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Communication in Sports

Introduction

Communication is present in just about every single aspect of the average citi-

zen’s daily life. Whether It be in the workplace, the classroom, or in the realm of sports,

effective communication is always one of the most important aspects leading to suc-

cess. People often do not realize that they themselves are apart of a team and wearing

a jersey with a number on the back is not mandatory. A team is present when you are a

part of a group of your peers working together to accomplish a common goal. Team’s

are found everywhere. In restaurants, the business world, group projects, sales teams,

and just about every single profession imaginable. One of the key factors in every one

of these professions is effective and positive communication. When people who work to-

gether communicate in the right way they increase efficiency, limit mistakes, and learn

the correct ways in which to operate with one another. This holds true in every work-

place, and especially in the realm of sports.

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Employers and employees must work together and communicate effectively in

order to accomplish any goals that a company or organization has set for themselves.

Without positive communication it is impossible for a group of people to perform any

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task successfully. With this being true, one of the biggest places where communication

is important is in the world of sports. In order for any type of team to reach success ef-

fective communication must be present from the head coach all the way down to the

managers. Whether it be in practice, the weight room, or in a game, communication is

the leading factor in growth and success. An example of when communication is very

important is when reviewing scouting reports. A team must recognize the opponents

personnel, plays, and tendencies in order to have the best chance of achieving victory.

This can not be accomplished unless everyone involved is communicating in the right

way. Effective communication is one of the biggest factors in reaching success with any

team and it is what separates successful teams from the unsuccessful. Without good

communication a team can not accomplish goals and this is what sets organizations

apart from one another. When teams do not communicate effectively every one is not

on the same page and things get lost in translation. Players do not execute plays cor-

rectly and mistakes become more and more common.

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According to the leading researcher in Human Kinetics Communication is “The

act of expressing or transmitting ideas, information, knowledge, thoughts and feelings,

as well as understanding what is expressed by others. The communication process in-

volves both sending and receiving messages and can take many forms. Verbal commu-

nication is the spoken word, while nonverbal communication involves actions, facial ex-

pressions, body position, and gestures.” (Human Kinetics, Good Communication Skills)

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(http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/good-communication-skills-are-key-

to-successful-coaching). This perfectly describes effective communication in sports be-

cause it not only explains the positives of verbal communication, but nonverbal as well.

Nonverbal communication plays almost an equally important role on any team because

hand gestures and body position is often the way in which coaches and coordinators re-

lay play calls to members of their team. In football, both defensive and offensive coordi-

nators use numerous arm motions and hand placement to show the defensive captain

and quarterback which play that they want to run. The same holds true in baseball when

the catcher holds up fingers to his pitcher to relay the message of which pitch should be

thrown. The pitcher responds by shaking and nodding his head in response, telling the

catcher which pitch he feels most confident in. Nonverbal communication plays an

equally important role in every type of team and must be executed efficiently in order to

perform effectively. Without nonverbal communication present in sports, teams would

never be able to relay messages to one another without the opposition knowing exactly

what they were going to do. Nonverbal allows encoded messages to help lead to vic-

tory.

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Effective communication is not only what is important to the success of any team

in various sports, but it is also what separates great teams from poor ones. If you are to

look at any team in any given sport, the teams that communicate in a positive and effec-

tive manner find success far much more often than those who fall short of meeting their

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communicative goals. According to Livestrong.com, “Teams that communicate complete

projects in a quicker and more efficient amount of time than others. They also are more

accurate in their work than others.” This supports the fact that teams who communicate

better are much more efficient than those who do not. When teams do not communicate

well it is impossible to increase efficiency because so much time is spent trying to get

back on the same page. Livestrong.com goes on to say that; “Effective communication

also allows team members to understand their roles and the roles of everyone else on

the team. It also gives room for understanding among the team members for what

needs to be done.” (Livestrong, Why Team Communication is important)

(http://www.livestrong.com/article/105939-team-communication-important-teams/). This

accurately describes the importance of communication in the sports world and shows

why communicating with your teammates matters so much. This excerpt from a well re-

spected and world renown organization also perfectly describes how good communica-

tion leads to a more efficient team, which is very important in reaching success. Not

only does effective communication lead to more victories but it also helps show each

team member their role in that particular organization and why they are of value to the

team. A member of a team has no understanding of his or her role if it is not communi-

cated to them through the coaching staff and captains of that particular organization.

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According to eHow.com, “Effective communication is a key component of a win-

ning team. Positive team dynamics and successful coaching both demand that coaches

and athletes be able to communicate goals, expectations or problems clearly in a

straightforward and respectful manner. As a coach, understanding how to foster effec-

tive communication improves team cohesion and promotes efficient training.” (Laconi,

Ally. Effective Communication in Sports)

(http://www.ehow.com/about_6513621_effective-communication-sports.html). Ally La-

coni is completely right when saying this and her words are validated by the numerous

amounts of winning teams who foster effective communication. Not only is communica-

tion important during the course of competition, but also is present off the field during

the watching of game tape and the review of scouting reports, as touched on earlier in

my paper. Effective communication both on and off the field is what separates winning

teams from losing ones. Communicating in the right way also improves cohesion be-

cause every member of the team grows closer when the communicate more and more.

