It's great to have Coaching Conversations return after a bit of a break, this time meeting Vanessa Keenan. Vanessa is a Synchronised Swimming Coach based in Canada and was last year named on the CoachSeek Top 50 Influential Coaches for 2015. You can find more of her work at her website, The Online Synchro Coach, or her YouTube channel. 

The following was written for Coach Logic and the original can be found at:
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http://www.coach-logic.com/the-4-key-elements-to-coaches-communicating-effectively/

KEY ELEMENTS TO COACHES COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY

​Communication is crucial to all aspects of coaching and it is my belief that it needs to be carefully considered and continually reviewed by a coach. It is one area of my coaching that I constantly focus upon, not just in terms of coaching cues and how I can create the best learning environment for my players, but also how I can engage them as both people and players so as to ensure that they feel valued and have a clear understanding of my thought process.

Respected coach Allistair McCaw tweeted earlier this year:

“Clear and well understood communication is key in the successful working relationship of athlete and coach” – @allistairmccaw, 10/03/2015.

Below I have listed some points that I strive to address on a regular basis.

What am I saying / What are they hearing?

Every coach has had sessions where whatever they planned just doesn’t seem to be working – the players aren’t quite reacting in the way you had hoped they might. Of course there could be a number of reasons for this, however it is always worth considering that players aren’t necessarily hearing the message that you think you are saying. It is crucial to know your players in a training environment – how do they normally react? How do they learn best? Is there anything I could say, do or demonstrate differently to get them to the point that I want them to reach?

Remember – there are many roads to the same destination. Sometimes they will be the ones you mapped out in advance; sometimes you’ll have to work out the best route on the fly.

Know the person behind the player

The player is made up of a variety of experiences, decisions and relationships both on and off the pitch. Knowing them as a person creates a far stronger bond and also puts you in a better position to have a positive impact as a coach. Not everyone is the same, and not everyone necessarily needs to be treated the same way – strive to create a team of individuals working in unison rather than multiple versions of the same individual. If you get to know them, understand their experiences and have an idea of how they see the sport and the world in general, then you are better placed to know how to treat them if they have a bad game, or show up late, or their performance stagnates, or they lose interest etc etc. Take the time and you’ll see/feel the benefits.

Treat players with honesty and respect

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” – Maya Angelou

Force yourself to not just make the tough decisions but to follow this up by having the tough conversations. This is particularly true for team selection. Personally, I don’t believe that players should be left confused by your actions as a coach – they may not agree, they may not be happy, but they should have a clear understanding of what has led you to that decision. Furthermore, you should be there to support them to help them reach the level of performance that you want to see.

The quote above, from Maya Angelou, is one that I use for motivation to ensure that I treat my players with enough respect to have the uncomfortable conversations that can help them in the long run.

Encourage players to speak up and give feedback

This is not a dictatorship. Encourage players to question you and to provide both positive, or negative, feedback. Leave your ego at the door and focus on improving their performance. If they question you, they are at least thinking about the game in some more detail. Communication is a two-way process and we should all be striving to create ‘thinking players’. You can’t do it for them on the pitch – they need to be able to make decisions for themselves at the correct times and under pressure. An environment that encourages and values their input increases their engagement, understanding and sense of responsibility for performance.

Having arrived early for a coaching session recently I was casually watching a football session with eight young kids, I'd guess they were U10s or similar but clearly of a high ability. They were moving the ball well in an interesting session and the coach certainly had their attention when making points. I always do my best not to 'judge' other coaches however I was really disappointed soon after to hear him compare their failed attempt at the drill to "a bunch of girls". 

Firstly, I think that coaches need to be aware of their language as a powerful and potentially harmful tool, especially when coaching children. They are looking up to the coach as a role model and an expert who has now implied to them that 'football' and 'girls' should be tied together in a negative way. This is nothing new, old-school coaches have long used comparisons to females or sexuality as a motivational tool when coaching young male athletes and it is simply not good enough anymore. I even recall reading a study at university where a coach justified this language by stressing he didn't agree with it but that it 'worked'. As far as I am concerned this is lazy, short-term and inappropriate coaching. It is my belief that a youth coach should put effort in to, and take pride in, creating a positive environment and culture that focuses on process and development. 

Secondly, too many coaches are drawn into negative comparisons when coaching - "you are doing THIS, like THESE people and that is NOT what we want to be". Athletes, especially young athletes, will only hear the comparison and remember negative experiences from the session. Language should be a motivational tool within the bigger structure, aspiring to be something and using positive benchmarks. 

Thirdly, patience is key. That group of U10s may not have executed the drill to his liking on that occasion but they may have done the next time, or the one after. If at that point they still haven't got it then I, as the coach, would have to look at myself - what am I not explaining properly? What is it that I am doing or saying that they just aren't connecting with? Is there something else I can do to get to the same end point? 

Language is key to framing the experience for young athletes in all sports. It dictates their view of the session, their view of the end point and what is considered good or bad. Coaches need to take responsibility for this rather than using lazy motivational tools for short-term sporting results but potentially long-term social implications. As a rugby coach I want to inspire my young players (boys or girls) not just to be the next Robshaw or Ford but the next Alphonsi or Scarratt too.