Instructors who yell for no reason

[SeaHorse81]

Yelling is one of those tools. Never with malice, and never to cause harm, and only to correct something that is unsafe, when other options have been exhausted.

That's the critical distinction, and thank you for making it. I hadn't gotten that from your previous posts.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

There was one class where I was accused of yelling. But the acoustics at the pool are horrible, one student was hard of hearing, and one student was flirting with a couple other students (I have since instituted a snorkel in the mouth policy when heads are above the surface). I was just trying to make myself heard.

 

[JohnnyC]

That's the critical distinction, and thank you for making it. I hadn't gotten that from your previous posts.

Sorry for not being more clear earlier. I can see how my posts could have been misconstrued.

 

[boulderjohn]

There are times it may be necessary, but it should not be often. Here is one case from my own experience a couple of months ago.

The skill was staging and then picking up a deco bottle. I had talked about it on the surface, and then told him I would demonstrate it. We descended, and I gave the "you watch me" signal. I started to demo, but he started doing the skill while I was demonstrating it, taking his eyes off of me as he did. He did not adjust his buoyancy, and without the weight of the full deco bottle, he started to ascend. I got over and stopped him. We went back and he took the bottle back. I emphatically repeated the "You watch me" signal, and then started to demo. He immediately started to do the skill, once again before I had demonstrated adjusting my buoyancy. Once again I grabbed him as he started to ascend. This time I screamed "Watch me!" through the regulator as I repeated the signal.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

This time I screamed "Watch me!" through the regulator as I repeated the signal.

I've done that!

 

[lowviz]

...//... I have sometimes called my friends whom I teach "maggot". But only at the beginning, to start things off with some humor. ...//...

Just twisting your tail a bit.

Seems that you can take it...

 

[gcarter]

Depends on the person being instructed.
There is a reason military training you get shouted at and put down because it works.
Men in general work better with being told they are doing something wrong and are ****. They will push and try to prove the instructor wrong.
Women on the other hand are more likely to just accept it and think they are ****.

This is the truth of it yes some men may not work well in this environment and some women will thrive in it. But there is a reason this tactic is used in army's all over the world I gives results.

Personally I work best being shouted at.

Not to derail the thread, but there is more to it than that, including the common enemy (the instructor) helps to form a team attitude more quickly, and results in better teamwork.

 

[gcarter]

I used to get complaints all the time. "Your wife yelled at me". I started initially chewing her ass. Then, I realized that she never ever ever raises her voice (yells) unless telling the cat to get off the table. So I changed my approach. "Your wife yelled at me". Oh really? Did she raise her voice? Did she berate you in front of others? "Well, no". Then what dumbass thing did you do that caused her to fear you would kill yourself? "Well, I only.....". Now, I'm glad you came in to complain, cause I'm about to really yell at you,

I agree with the above posters. Yelling is subjective, and if you didn't witness the "yelling" first hand, you have no idea what really happened. I see so many people with their little feelings hurt for being yelled at when no voice was raised, no public berating took place, and all that really happened was that a dumbassery was exposed. In fact, in well over 20 years of being an instructor, I don't think I've ever heard any instructor ever yell at any student no matter what shenanigans they pulled.

I think your "yellees" may have been making it up.

A plant I used to work in, my son works there now, is a loud industrial environment. He came to the front office one day and told me what had just happened out on the floor.

New recruit was on his first day of training. Among other things, he was told that if heard someone yelling, it was to get his attention over the noise of the plant, he was not being yelled at. He was further told that this was important - if someone was yelling, he needed to pay attention now.

Long story short, he did not last the day. He broke down in tears, sobbing in the lunch room, because everyone was yelling at him and it wasn't fair.

 

[KevinNM]

Long story short, he did not last the day. He broke down in tears, sobbing in the lunch room, because everyone was yelling at him and it wasn't fair.

Wow. There is a word that comes to mind that involves slowly falling precipitation....

 

[JohnnyC]

Why was the original post deleted? I thought it provoked some excellent discussion with some interesting viewpoints?