Communicating With Your Coaching Staff.

A vital and continual process in the administration of sports

THE NATURE OF THE message itself may dictate the approach or method to use. Or the AD may choose to use whatever technique works best for him. What are some of the things that can help you communicate with your coaching staff?

Starting point: a preseason staff meeting.

If it is difficult to get every coach to attend at a specific time, you should make sure to:

1. Send them a copy of the agenda with all of the handouts that were distributed at the meeting.

2. Schedule a make-up session.

3. Meet individually with the coaches who failed to attend.

Helpful ideas and materials

Memos. Even with the new technology, memos are an important means of communicating. Besides serving as sources of information, they provide the AD (and the coaches) with a permanent record of what was said or done and a means of establishing accountability.

Keep the memos as brief as possible while maintaining the basic facts. Remember, the longer the memos, the less likely they will be read.

Coach's Checklist. Provide a copy of your itinerary to every coach. This takes only minutes to do and saves huge amounts of time.

Individual Notes. When a message is needed for only one coach, use a less formal means of approach, but, as with memos, also keep a copy for future reference, accountability, and possible use in the evaluation process.

Routing printed materials. Print the names of the coaches for whom information is intended on the front of the document. After a coach has read the material, he must check off his name and relay the document to the next coach on the list.

Warning: Do not lose or misplace the document. It may take forever to replace.

Weekly in-season meetings with head coaches. Can be accomplished before the start of the school day, in the evenings, or during lunch time (if all of the coaches have the same lunch period).

Downside: Time is extremely valuable during the season. Extra meetings can become burdensome, and information can be misinterpreted or missed entirely whenever head coaches attempt to pass it along to their assistants.

Impromptu, informal meetings. Passing in the hallway, at lunchtime, or at the faculty mailboxes, present opportunities to communicate with coaches. Such brief meetings can be used to offer reminders, encouragement, praise, or concerns.

Notes on your door. Can be done to let the coaches know where you can be reached in emergencies. If you do not have a secretary, you may post a sign whenever you will be away from the office for more than a few minutes. Try to list the time that you expect to be back.

Mailboxes. Try to provide a mailbox in the main office for every coach and non-faculty staff member. This will enable you to send every coach a copy of the memos and all other pertinent information.

You may also use the interoffice mail system for coaches who teach in the middle schools.

Upcoming dates. Every two weeks, distribute a list of all the pertinent events for this time period.

All of these forms of communication ensure a continual flow of useful information. We always try to be:

1. Clear and concise.

2. Straight forward, without sacrificing tact and discretion.

3. Timely as possible.

4. Proactive as opposed to reactive.

Coaches must always communicate with the AD. Unless it is an emergency, you should always request them to use a note. Conversation can be forgotten and misinterpreted.

You may also expect the following from your coaches:

1. To be notified and alerted to any problems, actual or potential. No one likes to be blindsided, and this will also give you (AD) time to prepare.

2. Have concerns expressed directly to you rather than through the grapevine or second-hand -- avoid any misunderstandings.