to find the right balance
between having skills that are good enough and skills that
are perfect. In some terrain skills need to be perfect, in
other terrain there is less risk so people are able to get
away with less skill and focus on more mileage.
What makes things interesting
is that everyone learns in a different way so teaching
something to one person in one way may not resonate with the
next person. Guides have to be able to communicate
information in many different ways so that it can be
absorbed by people with different learning styles and
personalities.
There are many ways to teach
and develop skill however the outcome should always be the
same. It should fun and positive. When the right skills are
applied people can achieve flow and gain control. When
people feel flow, they feel good about themselves and what
they have done.
|
