If I Had A Choice...

If I had a choice, I'd rather be communicated with as opposed to being talked to, with a heavy emphasis on the word "with".

Coach Kevin Sutton of Montverde Academy, a college preparatory school in Montverde Florida states in a recent blog post, "Talking vs Communicating", that it's a two way street.

By communicating with me, I'm allowed to be a part of the process as opposed to being told what to do.

The most successful coaches and leaders understand its importance and regularly incorporate effective communication strategies into their normal manner of operation.


In the case of Coach Sutton, he does a “CIRCLE OF COMMUNICATION” at the end of each practice.

This is where all of his players gather in circle and a topic is selected for them to communicate with each other about.

For example, he might have them pick a player to their right and tell them know what they did well in practice that day. The key is that they must say the teammates name.

According to Coach Sutton, this exercise has helped tremendously in the development of the players ability to:

1. Communicate & actively listen
   
2. To be secure vs. insecure in giving and receiving a compliment.
3. Help grow a teammates self-esteem.

Maintaining effective communication is the starting point for team success and in order to achieve this:

1. You must have a common language

2. A clear understanding of what is being communicated

3. Acknowledge that you understand what has been communicated to you. (Information given, received and understood).

So after all that.

What's your choice?

See you on the court!