Communication and motivation are key skills to becoming an effective coach or leader. Communication “The exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, or behaviour” Chambers Dictionary (1996). Communication is a key factor to making sure that the team or group that you are leading are effective. Athanasios, L (2006) says, “Communication is correlated to effectiveness and efficiency of any sports team function, through its informational, motivational, and evaluative role.” This agrees with my thought that it is important for they’re to be the appropriate communication between their coach or leader.
Motivation, motivation is a factor that determines how successful the group of people that you are leading or coaching will be. To motivate you your group you need to put the in different scenarios in which they will become motivated. This thought is supported by Rabey, G, P, (2001). “As a leader or a coach you cannot motivate anyone you can only give them different situations in which they respond because they chose to”. For any person to become a great coach or leader it is essential for them to be able communicate to their group or team.
Without this communication they can’t motivate the group. Leadership, a leader is someone that has the ability to influence a group to achievement of goals. Zaleznik, A. (1989). Another description of leadership by Wuest, D. Bucher, C. which is “leadership represents the art of influencing people to work together harmoniously in the achievement endorse. Leadership influences a person’s feelings, beliefs, and behavior.” Communication and motivation are both key to being a good leader. When you see different leaders are great in different ways but they all have one thing in common they are all great communicators such as Winston Churchill one of the greatest leaders of all time. He was able to communicate to millions. Through this ability and the ability to motivate the nation he was able to get a vast number of people joining the army and helping him to win the war. These two talents have made him rise to greatness and be seen as a great leader.
There has been a lot of work been done trying to define what makes a good leader. In the beginning it was first thought that great leaders were “born and not made” Cox, H. (1976). This sort of thinking continued until the end of the Second World War, from this time on people started to look at different reason for being a successful leader or coach. One such person was Schutz, who started to look at weather it is the compatibility of a coach and his players. Schutz produced a questionnaire called the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior Questionnaire. Through this he was able to come up with the thought that only with compatible coach and players will a team be successful.
This down to the fact that with a good relationship there was communication and interaction with the group where as without there was none and it would not be as effective. Schutz, (1966). So for any skill which is important that a leader needs is communication as without it there is no cohesion between the group and its leader so there is no why for the person to lead any team or group effectively. Again in 1998 Woods, B described that a good leader needs, “Relationship with others, which require communication and rapport with others, showing consideration, respect and trust.” This again shows the importance of communication if you want to become an affective leader.
To communicate is vital if a leader or coach wants to be successful. It is easy to find examples in sport. They come in various scenarios. It could be a coach trying to get new tactics across to his players with out his ability to communicate the message will not be able to be given to the team. Not only just say what he wants done but to be able to communicate in a way that his team will understand. The leader on the pitch or court also needs to communicate if it be making sure people no there roles or in conference with the coach on hat they believe to be the best strategy. Communications is important in the role of a coach. It is vital that he is able to communicate to the rest of the team. “the most important and challenging skill for building strong relationships with athletes staff, others involved in your program is communicating effectively.”
Lynch. J (2001).To communicate well as a coach it is not always about getting your point of view across and being autocratic, but also has to be about being able to listen to the other people around you and take all the information in from them. “To encourage effective communication, you must make yourself available for your athletes, creating a receptive and welcoming environment.” Lynch, J (2001) the skill of listen is important if you are going to be able to communicate with a team effectively. Communicating can not be stressed enough in the importance in being an effective coach or leader. Without communication it would not be possible for a person to motivate his group that he/she is leading to meet the goals that have been set for them. This would result in the leader not being effective at is work. As communication itself is needed it self as we move on to a different necessity of motivation.
Communication is vital for the success of any team that you are looking at we can see from the past where communication has broke down a group has failed to reach there goals or have even in ended up in being disasters such as Pearl Harbour, and the space shuttle disaster of 1986 Aaltio-Marjosolam, I and Takala, T (2000) these all ended in disaster due to the lack of information given be it from there leaders or from the group to the leader and we can see the importance of being good communicators in being successful.