Questions are a powerful and often under utilized resource for coaches.
Using questioning techniques with players can reveal what they have learned and facilitate an effective method by which they learn. However, asking questions as a learning technique requires a committment by coaches to prepare, observe and listen.
Questions to others about your team/program provides a coach with valuable insight into the effectiveness of their communication and their strategy. Asking other questions about your performance requires courage, humility and an intense desire to grow and improve.
The reality is that if you want to be in control, if you want to play it safe, and/or if you want to stay at your current level don’t ask questions. However, if you want to achieve new levels of success, help others maximize their potential and discover the true abilities you must ask questions.
Let’s look at some examples of questions coaches should ask to staff members and/or others close to the team to recieve valuable insight into the effectiveness of their communication and teaching. Some examples of great questions to ask others would be:
- What would you say this program and team is known for?
- What are non-negiotables in this program? In our offense? In our defense?
- What would you say is the biggest objective I have for the playes on this team?
- What are the common goals we have established for this team? How effective are we at having all activities we do build towards those goals?
- H0w would you define our style of play?
- Based on your observations what would you say are the three biggest principles/character traits emphasized to players?
The questions listed above may be hard for coaches to hear honest answers on, but without hearing the geniune feedback we are merely making assumptions on the effectiveness of our communication and if we are progressing toward the vision we have for the team.
In future posts I will look at utilizing questions to develop players.
10:10 Sport 