communicating effectively david yukelson chapter 8 “ i wish my coach was a little clearer with me....

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Communicating Effectively

David Yukelson

Chapter 8

“I wish my coach was a little clearer with me. I wish I knew where I stood with her. I wish she believed in me more. Right now, I feel like I’m working really hard but nothing ever seems to be good enough. Anytime I go into my coach’s office to talk, things get turned around and I’m always on the defensive. I wish the communication between us

was better and more open.”

Penn State University Student Athlete


Communication

• Ability to express one’s thoughts, feelings, and needs effectively, and reciprocally

• Multidimensional• Central to good communication:

understanding the thoughts, feelings, and needs of others

• Goal is to connect in a meaningful way

• Critical to the success of any team or organization and its members


Communication

• Communication involves sending, receiving (encoding), and interpreting (decoding) messages through a variety of sensory modalities

• Messages can be:• Verbal (written or spoken)• Nonverbal (facial expressions, body language, body

positioning, and symbolic gestures and signals) • Distinguished by content and emotion

• Content and context interact to produce meaning

Communication

• WHAT you say is as important as HOW you say it!

• Tone of voice, facial expressions, body posture/spatial distance, and eye contact are some of the nonverbal cues that influence communication

I think you are doing a great job!

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of

McGraw-Hill Education.


Communication in Sport

• Much of what goes on in sport revolves around communication

• A key part of this is listening• Mutual sharing leads to mutual understanding

• Team members must communicate openly and honestly with one another about the efficiency of group functioning and the quality of interpersonal relationships


Coach as Communicator

• Coaches who are good communicators:

• Have credibility with their athletes• Trustworthy• Respected AND respectful

• Establish open lines of communication

• Honest, fair, sincere, consistent, understanding

• Accept individuals for who they are


Coach as Communicator (cont.)

• Coaches who are good communicators:• Explain, clarify, and individualize

instruction individually• Different athletes need different supports

• Observe athletes’ performances analytically

• Allows them to help athletes improve by providing clear and constructive feedback in a non- threatening manner


Communication and Groups• Communication directly affects group

solidarity, collective efficacy, and team performance

• Teams must communicate easily and efficiently with one another

• Coaches and athletes talk openly about interpersonal and task-related issues that affect them directly, and everyone works together to develop a positive group atmosphere/team culture


Communication and Groups (cont.)

• Interpersonal problems on teams usually stem from poor communication

• Often the result of misunderstanding or miscommunication of feelings


Group Misunderstandings

Types of misunderstandings :1. A difference of opinion resolvable by common sense2. A clash of personalities in the group3. A conflict of task or social roles among group members4. A struggle for power between one or more individuals5. A breakdown of communication between the leader and

the group or among members of the group itself

Henschen and Miner (1989)


Group Misunderstandings (cont.)

• Misunderstandings can also result from:

• Inaccessibility• Inattentiveness• Lack of assertiveness• Misperceiving someone’s motives,

intentions, or behavior• People fear being ridiculed or rejected

for their thoughts


Team Communication Dynamics3 different communication configurations

Coach–Team

Athlete–Athlete

Coach–Athlete


Coach–Team Communications

• Group synergy and team chemistry are keys• Group synergy means sharing a vision of what could be if everyone

puts his or her skills and resources together to achieve team goals • Comes from coaches

• Important to obtain consensus and commitment from the team• Coach should solicit input from team members


Coach–Team Communications (cont.)• To achieve strong communication, a coach may find

the following communication principles useful: 1. Impart2. Inspire3. Monitor4. Clarify5. Reinforce


Coach–Athlete Communications• Coaches should build a psychological and social environment

conducive to goal achievement and team success• Get to know athletes as unique individuals

• Find out their strengths, talents, interests, needs• Be open, honest, and up-front with athletes• Provide evaluative feedback


Coach–Athlete Communications (cont.)• Up to both parties to make communication stronger!

• Recognize individual differences communication styles - do not assume everyone interprets info in the same ways

• Reduce uncertainty; clarify expectations and be supportive• Focus on being positive and consistent• Develop empathy skills


Athlete-Athlete Communication

• Teammates must establish and maintain harmonious working relationships with each other

• Coaches should make a point to start the season off with disclosure/mutual sharing team-building activities


Athlete-Athlete Communication (cont.)• Athletic teams are like families…tension,

frustration, and conflict is inevitable• Underlying issues revolve around

• Misunderstanding• Insensitivity• Distrust• Betrayal• Athletes feeling unheard• Intercultural misunderstandings rooted in race,

class, ethnicity, etc.


Ways to Improve Athlete-Athlete Communication

• Make sure everyone pulling in the same direction (team comes first)

• Listen to others, they will listen to you!• Learn how to give and receive constructive feedback• Learn better tolerance• Avoid backstabbing and gossiping• Keep confrontations private• Recognize that not all conflicts can be resolved, but

most managed more effectively if both parties communicate


Listening Is Important!3 Levels of Listening1. Arrogant listening – listeners more

interested in what they have to say as opposed to what the other person is saying

2. Superficial or inattentive listening – listeners tune out quickly once they think they have enough information to decipher what the speaker’s intent is

3. Active listening – listener is attuned, connected, engaged; tries to understand what the other person has to say


Active Listening

• The preferred mode of listening • Posture indicates active involvement• Listen for what it is the person is really trying to say

(both verbally and nonverbally)• Clarify to ensure your understanding is correct• Provide a summarizing statement that pulls everything

together in a respectful empathetic way


Active Listening (cont.)

A tool for improving non-verbal techniques necessary for active listening is the SOLER Technique:

Square and face the person

Open posture

Lean toward person

Eye contact

Relaxed body


Reflective Listening

• Powerful method for demonstrating active listening

• Reflective listening skills:• Questioning• Clarifying• Encouraging• Paraphrasing• Reflecting • Empathetic understanding• Summarizing

Empathy

• Skills of listening are not always sufficient to provide quality relationships with people.

• Empathy• A special kind of mindfulness and understanding• Trying to understand and feel what the other person is

experiencing from their own perspective• Walk in their shoes• Empathetic listeners reflect what they hear

• Restate ideas in their own words • Ask good questions

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McGraw-Hill Education.


Assertiveness Training: Need for Expression

Assertiveness is the honest and straight-forward

expression of a person’s thoughts, feelings, and

beliefs in a socially appropriate way that does

not violate or infringe on the rights of others

It is a learned social skill and must be practiced!


Challenges being Assertive

• Reasons people have trouble being assertive:

• Social consequences• Lack of awareness/assertive

skills• Lack of confidence• Vulnerability


Assertiveness TrainingDESC formula (Greenberg, 1990)

1. Describe…the situation as you see it2. Express…your feelings regarding the other

person’s behavior or the situation you have just described

3. Specify…what changes you would like to see take place

4. Consequences…what will happen


Resolving Team Conflicts• “Four Olves”

• invOlve• resOlve• absOlve• evOlve

• Make the group the target of change• Talk about team culture and commitment

required for the team to work

• Communicate honestly and directly in a respectful manner

Sport Psychologist - Skilled Helper

A skilled sport psychologist has strong communication skills:

• Ability to develop rapport• Skilled interviewer• Adept at listening• Good at probing

• Genuineness • Openness• Warmth• Empathetic• Creative and skillful• Trustworthiness

Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written

consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

communicating effectively david yukelson chapter 8 “ i wish my coach was a little clearer with me....

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