Communicating with Positive Intent
For those who love their sport, there is so much to watch at the moment. From the brilliance of the Solheim Cup last week and this week’s Ryder Cup, right through to rugby – both the Red Roses’ double-header against Canada and of course the Men’s World Cup currently taking place in France.
Communication in sport is key. What we say. How we say it. When we say it. It’s an area that I’ve always been interested in, not least because of what we can take across into other spheres of life. And these big matches and competitions really put the spotlight on this.
A particular story caught my eye this weekend, shared by writer Billy Oppenheimer. The story concerns Trea Turner, who signed an 11-year $300 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies last December. Oppenheimer tells us that Turner proceeded to play some of the worst baseball of his career. He started the season batting second and incrementally dropped to the bottom of the lineup. As his performance plummeted, the Philly fanbase’s support of him did too. Oppenheimer was at a game on July 24th against the Orioles, and every time Turner came up to bat, he got booed. Eight games later, Turner went 0-5, dropped his batting average to a career-low, and in the bottom of the 12th inning, he made a fielding error that cost the Phillies the game. Two days later, a fan known as “The Philly Captain” posted a video. “Let’s not boo Trea Turner,” he said, “Let’s give him a standing ovation every time he comes to bat. Our boy is in his head, and he needs some love.” The next night, every time Turner went to bat, Phillies fans gave him a standing ovation. Whilst I have to admit that the baseball terminology goes slightly over my head (!) Oppenheimer tells us that with a boost from Layer 3, in his third at-bat, Turner hit an RBI single. The next night, he hit a game-winning home run. Since the ovations, Turner has played some of the best baseball of his career. Since the ovations, he has led the MLB in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs, and RBIs. Turner bought billboards around the city that said, “Thank You, Philly.”
So what are some of the key lessons that we can learn from sport in terms of good communication?
Positive not negative
The story above reinforces so much research highlighting the impact of using positive messaging, rather than negative. Whether in sport or the world of work more generally, we’ll all have heard examples of what not to do, whether it be a grassroots coach telling a batter ‘not to lose their wicket’ or a manager at the office telling a colleague ‘don’t mess up this meeting’. The use of positive framing in your messaging is much more likely to drive long-term performance from someone. The best sports coaches know that with every comment they make, they are either adding to someone’s performance, or taking away from it. It’s the same at work. Give yourself the best chance of adding to someone’s performance by using positive language. ‘Stand strong at the crease’ or ‘Be clear on what you want to achieve in this meeting’ are much better articulations to drive performance.
Simple and Tangible
Anyone who watched the Ireland v South Africa Rugby World Cup pool match on Saturday night will have been blown away by the physicality on show. And that takes its toll. Not just on physical performance, but also on mental performance. For this reason, the best coaches and captains know that they need to keep their half-time (or equivalent) messages simple, succinct, and easy to understand. Whilst we may not be under as much physical pressure in our own working worlds, there are times when we really don’t have long to deliver a message. The same principle applies here. Beware the pitfall of thinking that you need to use over-sophisticated or complicated language, or talk for so long that your central point gets lost in the melee. Keep your messages short, sharp, and tangible – with metaphors, stories and analogies being particularly helpful for the latter. And it doesn’t always have to be in words - look at the impact the standing ovation had for Trea Turner.
Meet the recipient where they are
Linked to this is the importance of meeting the recipient where they are at. Know your people. Know what works. Assess the situation. In the women’s hockey final at the Rio Olympics in 2006, falling behind 2-1 against the favoured Dutch team, the GB players had to keep each other’s spirits up. They did this with carefully chosen one-word messages, the result of huge amounts of prep work that had been undertaken to understand what each player would likely need in that situation. The players were at their physical limits, there was no time for long motivational speeches to one another in the heat of the battle. Short and sharp was all they had time for.
The same will have applied for the caddies, partners and Team Captain in the Solheim Cup, as it will for all the players and coaching staff in the men’s Rugby World Cup.
Have you taken the time to understand the best way to deliver a message to the different individuals in your team? Who needs support? Who needs challenge? When it’s best to deliver an important message? At the beginning of the day or the end? At the beginning of the week or the end? The better you understand this, the more likely it is that your message will land.
Bringing it all together
When coaching senior leaders, communication is an area that often comes up. I find that sharing this framework helps clients focus on the things that matter.
What do I want to say?
Why?
What do I want the recipient to Think, Feel and Do?
Who am I talking to? What do I know about them?
So how best should I say it?
For more on this or any aspect of leadership, with a healthy dose of mindset, sport, and I hope usefulness thrown in, do feel free to browse through all the articles in the Huddle, or get in touch with me directly on catherine@sportandbeyond.co.uk. For more detail on the area this blog covers, as well as many others, please do order a copy of my book - Staying the Distance: The Lessons From Sport That Business Leaders Have Been Missing. Links to buy the book can be found here