Peter Corcoran, ARL
Director of Coaching says that having
determined the behaviour patterns of the
team members, from the initial steps, a
coach has the ability to tailor messages
that will impact upon the players: "So
when coaching or organising or observing,
the knowledge of those areas will allow
you to more effectively evaluate the
situation, make a decision on what the
real problem is and, then, work out how
to best get the message across."
Corcoran is a firm
believer that the best, most effective
messages are those which are short and
concise. So, if a coach sends a short and
well-tailored message to a player, is
success guaranteed? Corcoran says no.
There are a number of factors that impact
on the comprehension and retention of a
coach's message.
The first challenge is
the communication channels, between the
coach and the player. If these are not
overcome, problems will arise that may
impede the player's ability and desire to
implement any suggestions.
He is adamant coaches
must build up their standing in the eyes
of the players in the following areas:
Status:
"If they think you can't coach, then
they won't pay an ounce of notice to what
you say. You must prove that your message
is worth listening to."
Authority:
"You've got to show that you have
authority to give a message and show that
it's based on the fact that you know them,
you know yourself and what you are saying
comes from your knowledge of the game and
your insight into how they can go about
improving and changing behaviour."
Technical
experience: "They have to
become confident that you are competent
and consistent in the way you communicate
to them." Knowledge of the sport:
"That will be obvious every time you
open your mouth to others."
Level of
participation in the sport:
"If you have been there and done
that, then it will be more impressive and
they will have confidence in your
experience."
Corcoran says the two
other challenges to getting a message
across are the physical environment and
life experiences. For the physical
environment, it is essential coaches send
their messages in an environment as free
of distractions as possible. It is
difficult to send a message to players
when their attention is focussed on
outside influences - such as cars driving
past, a howling wind and so on.
In terms of life
experiences, a coach must accept some
athletes have varying levels of maturity,
education and knowledge of the sport -
all of these affect the message's
transmission. With the ability to deliver
a message, the all-important question is
'what message should I, as a coach, send?
Corcoran refers to this
as the stages of learning. He says
coaches should first, present players
with information, or the "what".
Then, they need to be taught how to
associate this information with the way
they perceive they play the game, or the
"how" stage.
Finally, the information
should become automatic. But the most
important thing for coaches to understand
is that an athlete should not be expected
to go immediately from stage one to stage
three - it is a gradual process. The
overall aim then, as a coach, is to
present clear and succinct messages when
communicating to team players.
A coach should work on
developing a good rapport with players to
raise their credibility and this will
give them a better chance at improving
the team's overall performance.
So, with time, dedication
and self-evaluation, Corcoran says
becoming a good coach is feasible. And by
pursuing good communication strategies,
maybe one day, you, like the legendary
coach, will have the opportunity to tell
the side you coach you are 'happy' with
their performance.
References
* Focus - "Ten Commandments for
Effective Communication" H. Anshell
1987
