10 Tips for Instructors to Stand Out from the Crowd 

1.  It’s about going the extra mile to prove that you are one of a kind in skills, talent, or personality.  Standing out from the crowd is about trying to live your best and be your best.  CANI and the Black Belt Life Style.
 
2.  When talking, it is important to come across as self-assured and knowledgeable, so be sure to have done your research and know your facts beforehand.  This might be teaching concepts or sharing a mat chat.
 
3. Take chances and work hard. Risks and chances are the things in life that can catapult you forward if they work out. Many people won't take up the challenge because they're afraid of failure. Yet, without failure nothing new can be gained and it is only those who are willing to take risks and to work hard at their dreams that eventually break through and succeed. Have a well-placed sense of faith in your mission, and a willingness to take risks if you want to stand out from the crowd.  Don’t be afraid to compete, be part of a demonstration, lead a class or speak to groups.
 
4.  Say, “Thank You!” for all the little things people do, as well as the big things. Send thank you cards to people who have helped you. 

5. When you make someone a promise, do your very best to keep it. People who stand out from the crowd are people who keep their word and follow up their promises to help, to be somewhere, to do something for someone. The reason you'll stand out is because so many people do not do what they say they will. Reliability makes you memorable and causes you to stand well above all the forgotten promise-breakers.
 
6.  Standing out from the crowd often means that you take action while everyone else stands back, wondering what to do next. If you learn to sum up situations quickly and to respond according to what needs to be done, you place yourself in a position of being different from the silent majority waiting to be shown what should happen next.
 
7. Check your posture. The person who stands out from the crowd will also stand tall, no matter your height. Slouching is a defensive strategy that does nothing to draw attention to you in a crowd, not to mention its harm for your overall body alignment.
 
8. Be present.    The greatest honor you can do another person is to show you've really heard them, and to show that what they've said matters. Since most people are too busy wondering what to say next, and how to explain their own thoughts, feelings, and ideas, a listener will stand out from the rest. Be willing to give people the space to talk about themselves and show that you clearly respect their thoughts. Not only will this flatter them and reassure them that they matter, but they'll realize very quickly that you're someone to treasure and they'll follow your lead.
 
9. Remind people how great they are. Regularly single out people in your life, from the dojo to home, to remind them how great they are. So few of us take the time to acknowledge the people in our lives whom we take for granted that when someone does validate us in this way, it comes as a totally sweet surprise and is so out of the ordinary that it gets remembered. It's also a very genuine way of establishing rapport with people, and maintaining goodwill.
 
10.  Smile. There are never enough smiles to go around; be someone who provides at least five smiles for every one frown you spot.

​Greg Silva