Chapter 12
Start with easier decisions first, to help athletes get used to the idea.
Use open questions and listening statements to invite them to reach agreement.
Athletes with the skill and the willingness to express themselves in their group will find it easier and more enjoyable to work as a team. That was the focus of the last chapter.
There’s a second step to building teamwork in which athletes make decisions together, a powerful force for bonding and lifting motivation in which they put their own egos to one side for the common good.
Use a guiding style to help athletes say what they think and feel about a decision to be made, and support them to reach agreement.
" The coaching team have decided that we must do something to reduce the use of cell phones
We don’t want to make the decision for you, but we invite you to work together now to decide on exactly what the guidelines should be.
Clear question for them. Conveys belief that they can and will solve the problem.
Listening statement that rolls with the resistance and even affirms the athlete’s powers of observation.
- If in an open discussion (see Chapter 11) you use a following style to help them speak up,
- in team decision making you use a guiding style and MI to help them reach agreement
Guidelines • Respect for each other is an important value. • Speak for yourself and about how you feel, rather than about others. • Listen rather than interrupt. • Feel free to say nothing. • Give space to the quieter ones to speak as well. • We are in this as a team, together. MI Skills • Clear, open questions. • Listening statements. • Summaries. Coach Conduct • Remind them about guidelines. • Ask a positive, open question about something they have in common. • Avoid interrupting, passing judgment, or solving problems. • Use listening statements. Capture what’s been said, and hand it straight back to them to say more. • If all goes quiet, consider questions like “What else?” or “What do others think/feel?” • Summarize before moving on.
Guidelines Same as for open discussion (see Chapter 11): Respect, speak for yourself, listen to others without interrupting, feel free to say nothing MI Coaching Skills • Open questions that focus on improvement and a decision that needs to be made • Listening statements that focus on positive change talk • Summaries Coach Conduct • Remind them about guidelines, and trust their wisdom. • Ask a positive, forward-looking question about a decision. • Avoid interrupting, passing judgment, or solving problems. • Use listening statements to remark on positive things being said that aid decision making and hand the discussion back to athletes to say more and refine the decision. • If all goes quiet, consider questions like “What else?”; “What do others feel?”; or “How are we going to resolve this?” • Offer your own solutions as needed. • Summarize before moving on.