Communication

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It is no secret that for a coach to be successful then they must be able to communicate with their staff and players. This article seeks to look at the communication process from sender to receiver and highlight some of the reasons why there are so many misinterpretations.

‘Nothing is so simple that it cannot be misunderstood’ – Freeman Teague, Jnr

The Communication Process

There is a process that is undertaken by everyone when they wish to convey information from themselves to another individual. There are many different processes outlined in modern texts on this subject but essentially they can be compressed down into 3 stages; Contemplation, Encoding and Decoding.

The Contemplation Stage focuses upon the individual who wishes to send the information. This individual will receive visual and verbal signals and triggers from the environment surrounding them. Once they have analysed these indicators they then contemplate sending or relaying their own message. Once the decision is made the information they wish to send must be encoded.

The Encoding Stage involves the sender placing their message into their desired channel of delivery. This can be verbal or through body language. It is suggested that of all the information exchanged between the sender and the receiver approximately 55-60% is through body language, 30-35% is through the tone used and only 10% is actually the words being used. This means that up to 90% of the message that the receiver must interpret is unrelated to the words they are hearing. Once the message has been encoded and transmitted, it must then be received and decoded by the receiver.

The Decoding Stage occurs once the receiver has received incoming message. They then analyse all the aspects of the message; the body language, tone and words used. As they analyse it they begin to evaluate exactly what they feel the sender meant, whether that is the same as the sender intended comes down to how well the message was encoded.

Influences and Restrictions

Almost every aspect of life can be influenced or restricted by one factor or another, and the communication process is no different. There are many internal and external factors that can critically affect the receiving of a message or the intended interpretation of that message.

Influences: At each stage of the process there is a chance for the sender to inadequately send the information they intended. This can be down to;

The contemplation stage taking too long: The longer the duration between receiving the message and relaying their own one may lead to the potential receivers switching off or misunderstanding what is said. This is especially crucial in coaching sessions, as if something goes wrong and the coach delays stopping the play, the situation may be lost and extremely difficult to recreate, making coaching very challenging.

The tone of the message: The tone employed by the sender has already been mentioned but it is extremely important to conveying the desired message. Take the simple statement ‘good effort’, this can be interpreted differently if the tone used is sarcastic or heart-felt.

However even if the sender encodes the message perfectly and all their channels of delivery are appropriate the message they are sending can still not fully reach its intended target due to restrictions. Restrictions are factors that may interfere and block the message while it is being sent. Some of the obvious restrictions include:

• The weather. It is possible for the weather to play a huge part on the message being received. Players may be less attentive during extreme climates (hot, cold or wet), as their minds are on different issues (keeping cool, warm or dry, respectively). A howling wind may also prevent even the most receptive person from hearing the message, while a strong sun may prevent players from seeing a demonstration being conducted. To overcome such problems the coach should face the sun or bring the group in close to them when discussing important factors.
• The proximity of those involved. The distance between the sender and the receiving individuals will also effect the successful transmission of information. The further the distance between the player and the coach the harder it is to be heard or the details of a demo to be seen. So this factor should be appreciated by the coach and elevate their voice or adapt their demonstrations accordingly.
• External noise. This can cause a major problem when sending information. Verbal information may become drowned out by talking, music, traffic or the bouncing of footballs. These noises may also cause the receivers to turn away and miss demonstrations and communication encoded in body language. External noise should therefore be kept to a minimum.
• The visual distractions. Regardless what players claim, they can not be looking and focussing on one thing and still be fully concentrating on what the coach has to say. Therefore any distractions around the pitch should be removed or ignored. Such distractions can include matches or other sessions being conducted, bright lights, an attractive or unusual sight and other thought or reaction provoking stimuli.

There may also be some factors that the coach can not influence or control but still have a very large effect on the final outcome of the player receiving the intended message. These factors may not be fully visible and therefore are often ignored or unseen. They include:

• The cultural bias and background of an individual may determine how they decode and perceive the information being supplied to them. Their own personal beliefs and past experiences may shape their opinions on what is being said.
• The receivers own personal perception of themselves and the sender. If the receiver feels that they are superior to the sender, the sender is attacking them or they have a large ego then the message may be dismissed before the sender has even completed sending it.
• The overall idea of the communication may be lost if the wording means players focus on that instead of the concept. If a remark or incorrectly used word is employed in the sentence then players may focus more on that word than the meaning of the sentence. This will result in the overall message being lost.

