The coaches able to listen talk their athletes in this way:
- Use the words of the athletes make them understand they have understood the message
- Repeat, paraphrasing what they listened to
- Use expressions like “if I understand you mean …” or “you’re telling me that things are in this … and this …”
- Use non-verbal language in a way that is consistent with the content of their message, watching the athlete or the group and assuming a position of the body facing them
- Recognize the moods of others, emphasizing the value, by reducing their intensity or to increase it depending on the situation
- They summarize the opinions of others, highlighting the value of individual and collective contributions to reach the goals.
Who feels him/herself lacking in listening should use these guidelines to improve his/her expertise, determining the situations in which experience these kind of interactions during exercise, and paying attention to the reactions of the athletes.
(by Alberto Cei, 2016)