It’s important for everyone in 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.

Listen Well
When someone is talking to you, what are you doing? Are you listening intently, or thinking of a response? It is natural to be thinking through your response when someone else is talking, but to be an effective communicator, try to listen well. When you listen well, you are gathering clues about the other person that provide even more insight into what they are saying. If a colleague, coach, or peer is communicating problems they are having, instead of trying to solve the problem right away, listen and take note of what is going wrong. Show with your body language that you are invested, and make eye contact with them as they speak. When the person has finished speaking, depending on the situation, recap what they said, either aloud to them or in your head.

Communicate Clearly
We spend so much of our day sending emails, texts, making phone calls, or talking face to face with others, and we are often trying to do so quickly. This is why when it’s important to make sure what you are saying is clear and concise. When something isn’t clear, people can become confused or offended. This slows down the communication process and creates unnecessary problems. One way to increase your ability to communicate clearly is to think about what you want to say before you send an email, text, or make a phone call. This is especially important if you are communicating across cultures. In her business book, The Culture Map, Erin Meyer says that “multicultural teams need low-context processes.” Distill your message down to a few sentences, and leave no room for another interpretation.

Respect Others
Respecting others can go a long way in having a successful coaching career, a thriving athletic career, and a fulfilling personal life. We all want to know we are being listened to and respected. Have you ever been talking to someone and then they get a text and respond immediately? To show your respect for another person, one of the first things you can do is turn off or silence your phone. Then you can pay full attention to the conversation or issue. When someone is speaking, allow them to finish their thought before jumping in with your own thoughts. Healthy disagreement is also part of respect, so don’t be afraid to disagree. Another easy way to show respect for the other person is to ask questions to show you are engaged with them or the topic. No one wants to feel like the words they say don’t matter, so do what you can to make the client, employee, coach, athlete, or friend know that you value them.

Offer and Receive Feedback Well
Offering and receiving feedback is an important element of healthy and effective communication. Feedback is what makes people, teams, and organizations work better and more effectively. But many people are nervous or unsure of how to give and receive feedback well. If you are giving feedback, try to include a few positive things before diving in to the more negative feedback. This will help the receiver feel appreciated and not defensive. Make sure your feedback is clear and concise, with concrete examples. If you are receiving feedback, approach the conversation with openness and try not to be defensive. See it as a learning experience. If you are unsure what a specific piece of feedback means, ask questions.

I hope these tips for effective communication are helpful. Communicating well will help you excel in your career or sport, inspire others around you, and help eliminate any misunderstandings. What other tips do you have for communicating effectively?