Team Management Strategy: Communication
How can coaches and their communication strategies benefit student-athletes?
Although many aspects are pertinent when managing and leading elite athletes, communication can be the ingredient in a team’s recipe for success but can also lead to a team’s demise if communication breaks down between coaches, athletes, and additional training staff. Clear and consistent communication allows for coaches and athletes to be on the same page and allows for less stress and anxiety and an increase in feeling of support for athletes (Kenow & Williams, 1999).
Communication is key in developing, influencing, and sharing a vision because those standards can be set but if they are not communicated properly to athletes and staff they can be for naught. Because most communication comes from the top, from the head coach and coaching staff, it’s important for expert coaches to communicate effectively because it can lead to better trust, respect, and relationships between coach and athlete (Vallée & Bloom, 2005). By making sure the shared vision with the team is communicated and adopted throughout the entire team, there will be more cohesiveness and less confusion when they are asked to do certain tasks.
By communicating effectively, coaches are flexing their leadership skills, which allow for student-athlete and program growth, as well as decrease the amount of ambiguity, gossip, and extraneous questions that can create issues within a team. These strategies can also vary between group and individual sports. For individual sports, communications strategies are more about schedules, logistics, and values and standards, and less about communication during practices and competition. Whether we are talking about a more dynamic sport like volleyball or a less dynamic sport like golf, effective communication will create better team functioning and in turn better performance (Eccles & Tran, 2012).
Additionally, communication enforces the pieces that make up a team’s culture. When there is strong communication during scheduling, problem solving, enforcement of rules, and explanation of expectations, team culture can thrive. Similarly, when communication is strong and culture and team environment is positive, sport performance increases (Dahl, 2013). One way I try to keep my communication strong to positively affect team culture is by being consistent with my communication. I use specific platforms for different forms of communication, use a positive tone, consistently use bullet points and numbering to ensure clear understanding, and always leave the door open for any questions.
How do you cultivate and enforce strong communication on your teams? Comment below!
References
Dahl, K. D. (2013). External Factors and Athletic Performance.
Eccles, D. W., & Tran, K. B. (2012). Getting them on the same page: Strategies for enhancing coordination and communication in sports teams. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, 3(1), 30-40.
Kenow, L., & Williams, J. M. (1999). Coach-athlete compatibility and athlete's perception of coaching behaviors. Journal of Sport Behaviour, 22, 251-259.
Vallée, C. N., & Bloom, G. A. (2005). Building a successful university program: Key and common elements of expert coaches. Journal of applied sport psychology, 17(3), 179-196.