Communication Skills

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Communication is the art of successfully sharing meaningful information with

people by means of an interchange of experience. Coaches wish to motivate
the athletes they work with and to provide them with information that will
allow them to train effectively and improve performance. Communication from
the coach to athlete will initiate appropriate actions. This however, requires
the athlete to receive the information from the coach but also to understand
and accept it.
[1]
In his article Crookes (1991)
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stated that coaches need to ask themselves:
Do I have the athlete's attention?

Am I explaining myself in an easily understood manner?
Has the athlete understood?
Does the athlete believe what I am telling him/her?
Does the athlete accept what I am saying?
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At first, it may appear that face-to-face communication consists of taking it in

turns to speak. While the coach is speaking, the athlete is expected to listen
and wait patiently until the coach finishes. On closer examination, it can be
seen that people resort to a variety of verbal and non-verbal behaviour in
order to maintain a smooth flow of communication. Such behaviour includes
head-nods, smiles, frowns, bodily contact, eye movements, laughter, body
posture, language and many other actions. The facial expressions of athletes
provide feedback to the coach. Glazed or down turned eyes indicate boredom
or disinterest, as does fidgeting. Fully raised eyebrows signal disbelief and half
raised indicate puzzlement. Posture of the group provides a means by which
their attitude to the coach may be judged and act as pointer to their mood.
Control of a group demands that a coach should be sensitive to the signals
being transmitted by the athletes. Their faces usually give a good indication of
how they feel, and a good working knowledge of the meaning of non-verbal
signals will prove invaluable to the coach.
Communicationblocks
[1]
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Crookes (1991)
believes that difficulties in communicating with an athlete
may be due a number of issues including the following:
The athlete's perception of something is different to yours
The athlete may jump to a conclusion instead of working through the
process of hearing, understanding and accepting
The athlete may lack the knowledge needed to understand what you are
trying to communicate
The athlete may lack the motivation to listen to you or to convert the
information given into action
The coach may have difficulty in expressing what she/he wishes to say
to the athlete
Emotions may interfere in the communication process
There may be a clash of personality between you and the athlete

These blocks to communication work both ways and coaches need to consider
the process of communication carefully.
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EffectiveCommunication
[1]
Crookes (1991)
should consider:
states that before communicating with an athlete, coaches
WHY they want to communicate

WHO they wish to communicate with
WHERE and WHEN the message could best be delivered
WHAT is it that they want to communicate
HOW they are going to communicate the information
Effective communication contains six elements (Crookes 1991):

Clear
Ensure that the information is presented clearly
Concise
Be concise, do not lose the message by being long winded
Correct
Be accurate, avoid giving misleading information
Complete
Give all the information and not just part of it
Courteous Be polite and non-threatening, avoid conflict
Constructive Be positive, avoid being critical and negative
BePositive
When coaches provide information to the athlete that will allow them to take
actions to effect change, it is important that they provide the information in a
positive manner. Look for something positive to say first and then provide the
information that will allow the athlete to effect a change of behaviour or
action.
Conclusion
[1]
Crookes (1991)
believes that coaches should:
Develop their verbal and non-verbal communication skills

Ensure that they provide positive feedback during coaching sessions
Give all athletes in their training groups equal attention
Communicate as appropriate to your athlete's thinking and learning
styles
Ensure that they not only talk to their athletes but they also listen to
them as well
Improved communication skills will enable both the athlete and coach to gain
much more from their coaching relationship.
References
1. CROOKES (1991) Complan Column. Athletics Coach, 25 (3), p. 13
RelatedReferences
The following references provide additional information on this topic:
MAGUIRE, P. and PITCEATHLY, C. (2002) Key communication skills and
how to acquire them. Bmj, 325 (7366), p. 697-700
HARGIE, O. (1997) The handbook of communication skills. Psychology
Press
PageReference
If you quote information from this page in your work then the reference for
this page is:
MACKENZIE, B. (1997) Communication Skills [WWW] Available from:
https://www.brianmac.co.uk/commun.htm [Accessed 22/10/2016]
RelatedPages
The following Sports Coach pages provide additional information on this topic:
Articles on Coaching
Books on Coaching
Coaches Corner
Coaching Philosophy
Coaching Resources
Coaching Skills and Roles
Coach Assessment
Communication Skills
Coaching Styles
Code of Ethics and Conduct for Sports Coaches
AdditionalSourcesofInformation
For further information on this topic see the following:
BEASHEL, P. and TAYLOR, J. (1996) Advanced Studies in Physical
Education and Sport. UK: Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd.
BEASHEL, P. and TAYLOR, J. (1997) The World of Sport Examined. UK:
Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd.
BIZLEY, K. (1994) Examining Physical Education. Oxford; Heinemann
Educational Publishers
DAVIS, B. et al. (2000) Physical Education and the Study of Sport. UK:
Harcourt Publishers Ltd.
GALLIGAN, F. et al. (2000) Advanced PE for Edexcel. Oxford;
Heinemann Educational Publishers
McARDLE, W. et al. (2000) Essentials of Exercise Physiology. 2nd ed.
Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins
CRISFIELD, P. et al. (1999) The Successful Coach. 2nd ed. UK; The
National Coach Foundation
HAGGER, M. (1999) Coaching Young Performers. UK; The National
Coach Foundation
McQUADE, S. and WEARE, N. (2005) Assessing in Sport. UK; Coachwise
Business Solutions
ROGERS, J. (2000) USA Track and Field Coaching Manual. USA; Human
Kinetics Publishers, Inc.
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What are the main points about effective communication according to Crookes (1991)?

What are some potential blocks to communication between a coach and athlete?

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A-Z Page Index

Communication is the art of successfully sharing meaningful information with

In his article Crookes (1991)

stated that coaches need to ask themselves:

Do I have the athlete's attention?

At first, it may appear that face-to-face communication consists of taking it in

There may be a clash of personality between you and the athlete

states that before communicating with an athlete, coaches

WHY they want to communicate

Effective communication contains six elements (Crookes 1991):

believes that coaches should:

Develop their verbal and non-verbal communication skills

Free newsletter and two free reports:

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