Communication Skills for Athletes: Giving Feedback

Communication is a skill that is often overlooked. Indeed, when we are in the presence of others we are constantly communicating, whether we like it or not. What we don’t say often says more than what we do say, and we sometimes say one thing and mean another

What is communication?

Is that a strange question to ask? Well, not really, because many of us will have experienced the manager at work that believes he is communicating through his barrage of memos, or the teacher that talks at the class but doesn’t listen. Both of these people communicate, to a degree, but are they effective?

Verbal communication occurs when we talk, listen, shout, sing, write or read. Non-verbal communication occurs through facial expression and body language, and can be very powerful. We’ve all noticed when someone says one thing and means another. That person has failed to realise that while they verbally communicating one thing, they are sending out a powerful and contradictory message when they quickly cough or shift their eyes from yours.

With whom do athletes communicate?

Athletes in different sports have to communicate with many different people in different ways. The elite athlete might communicate very openly and emotionally with a coach, say, that they have worked with for a long time – even more so than with their own parents. The same athlete may have to hold formal, contractual discussions or conduct press conferences. The variety of different people that an athletes may need to communicate with is great, and include coaching staff, the media, fans, team-mates, scientists, family, officials (umpire/referee) and competitors.

When do athletes communicate?

Apart from “all of the time”, of course! There are times at which effective communication are key. These include:

• In training – getting more out of your coaching sessions, letting your coach know when you are experiencing difficulty and helping team-mates out with their training;
• Before competition– making sure your coach knows whether preparation is going well; making sure your coach’s pep talk is helping you;
• In competition – using signals and code to communicate tactics, to help team-mates perform, to keep the team together, to request help; and
• After competition – feeding back on how you felt to your coach, asking for feedback from your coach, seeking emotional support; dealing with family & other important people.

The importance of feedback

Feedback is essential to the athlete. Positive feedback provides an important source of motivation, while technical feedback is required to make gain a competitive edge. Indeed, what use are goals if you cannot evaluate your progress against them? While the scoreboard is your primary source of feedback against outcome goals, you will often rely on feedback from others to evaluate progress against process goals. You can also learn to give feedback effectively to build a stronger, more constructive relationship with your coach and you can choose how to respond to feedback – learning from the positives and ignoring harsh or unhelpful feedback.

Receiving feedback

Eliciting feedback from your coach shows that you trust them, and tells them that you are ‘coachable’ and a good investment of their time.
When asking for feedback:
• Give notice – time for the coach to gather their thoughts and give some examples;
• Choose the right time – ask for time outside of practice or competition, when the pressure is off;
• Receive genuinely – do not be defensive, show interest in what is being said, ask for clarification and examples; and
• Show your appreciation – respond positively by following the advice, and thank your coach.

Try to be relaxed and open when receiving feedback. Defensive behaviour– not accepting advice or not giving up your argument has detrimental effects on your relationship with others.

Giving Feedback

Giving feedback is important to ensure that a coach does not repeat unwanted behaviour and that you get the most out of the time you spend with them. You can also learn to give feedback to team-mates without appearing ‘bossy’ or stepping on anyone else’s toes.

When giving feedback remember to AID your coach or team-mates by stating the Action, the Impact of that Action and the Desired Outcome.

• Their Action – what it is that they are doing, in an objective or descriptive way, as if you were playing back a recording to them e.g. , “In your team talk you talked about winning for the fans out there” or “You ran straight across the penalty area”;. Descriptive feedback is different from evaluative feedback in that it literally describes what you have seen (‘you stood still’) or heard (‘I couldn’t hear your voice’. Evaluative feedback on the other hand contains opinions related to what you saw (‘you were lazy’) or heard ‘you didn’t shout’.
• The Impact of that action – what it made you think about, how it made you feel, or the tactical implication of the action e.g. ”I talked to a few others about it and it made us feel more nervous about going out for the game than normal” or “That meant that the supply to the centre-forward was cut off and the attack broke down”.
• The Desired outcome – how you would like your coach or team-mate to behave in future, e.g. “It might be better if you talked about the tactics then gave us a few minutes on our own to mentally prepare for the game” or “If you make your run towards the near post it gives us more attacking options”.

Supportive feedback tends to be best received. It builds trust, is usually reciprocated and helps develop more effective relationships. When you give emotional support you are opening up a likely source of support for when you need it.

Giving feedback under pressure

During a game, or any other pressure situation, however, you can’t give feedback in this way to a team-mate, as you can’t sit them down and take the time required. In pressure situations bear the following in mind.

• Be positive. Instead of bawling someone out for what they did wrong, focus on the desired behaviour. Point them in the right direction. This is where team goals are useful – if you all know the team goals you can make a goal-directed comment that reinforces team cohesion.
• Make a request. Tell your team mate exactly what you need – use statements like ‘it would help me if …’ or ‘ what I need from you is…’
• Don’t highlight mistakes – focusing too heavily on what has already passed, .e.g. “what did you pass to him for?” –takes your team-mate out of ‘the now’ and is more likely to make another mistake as a result. It can also cause resentment. If you follow up any such comments with more detailed feedback it is likely to make your team-mate feel encouraged and coached, rather than resentful and humiliated.

Some final advice

Seek to understand, then to be understood (Covey, 1992). Really try to understand the person that you are talking to. If you take the time to listen carefully to their point of view and to understand where they are coming from, you will find it far easier to find a way of getting your message across. Just like any good doctor – diagnose before you prescribe.

When the time comes to deliver your message make eye contact, stay on track, repeat key messages and ask if you are being understood.

Oh yes, I nearly forgot. Think before you speak, or roll your eyes, or throw your hands in the air.

References and further reading

Syer, J., & Connolly, C. (1998) Sporting Body Sporting Mind. Simon and Schuster

Landsberg, M. (1997). The Tao of Coaching. Harper Collins.

Do you want to improve your mental skills? Try Ken Ravizza's DVD "Mental Skills for Competitive Athletes" or Daniel Gould's DVD "Five Essential Mental Skills for Sport"