Teams who have members who do not communicate have no way of learning each oth-

ers tendencies and also gain no knowledge from each other.

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One of my most credible sources and the source that I would like to review

comes from the book of “Strategic Sport Communication” which gives great insight on

what it takes to be a leader of communication in the sports world and how this affects

the efficiency of any team. This book explains that “Sport leadership is the communica-

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tion in and through the sport that influences the attitudes and behaviors of others to

meet shared group goals and needs.” (Pederson, Miloch, Laucella. 2001, pg. 138). This

book describes how a leader at any level of the sporting world must use 3 steps when

effectively communicating to his or her team. The leader must “Develop, Deliver, and

sustain.” Meaning, the coach or coaches must develop their leadership message, de-

liver that message in an effective way, and then sustain the message through feedback

and coaching. (Pederson, Miloch, Laucella. 2001 pg. 139). This source used in my pa-

per is without a doubt the most effective and helpful source that I have come across.

This book of “Strategic Sport Communication” gives examples from all levels of sports

organizations which allow a very broad range of topics and discussions to choose from.

Not only does this book touch on just about every type of communication, but it also

gains credibility from the numerous experienced sporting figures featured throughout

the text.

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The book depicts Rick Pitino, who is a legendary coach from the University of

Louisville showing how he uses verbal communication more than nonverbal to relay

messages to his team. He is also quoted saying; “Pick up the phone yourself. Write the

note yourself. Write the memo yourself. Deal with it yourself, especially if you want this

message to be accurate.” This describes communication in sports and how it must be

personal and first hand in order to be as effective as possible. When a source like this

one includes figures of Coach Pitino’s status it adds a definite level of validity and credi-

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bility that can not be overlooked. This excerpt from “Strategic Sport Communication” is

what separates credible book sources from others that are overlooked simply because

there is no validity behind the written words found in them.

Pat Williams who was the General Manager of the Philadelphia 76ers when they won

the NBA championship in 1983 is quoted saying that “Ultimately, that’s what leadership

is all about: Winning.” (Williams & Denny, 2002. pg. 215). This reimburses my previous

argument that effective communication which stems from leadership, is a key factor in

the success of any sports organization. This also is important because it is coming from

such a prominent source like Mr. Williams who was a general manager of a world cham-

pion professional team.

Conclusion

This source separates itself from all others in my paper because of it’s validity

and ability to capture the readers attention with the vast amount of useful information

and helpfulness found inside. It perfectly depicts why communication is important in all

levels of athletic competition and how effective communication is reflected in the suc-

cess of certain organizations. When you get testimonials from legendary coaches like

Rick Pitinto of The University of Louisville and Bobby Bowden of Florida State Univer-

sity, this source automatically becomes one of the best around. Effective Communica-

tion is one of the biggest factors in the success of any team and it is what separates

great teams from poor ones. Wether it is using verbal or nonverbal communication, any

team that wants to reach success must be able to effectively communicate with one an-

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other in order to do so. This is not only true with the players but from the top of the orga-

nization all the way down to the training staff. Effective communication is something that

must be present or teams will never be able to reach the level of success they hope to

attain.

Bibliography

Bass, Alan. "Why Is Team Communication Important When in Teams?" Livestrong.com - Health, Fitness, Lifestyle | LIVESTRONG.COM. N.p., 15 Jan. 2000. Web. 08 Nov. 2012. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/105939-team-communication-important-teams/>.

 Burton, Damon. "Good Communication Skills Are Key to Successful Coaching." Human Kinetics. Sports Psychology, 12 July 2005. Web. 08 Nov. 2012. <http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/good-communication-skills-are-key-to-successful-coaching>.

 Davis, Brian. "The Free Automatic Bibliography and Citation Maker." EasyBib. N.p., 03 Mar. 2004. Web. 01 Dec. 2012. <http://www.easybib.com/cite/view>.

 Fisher, Jeff. "Communication in Sports Influences the Performance of the Team." Com-munication in Sports Influences the Performance of the Team. N.p., 05 Apr. 2002. Web. 01 Dec. 2012. <http://www.psychologycampus.com/sports-psychology/communication.html>.

 Kramer, Garrett. "Articles." Stillpower A New Paradigm in Sports Psychology and Per-formance Coaching. N.p., 04 Sept. 2001. Web. 01 Dec. 2012. <http://garretkramer.com/effective-communication-the-truth/>.

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 Laconi, Ally. "Effective Communication in Sports." EHow. Demand Media, 14 May 2010. Web. 08 Nov. 2012. <http://www.ehow.com/about_6513621_effective-communication-sports.html>.

 Margaret, Glory. "Communication Skills: A Cognitive behavioral Approach to Enhance Relationship Skills in Young Sport Coaches." Communication Skills: A Cognitive behav-ioral Approach to Enhance Relationship Skills in Young Sport Coaches. N.p., 07 Feb. 2008. Web. 01 Dec. 2012. <http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/44/Suppl_1/i49.3.abstract>.

 Pedersen, Paul Mark., Kimberly S. Miloch, and Pamela C. Laucella. Strategic Sport Communication. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2007. Print.