GERMANY Engaging/Teaching Guests with Your Smart Phone

By Nick Jones

DVSI – Engaging and Teaching Customers with Your Smart Phone - Vreni Scheufele

Over the past 10 years I have had some degree of exposure to many of the nations that make up the ISIA whether it be attending a training session run by a trainer from another nation or just sitting on a chairlift or in a bar talking about skiing. Germany however is a nation that I have not seen or heard anything from, so I was really excited to find out more about their organisation.

Germany has a very similar structure to the APSI’s 4 skills, however theirs are organised as follows:

• Balance regulation
• Pressure regulation
• Rotational movement
• Edging movement

Germany has recently updated their teaching model to work around a new mobile app they have developed. They are using this app to create engagement with the guest and include them in shaping the lesson.

Once the instructor has watched the guest ski and identified an area of skill deficiency from the regulations and movements mentioned above, it’s time to break out the app.

The app is very similar to the APSI’s app in that a selection of exercises are available to develop a particular skill. This allows the instructor to show the guest a variety of drills that they can pick from to help improve their skiing. The app allows the guest to read a description of the exercise and watch a video of it being performed before the instructor explains and demonstrates it.

This interactivity draws the guest into the learning experience by allowing them to choose an exercise that appeals to them the most. While engaging the guest is essential, it was stressed that it is still important for the instructor to guide the lesson. A maximum of two exercises should be selected to prevent overloading the guest with information and allowing them plenty of time to practice the drill. Once the guest is able to perform the drill then it should be made progressively harder or more complex to reinforce the skills the drill is developing.

As the clinic progressed several members of the group were given the opportunity to select an exercise for the group to try and it had the desired effect of getting everyone engaged in the lesson. It was very easy to see the excitement and discussion around which exercise we would try next and the decision of how to vary the exercise was also given over to the group to choose whatever we found the most fun.

While the APSI’s app is set up slightly differently to the German app this approach to conducting a lesson is something that all APSI members should consider doing at some point. I think this approach has a lot of value, especially within kids group lessons where the interactivity and influence on the lesson the guest receives can be used to create a very unique experience.