Coaches and Communication
with Carol Linden
Coach Morland shares his personal experience of what he has learned from Carol Linden about applying the art of communication to his career of Coaching and Educating students and athletes.
QUESTION 1: How can communication go wrong with clients?
~By Carol Linden
Oh, let me count the ways. Ok, let’s go over a few things that could get in your way and let’s get them out of the way so that you and your coaching client or student-athlete can be effective together.
Lingo
Every specialty has its own lingo. Coaching has one; my profession as a Psychological Type practitioner has one. When you’re talking with another coach, use all the lingo you want, but when you’re teaching and working with a student, explain things in plain English that anyone would understand. You can also take the opportunity to teach the special language of your sport. But, do that consciously with intention, not by just unconsciously using jargon. Using jargon the students do not know can make them feel “stupid” or “left out” and that’s the opposite of what a teacher or coach wants to achieve. You want your student to feel capable and successful.Use plain English language to explain what you want the client to do. Then, find a teachable moment. For example, show and explain what you want the student to do, then use the muscle name when praising the client for doing it right. “Well done. That will really help develop that deltoid muscle which will help your pitching or (whatever) . . .” Make sense?
Extraverts and Introverts
Let’s say you’re an extravert and the student is an introvert. You probably speak at a faster pace. You expect the student to jump in and speak up when there’s a question. Guess what? An introverted student is not going to do that. You need to pause. Give them time to speak up. Ask directly, “what questions do you have about this?” “How does your quad feel after those 10 reps? Tired? Yeah, that means you’re doing it right.”
Concrete language vs. Conceptual language
Let the statistics speak for themselves here. Between 70 and 77% of the population prefers to use concrete, specific language and speak in tangible terms. When we look at the sports population specifically, that percentage is probably even higher.To be safe, use concrete tangible language. You can use comparisons, just not fancy metaphors. (Interpretation by Coach Morland) In coaching, there is a lot of “cue” or “cueing” or “prompting” that happens while doing a training session. I think this question gets at how “colorful” a coach should be in their personality. Using some feedback I’d say simple professional language with less than 10-15 seconds is more efficient than a lengthy explanation. Good communication shouldn’t add anything extra when directed teaching is taking place or it can just complicate the process.
Draw the connection for the student between how they’re working that muscle and how that will help them in the sport itself
Don’t expect the student to get the connection between what you’re asking them to do and why it will help them or what it will help them do better. You know that working that deltoid will help the pitching arm. Say that—out loud. Draw the connection.Students who get why the exercise you’re asking them to do is important in specific terms of what in the sport it will help them do better is more likely to DO what you’re asking of them. Draw the connection directly and overtly for them so that they’ll be motivated to DO what you’re asking of them.
Be linear. Give them one way to do it.
Back to the statistics, nearly 80% of your students, if not more, will prefer you to explain things in linear terms: step 1, step 2, step 3, etc. Also, they’ll prefer that you use concrete language to explain what you want them to do in the order they need to do it. They’ll get it faster and be more confident in what they’re doing. If you start off with too many choices of ways they can do it, you make them feel less confident instead of more. Choices are for later.Once they’ve gotten it down, then you can start giving them choices. “Great, you’ve got that. Here’s another way you do it to help develop that same muscle. Let’s try it this way now. You can switch it up to put more variety in your practice.”
-Carol Linden of Effective With People, LLC
Carol Linden Keynote – KEY5 Conference
Carol A. Linden
Effective With People, LLC
“playing well with others is good business”
919 599-9301
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