How to prepare for a master class: personal experience of Alexey Baluev

Regardless of who you are by profession - a psychologist, teacher, colorist or cook, if a person wants to conduct master classes, then first of all he must have enough knowledge and a great desire to share it with people.

There are many ways to prepare for a master class. There are special trainings for teachers on how to structure information and present it correctly, how to conduct all stages of a seminar correctly, and how to lead a group psychologically comfortably. Many books have been written about this and a lot of lectures have been recorded and are publicly available on the Internet.

Alexey Baluev is the art director of Long&Short beauty salon and co-founder of Long&Short hair academy, as well as the winner in the “Colorist” category at the International Stella Prize.

How long does it take to prepare?

It depends on the format of the event. Different formats require different preparation. And a lot depends on the topic of the event and how competent the speaker is in his industry. And if he knows all the information he has to tell the public by heart, it will take a little time to sort everything out.

I can say the following about myself: I spend six months preparing for some events. This includes working out the material, structuring information, and rehearsing speech. And I can prepare some master classes literally in a week, conduct them well and receive incredible feedback.

Excitement before the master class

I'm nervous before the master class, and that's normal. Sometimes anxiety manifests itself as a slight jitter just before going out to people, and sometimes it takes over me for 15-20 minutes. This is normal, because the fear of public speaking is common to everyone. And some researchers argue that this type of fear comes in second place after the fear of death. It often happens that people with a huge amount of knowledge that would be very useful to others simply do not want to constantly experience this stress, which is why they do not conduct master classes.

I'm used to facing this and other fears in the face and I know for sure that overcoming myself makes me better.

Where can I get information for the master class?

Throughout my hairdressing career, I have not stopped developing even for a day. In addition to having a good knowledge base, I invest in my professional development every day: I read professional literature, communicate with colleagues. Despite the fact that I often conduct master classes, and I myself attend them on average 2-3 times a month. This is both for updating knowledge and for understanding who leads the group in what way, how they work through various objections or resolve current situations at master classes.

I am quite demanding of myself and constantly analyze the information and the results that I receive. This also helps you become better. Fortunately, we live in a time when there is more than enough available information. But not everyone is ready to spend a little time in the evening to go to YouTube, watch a useful video, and tomorrow, using it in their work, become better. And believe me, if you systematically study the necessary material every day, literally in six months a person will grow beyond recognition. And I believe that if there is a great desire, then there are no barriers.

How to relax after a master class?

There must certainly be such a thing as relaxation. A person must rest after heavy physical and psychological stress. Now I already allow myself time to rest, breaks. Previously, I did not have this opportunity, because in addition to master classes, I had a huge number of clients, and I also worked as a salon director. Thanks to our growth today, I have the opportunity to relax. I relax in different ways: I go shopping, sometimes I go painting. I advise everyone to find an easy outlet that will help restore strength!

Alexey Baluev's advice to those who want to conduct master classes

If you want to conduct master classes, first of all think about why you need it. If your goal is to teach people to do better work, then this should be their first priority. I strongly recommend not always thinking about everything being perfect, but taking care of the people who come to you and their condition. I often observed “rape” at master classes, when the teacher tries to lay everything out clearly and correctly, but people are not ready to accept it. You and your information will be better remembered if you can create a comfortable seminar for participants.