Changing of the Guard

Communication is the key for leaders and teachers alike. Getting people to the point where they are paying attention to a subject is an extremely important, but so is making sure that everyone knows who to listen to.

When you watch a press conference from the White house or the State, you will notice that before moving from the podium the current speaker announces who is coming up next and what their position is. In some cases, people are very well aware of who is coming up next (like the president or governor), but they go through the ritual anyway. Many times, to add flavor and prep everyone for what is coming next, they will even announce what the next person is going to be talking about. “Now our governor will answer questions from the press.”

This “changing of the guard” is an extremely important part of the communication paradigm because it helps point people in the correct direction and prepares them for success.

You will also notice that no one but the person at the podium is speaking. This creates a more efficient exchange of information or instructions. If a question is posed that the current person at the podium is not comfortable with answering, he or she will call the correct person up and have that person answer while the speaker steps off to the side.

This is done in military circles too. The step-by-step process with the change of command is a lengthy ritual that is rarely broken. While some of this is done for the purpose of making a spectacle of the new commander, it serves the purpose of making everyone extremely clear on who the person in charge is.

In our world, it is very important that we emphasize the exchange of leadership. On a small scale, when someone is running the class through warm-up exercises and someone else is leading the stretching; the ritual of bowing to the class, bowing to the new teacher and then the new teaching bowing to the class is a ritual that makes it clear who is giving the instructions. Equally important is that no one interrupts that person’s flow. In the unusual scenario that a senior interrupts a junior, you will see the junior step back and drop his or her profile.

In our world, there is a lot of “Grey Area” when it comes to how techniques are applied. This is one of the interesting aspects of martial arts - is that it is an “art.” However, such concepts are often frustrating for a group of beginning or even intermediate students. Having one person giving instructions at one time and making sure the class is fully aware of who that person is will go a long way with streamlining the communication.