teaching how to follow

I find that group classes are hardly the best way to teach - especially when it comes to working with those who follow. But, alas, unless one is a full-time tango teacher (and lives in a world where people are able to pay - say - £30 for a class instead of - say - £3) group classes are the format to go with. Many issues such as groundedness, though, seem impossible to communicate, no matter how many excercises and explanations are being given. I'm often quite astonished by how difficult it is for me or my teaching partner to communicate anything physical verbally - or how easy to misunderstand - if there is not already a concept in the learners brain of what is meant. Being of a skinny disposition myself, for instance, it took me years to understand what 'connecting with the floor' could possibly mean (- and I'm still working on it).
Yesterday I worked with two of our women in class on grounding themselves and relaxing into the connection. With much feedback and concerted concentration there was a sense of where things could go - until they were handed back to their beginner-leaders. But it is probably illusionary to think that anything other than practicing could cut the process short.