Strategies

There are many different strategies that can be employed to convey information from the sender to the receiver. The approaches that can be used include; telling, showing, involving and practice.
Talking as the name suggests involves communication just from the medium of speech. However there are a number of different ways information can be transmitted:

• Autocratic: An autocratic approach revolves around the coach only putting their opinions or views across. They tell the players what to do, and how and when to complete them. Communication is very much a one way street and as a result it is difficult for the coach to know if everything has been fully understood.
• Guided Discovery: If this approach is adopted then the coach will ask for suggestions and the opinions of the players as to what has happened and what changes should be made or positives can be taken. The coach will then guide the players towards the correct anser. The players are a lot more involved and their opinion is heard, which in turn can aid the coach in discovering whether the players have been listening and comprehend the topic being discussed.
• Question and Answer: The question and answer approach allows the coach to ask players a series of questions. As they answer them, correctly or incorrectly, their understanding of the situation around them is increased. They then become involved in their own learning, while the coach guides them to the correct answer or course of action.

Showing: It may also be relevant for the coach to show their players what is required or what went well. This may be a personal demonstration that the coach undertakes or a demonstration by one of the other players. The observing players can not only hear what is required but also have a visual description as well. This will lead to players being able to grasp the concept better and develop better understanding of what is happening, than just talking alone.

Involving: By creating a situation that involves the player ensures they can fully understand what is expected of them. The coach fully transmits the desired information to them as the player actually completes the task required. This type of communication is the basis for many sessions, as the players actually complete the tasks as the coach coaches.

Practice: Players learn through the exercise they are undertaking and there is minimal input from the coach. This can be a good approach for players to develop independently and a good way for the inexperienced coach to begin implementing sessions. Although there is one major drawback, players may develop at different speeds so some may be held back or pulled along too quickly, meaning they do not benefit from the practice as much as they could.

To highlight the difference between these four levels of communication a simple example can be considered: Imagine a cross coming in and the coach wanting players to head at goal. If the coach communicates the concept through talking then the players are only receiving verbal information, leaving it open to interpretation and barriers. However, if the coach decides to show the players how to head at goal, visual signals are also being employed, leaving less room for barriers and interpretation to affect the decoding process. Finally, if the coach brings each player and allows them to head the ball at goal, they now become fully involved and must concentrate on completing the task. This can then lead to them grasping a full understanding of the technique and what the coach is asking them to do. By making the players complete the task means there is then no time or opportunity for them to look around, talk or miss what information is being sent.

Communicating Praise and Criticism

Communicating instructions is one element of a coaches’ role, but at times they may also have to communicate praise and criticism. When this is required the previous factors (influences, barriers and strategy) should all be considered but, in addition to them the coach must choose their wording very carefully. If they do not then the received message may vary greatly from the overall intended message.

Praise: Praise is easy to give and great to receive. However too much praise, too often may result in it becoming less meaningful. Also praise should only be used when it is meant and deserved. False praise helps nobody.

Criticism: Is a lot harder to hand out than praise, because more often than not the person receiving the criticism does not want to hear it. There may be times when a straight criticism is appropriate due to the player’s performance or personality. At other times it may be required to use constructive criticism or supply it between a sandwich of positive comments. If the sequence of a positive comment, criticism, positive comment is followed then the player is more likely to take it all on board. If the sequence is criticism, positive comment, criticism or just all criticism then they may switch off after or dwell on the first negative point and ignore the rest, therefore missing out on key information. If the player only focuses on the criticism then they may also feel demoralised after and this may become clearly evident in their performance. By using positives the player still feels upbeat as they believe they have done something right, the message is still conveyed in its entirety and the desired interpretation achieved.

Individuals

Everything discussed thus far has been aimed towards the coach conveying their ideas and message in the most appropriate manner and style possible so that the players receive the intended information. However all players are individuals and all will have their own personality and characteristics. For example nervous, young or timid players may require a lot of constructive criticism and positive reinforcement instead of the shouting and straight criticism that may be more appropriate to head strong adults. It is therefore necessary that the coach adapts their approach, strategy and encoding processes for each player to ensure the message gets the desired reaction, of increased understanding and performance instead of having an adverse affect. However, regardless the approach or strategy the communication process should never turn into a personal shouting or insulting contest.

The ability for a coach to effectively communicate to their players is crucial to their success. Therefore coaches should be fully aware of how the communication process occurs and the ways they can communicate.

Remember: ‘Nothing is so simple that it cannot be misunderstood’ – Freeman Teague, Jnr