The Elements of Style: positive language in Coaching.

“It is better to express even a negative in positive form.”

So say Strunk and White in their excellent little book on writing: “The Elements of Style.“

“Consciously or unconsciously the reader (athlete?) is dissatisfied with being told what is not; the reader wishes to be told what is.”

This has an important impact on the language we use when communicating with our athletes, whether in writing or speaking.

Look at the differences here:

not honest                   dishonest

not important               trifling

did not remember        forgot

did not pay atttention to                ignored

did not have much confidence in     distrusted

When coaching, it is not just the substance that must be right, but also the style of the delivery.  Language and clarity of message are both important in ensuring clear and effective communication.

Other negatives hold more authority.

“I never warm up using foam rollers” compared to “I am not used to warming up with foam rollers”. The use of never offers a strong message.

There are times when you need toualifying conditional words make the message sound weak or indecisive.

“You could try to lift faster”   “You will lift faster”

“I would like to win the race.”      “I shall win the race.”

Save the use of would, should, could, may, might and can for coaching situations where there is uncertainty. There will be times when you give your athlete the chance to make decisions on their own; there will be a right outcome, but more than one way to get there.

An athlete has a problem getting up in the morning. “You could try going to bed earlier, or you might have two alarm clocks in the room.”

Language does matter.

I am a dabbler in the use of language, but I recognise its importance. If your athletes are not repsonding to your messages, have a critical look at the way you frame your coaching points.

I recommend elements of style for all aspiring writers. A Thesaurus is a useful tool for finding antonyms to help improve our Coaching lanaguage.