The way that we speak to our students can have an impact on the way that they learn and it is our responsibility as coaches to ensure that we use appropriate language to enhance the quality of the learning of those people, whether adults or young people, that we work with.

            Students of all ages are very good at making quick decisions about their teacher or coach, based upon their language and tone of voice.  Coaches clearly influence their students by what they say, but this is only part of the picture.   How we say it, is probably more important.  Ray Rowe is possibly the most inspirational coach I have had the fortune to be coached by.  I can remember sessions of 25 years ago with a warm glow and a feeling that I was lucky to receive such quality input, but do you think I can remember what was said?  What I do remember is the way that Ray said it and the confidence that he inspired.

            In fact research has shown that the words we use are a minor portion of the way that we communicate with our students.  It is suggested that the following percentages apply:

 

·        7% words

·        38% tone, volume and tempo

·        55% non-verbal signals.

These figures help illustrate why I remember Ray Rowe as an educator but find it difficult to remember the words that he used.

            Wherever possible, use language and terms which will enhance the learning of the students.  For example, don’t always ask, “Is the tide coming in our out?” . Use the words flood and ebb.  Don’t be afraid of using technical vocabulary but do restrict the length of the sentences that you use.  Remember that adults often experience difficulty in following sentences which contain more than 20 words and young people will require shorter sentences if they are to fully understand what the coach is saying.  In poor weather conditions, it will be necessary to restrict the length of the sentences even further, as it is likely that your students will pre-occupied with the conditions.

            When coaching strokes, it is particularly important that we describe and demonstrate the outcomes that we want to see.  Avoid using phrases like, “Don’t hold your paddle like that!”. Instead it would be more constructive to say, “Hold your paddle like this.”  It is important to ask questions, but  remember to allow your student’s time to process it?  It takes somebody approximately 6 seconds to think about a question and younger students may require longer.  So you may have to be prepared for a period of silence prior to the answers, but silence is something, which often feel uncomfortable with.

            If we wish our students to progress, it is important to avoid all put downs and negative comments.  They will always cause harm even if the student tries to laugh them off.  They will shake confidence and damage self-esteem as well as having a negative impact on the relationship between the student and the coach.

            We should be using positive language when talking to our students.  For example, avoid saying “Don’t lean back”. Replace it with, “Sit up straight.”  Saying 'Don’t lean back' is virtually an invite to lie back against the cockpit coaming.  Describe the behaviour that you want to see as opposed to the one that you don’t.  Saying to a student, “don’t do that” can produce the reply “Why not?”  The focus of the learning has shifted from the positive to the negative.

            The next time that you are on the water coaching a group don’t just consider environmental factors such as direction of wind and where you position yourself in relation to the sun but think about your language and the vocabulary that you use.  With thought, it is possible to enhance the learning of all your students regardless of age and ability.