Coaching & Programming
An Emotion Is A Short-Lived Prediction, And A FASTER Specialist Course Teaches Trainers To Read The One In The Room
From the FASTER syllabus: this article is taught in full in The specialist course where emotions are taught →
In short: A FASTER specialist course teaches that emotions are predictions or interpretations of what is going on, and that they are short-lived. Six common emotions are listed (happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, anger, surprise), but the course says you cannot assume which one a person feels until it shows in their face, voice, eye contact and movement. The same hug feels different when the hugger has just eaten your last cookie. For a trainer, that means a client's emotion at the start of a session is a passing state that the right reflection and understanding can change.
The short version
An emotion is a prediction, or an interpretation of what is going on, and it does not last. That is the starting point of the Emotions lesson in one of our specialist courses. For a trainer it is good news. The client who walks in flat or fed up is in a passing state, and the next hour can move it.
Key Takeaways
- Emotions are predictions or interpretations of what is happening.
- They are short-lived, so a client's mood at the door can change.
- You cannot assume one emotion from a single sign. Face, voice, eye contact and movement all count.
The six common emotions
The course lists the known common emotions: happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, anger and surprise. It also says recent research suggests the universal emotions are always different and fleeting. So the list works as a set of labels, and the real thing underneath keeps moving.
The hug and the last cookie
The course teaches this with a story. A hug from a loved one can make you happy. Now suppose that loved one has just eaten the last cookie in the cupboard and hugs you to make up for it. The same hug lands differently because you are angry. The person hugging has changed too. At first they were genuine, then perhaps a little fearful or sorry about the cookie.
Same trigger, different emotion. The sensation of the hug does not decide the feeling. The situation around it does.
What a trainer does with that
The lesson gives a trainer two jobs. The first is to look before deciding. The course says you cannot assume an emotion fits until you see it in facial expressions, voice, eye contact and movement. A client who says "fine" with a flat voice and slow movement is telling you something the word does not.
The second is to use the fact that emotions are temporary. The course says you can influence them with the right reflection and understanding of a situation. As a trainer, you reflect back what you see and shape the session so the client's feeling at the end is better than at the start. That links to the story-shaped session in a sister lesson, where the client leaves with a collection of good feelings.
Where PT Manager fits
PT Manager, our free software, includes a daily check-in a client can tap in a few seconds, so a passing mood becomes a pattern you can see over weeks. It opens when you sign up with FASTER and is free with any FASTER course. Adding real clients unlocks the day you pass a course. See PT Manager.
If you are qualified and want the coaching skills that sit on top of your certificate, the specialist course where emotions are taught covers this lesson in full, with the video and examples.
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You just read one answer. The course is all of them.
The specialist course where emotions are taught — taught by the people who wrote it, with free return access for life. The price is on the page, payment plans at checkout, no sales calls.
Also worth a look: PT Manager, free with any FASTER course.
See what the course covers →Frequently asked
What are the common emotions in the course?
Happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, anger and surprise. The course adds that recent research suggests emotions are always different and fleeting, so the list is a starting point.
Can a trainer tell what a client feels from their face alone?
The course says you cannot assume it. An emotion shows across facial expressions, voice, eye contact and movement together, so a trainer looks at all four.
Can a trainer change how a client feels?
The course says emotions are short-lived, so the right reflection and understanding of the situation can influence them.
Does PT Manager help with it?
PT Manager's client check-ins let a client tap a 1 to 5 score for things like mood each day, which gives a trainer a picture over time.
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