It’s important for everyone tin all kinds of roles and with all sorts of responsibilities to have effective communication skills, so I want to explore this topic for athletes and coaches. Communicating well could be the difference-maker that puts you over the top for a new job, a spot on a team, or a college scholarship. Here are a few tips on how to improve your communication skills and be a more effective coach or athlete.

Whatever certification we’re considering or preparing for, it is important to know why we want it, what it will do for our current or future positions and responsibilities. Not only that, but it is important to look at what it's going to take to keep them.

We all know character matters. But how do coaches affect the character of their athletes? How do we make a positive impact on who our athletes are now and who they will become in the future?

More from Daniel Heller: I first learned about SOAP notes when I was helping my mom and her team create a curriculum for lifestyle coaching back in the early 2000s. One of the naturopaths on our team introduced SOAP notes as a way of organizing intake for patients. Later on in my internships and jobs in clinical settings, I discovered this was the norm for how physicians organized data for insurance, diagnosis, and overall patient care. The “SOAP” acronym stands for Subjective data, Objective data, Assessment, and Plan. I’m going to share how I use this system with clients (athletes, coaches, parents, businesses, etc.) to get a clear picture of where they are and how I can help get them to where they want to be.