Communication: There Is No ‘Middle Ground’ [NIAAA]

By: Chris Hobbs, CMAA - Florida

George Bernard Shaw once stated, 'The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.' Few professionals can testify to the reality of this statement more than athletic administrators. The overwhelming amount of details that must be communicated to successfully execute even just one full day in an athletic department would send most people into a change of careers! Of equal importance is the value that good communication brings to a department. Coaches, assistants, and volunteers all perform at higher levels and with deeper satisfaction in their jobs when the athletic administrator communicates effectively (Razik & Swanson, 2010). An athletic administrator's communication skills are often the difference-maker between a well-oiled athletic machine, full of willing participants; and a frustrating, logistical train wreck. Consider the following audiences, timelines, and practical suggestions that can contribute to strengthening an athletic administrator's communication repertoire:

Blogging (Seasonal for the entire school community) - The use of a blog can be a very practical way for athletic administrators to nurture the school's athletic culture or further the vision of an athletic department and has proven to be a relevant tool for educational leaders (Dewitt, 2013). Blog posts can be two simple paragraphs (or more), and simply require that an athletic administrator share their opinion on relevant matters. Scheduling a blog from the athletic administrator at the conclusion of each season is a simple time line that helps to create a consistent stream of perspective flowing from the athletic office to the school community. Consider the following topics that an athletic administrator could share their opinion on: multi-sport athletes, observance of a great display of sportsmanship from one of their coaches or student-athletes, a personal testimony on the impact of a coach or athletic experience, or the support a booster club has shown. Another great way to pass along an athletic administrator's perspective is a personal commentary on a current issue. This can be done by writing a paragraph or two on a recent news story that has dominated the headlines. For example, at the time of this writing the Boston Celtics have begun their first-round play-off series just days after their star player, Isaiah Thomas, suffered the tragic death of a family member. An athletic administrator could share a link to one of the many articles that are drawing attention to things that are bigger than athletics or how an athletic team provides an important support system for someone in their time of need would be a valuable blog post. Blog posts, whether original thoughts on current matters or commentaries on new stories, can then be shared via hyperlinks in emails, an athletic website, a personal twitter account, or athletic department twitter account. The blog is a great tool for helping the school community to read about current matters from the perspective of the athletic administrator. It is also a great tool for an athletic administrator to begin to mold and nurture cultural values for the athletic community.

Coaches Update (14 days at a time for the in-season coaches) - Coaches are hired to place extreme focus on their student-athletes. Consistent communication from the athletic administrator can help the coaches to get their 'heads up' on important matters and it builds trust between coaches and the athletic administrator (Rebore, 2014). Place a reminder on a calendaring system (google calendar, outlook, smart phone, etc.) and type up a short email to the in-season coaching staff that includes the following sections: 1) Encouragement: include a link in the email to an online article that acts as a positive reminder to the coaches of the valuable role they play in the molding of young lives. 2) Calendaring: remind the coaches of upcoming dates on the school calendar such as half days of school, testing dates, proms, etc. 3) Housekeeping details: draw the coaches attention to the scheduling of their senior games, uniform collection procedures, and NFHS certification requirements. The 14-day production of the 'coaches updates' can act as a great reminder to the athletic administrator on things that they need to attend to as well!

Weekend updates (7 days at a time for the parents) - The athletic administrator could consider a weekly email to the in-season parent community that would include the following categories: 1) Weekly game and practice schedule. This can be in the form of an online link if the athletic department utilizes an online scheduling program, or an attachment to a document that has the calendaring information 2) Highlighted dates: This section is a simple bulleted list that can include dates such as homecoming game, district or county play-off games, or the opening of upcoming seasons. 3) Shout-Out to a member of the athletic department: each weekend update can include a 'shout-out' to a team that earned a big win, a coach that accomplished a milestone, or a student-athlete that recently was involved in a community service project. This is a simple way to promote all the great things going on in the athletic department. - The athletic administrator could consider a weekly email to the in-season parent community that would include the following categories: 1) Weekly game and practice schedule. This can be in the form of an online link if the athletic department utilizes an online scheduling program, or an attachment to a document that has the calendaring information 2) Highlighted dates: This section is a simple bulleted list that can include dates such as homecoming game, district or county play-off games, or the opening of upcoming seasons. 3) Shout-Out to a member of the athletic department: each weekend update can include a 'shout-out' to a team that earned a big win, a coach that accomplished a milestone, or a student-athlete that recently was involved in a community service project. This is a simple way to promote all the great things going on in the athletic department.

Day-before Reminders (for game workers) - The logistics of a day for an athletic department can be very complex. The difference between an embarrassing situation in front of a venue full of fans and seamless execution can be in the communication. The writing of a day-before email in the form of a grid or bulleted list to all of your game workers is a valuable use of office time for athletic administrator. The list is a simple reminder to all of your game workers of where, when, and how long. It also serves to develop a 'game-night chemistry' between all involved because 'the right hand will know what the left hand is doing'. An athletic administrator would be wise to consider themselves the coach in this scenario, the workers as the team, and day-before communication as the game plan. The execution of the game plan goes much better when it is communicated well!

Serving through Positive Communication (a positive mindset) - The suggestions that have been mentioned are simple, practical suggestions. For many veteran athletic administrators, they are probably already using many of these ideas and even have better ones. The final recommendation is to consider the mindset with which an athletic administrator is communicating. A good communicator understands that how and how often they communicate can be leveraged to positively build up the people they are responsible to lead. Kousez and Posner (2012) reserved an entire chapter on the importance of positive communication in the tools of a leader. Bachelder (2015) stated that 'well served people produce superior results.' An athletic administrator intent on leading a highly-functioning department should consider systematic communication the surest channel through which to serve and encourage their entire department on to a higher level of performance.

Regardless of the methods an athletic administrator chooses to utilize in communication, constant evaluation of how well details are being communicated and the mindset that is motivating communication is a healthy experience for an athletic administrator. As a leader of one of the most complicated departments in any organization, an athletic administrator can either over-communicate and build-up others or under-communicate and frustrate others; there is no middle ground.

REFERENCES

Bachelder, Cheryl A. (2016). Dare to Serve: How to Drive Superior Results by Serving Others. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc.

DeWitt, P. (2013). The benefits of blogging. Education week. Retrieved from http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2013/07/the_benefits_of_blogging.html

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Razik, T. A., Swanson, A. D., & Razik, T. A. (2010). Fundamental concepts of educational leadership and management. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Rebore, R. W. (2014). The ethics of educational leadership. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Inc.