Managing Athlete Communication in Sports

Ask any elite coach or manager, and they’ll tell you that sporting organizations that emphasize communication perform better and have a much more cohesive team unit. Subsequently, such teams can overcome challenges and thrive in the face of adversity, while other teams “self-implode.”

By the article’s end, you’ll better understand why effective communication is so crucial. But more importantly, you’ll learn easy-to-implement strategies to improve communication between players.

Why Is Communication in Sports Important?

Sports teams that can effectively communicate with one another have greater levels of cohesiveness and tend to develop stronger bonds. These stronger bonds help teams overcome challenges, especially in times of adversity, such as extended losing streaks or a shock loss. 

Coaches aren’t just responsible for implementing practice drills or strategizing a game plan for (hopefully winning) a series of tournaments; they are also responsible for creating an environment where players are encouraged to communicate positively.

What Makes a Sports Coach a Good Communicator?

• Great listeners (remember, communication runs both ways).
• Personable and trustworthy.
• Open to new ideas and non-judgemental.
• Leads healthy discussions among team members.
• Adapts communication style to athletes’ ages.

How can I Manage Communication in Sports?

1. Clearly define your expectations

Ensuring your goals and expectations are clearly defined is the most critical component when setting expectations. Many coaches find that instead of focusing on defining the expectation, it’s better to define the behaviors “expected” to achieve those expectations. 

Writing down your expectations is one of the best ways to communicate your goal, objectives, and expectations to your players and coaching staff. This way, there can be no ambiguity when evaluating athlete and coaching performances. 

2. Schedule team meetings

Scheduling regular team meetings is another critical component of the expectation puzzle. During team meetings, try to provide players and coaching staff with as many examples as possible to help them grasp and gauge exactly what is being communicated and, more importantly, what is expected.

Team meetings also present the perfect opportunity for players to ask questions and give feedback to the coach. Remember, what one thing means to one player might mean something entirely different to another, and team meetings provide the ideal place to clear those discrepancies up.

3. Reinforce your expectations

Finally, the best coaches in the world continually reinforce their expectations and lead by example. When athletes, parents, and coaching staff see you as the coach “practicing what you preach,” it makes it much easier for the entire organization to buy into your coaching philosophy, goals, and objectives.

Conclusion

Effective communication and managing expectations go hand-in-hand and are critical to the success of any sporting team, regardless of the level. Make sure your expectations are clear, well-defined, and unambiguous. Stick to these fundamentals, and you’ll be well on your way to getting the most out of your athletes and the wider sporting organization