ORIGINAL: MinnFlyer
Tell them, ''You're not going to land, just pretend you're landing''. Teach them how to flair and why you flair before touchdown.
Once they are over the runway, have them power up and go around.
Avoid saying, ''Next time around, you're going to land'' because it can make them nervous.
Just keep having him shoot landing approaches.
THEN...
When one of the approaches is perfect, tell him, ''Don't power up, just let it settle in'' and the next thing you know, He made his first landing!
I do exactly the same thing though I may pull the throttle down for them on their controller if they are lined up and in a good attitude.
I've also killed the engine at times if they were holding a good approach and attitude, then once it is dead I tell them not to move the sticks much.
This eliminates the fear of deadsticks as well.
All of this works well because they are not expecting it, so they are not overly nervous.
Of course afterwards they find the whole experience dramatic. "Intense" is the word I most often hear.
We always follow this up with a round of applause, resulting in a mile wide grin on the student's face!
Typically when the first student has been put throught this, all of the others waiting their turn also want to try!