I’ve gotten pretty good at dealing with frustrated members and unruly class participants. Let me share a story from this past weekend where someone apparently didn’t appreciate the change in instructor!

So there I was, subbing a strength class, when someone showed up late. This was the third class in a row I was covering at this location, and most of the members had been with me since two hours earlier. They already knew they liked me and were having a great time in my class.

This newly arrived member seemed surprised and displeased that a different instructor was leading the group. She even seemed unsettled that the group was enjoying the class. Mind you, this was a new location where I had never been before. Instead of a key, they used coded master locks, which was a problem because I didn’t have the code, and the person in charge didn’t know it either. So we worked with what we had open, and everyone was fine and focused on their workout.

The latecomer was not happy about this. She interrupted my class to complain about not knowing the regular instructor would be out. Never mind that I had been listed on the schedule for several weeks; that fact wasn’t relevant to her. She then started complaining about being unable to access the locked equipment. I told her I couldn’t stop the ongoing class to try and find the code, so I offered my own equipment since I didn’t need it. She rolled her eyes and walked out. The members all started laughing at her reaction.

Later she returned with some weights from outside, but she still didn’t seem pleased. As I continued to guide the class, she wore a sour expression. This woman was clearly still upset. After some time, she let out a loud sigh, grabbed her bag, and left. As she walked out, I said, “Enjoy your day,” with a smile. She shot me a hard look, I nodded, and kept teaching.

The group laughed, and several said, “Don’t worry, she’s always in a bad mood.” I replied, “Who?” They laughed again. Clearly, this person had decided to have a rough day and may have hoped to bring others down with her. Fortunately, we didn’t let it affect us. I kept the energy up and delivered a great workout to the group.

Sometimes you encounter members who just aren’t happy. I try to empathize and wish I could pause the class for those who need a listening ear, but we don’t have that luxury. So when you come across someone like that, do your best to help and try to brighten their day but don’t sacrifice the experience for the rest of the group because one person is having a tough time.