Skip to content
Skip to main content

About this free course

Download this course

Share this free course

Communication and working relationships in sport and fitness
Communication and working relationships in sport and fitness

Start this free course now. Just create an account and sign in. Enrol and complete the course for a free statement of participation or digital badge if available.

2 Assessing your skills

Spoken communication is a particularly important part of working in sport and fitness. Some of this will be formal (e.g. an appraisal or session debrief), while some will be quite informal (e.g. chatting with participants).

In Session 2, Activity 4 you explored the impressions we can give to other people, and your performance is a part of this. In the next activity you will think about various aspects of your communication practices.

Activity 2 Self-evaluation of your communication skills

Timing: Allow about 15–30 minutes

The purpose of this self-evaluation activity is to raise awareness of your own style of communication and to encourage you to seek feedback from others. Complete the following self-evaluation questionnaire 1 (personal use) [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .

If possible, pass this second questionnaire 2 to two people you trust to give open and honest feedback of how they perceive your communication. Ed Cope, who works for the Football Association, explains why:

a limitation of self-reflection is that it is restricted to our level of knowledge. Ultimately, we only know what we know and so if we are not conscious of something then we cannot reflect on it. So, this is where receiving feedback from others is so vital.

(Cope, 2018)

It is really worthwhile seeking what others think; you are strongly encouraged to use this opportunity to review your own skills.

Discussion

Both your responses, and those of any colleagues who filled in the questionnaire, will help set the scene for the remainder of this course as you become more aware of the various factors that go into effective communication. By receiving feedback from others and/or reflecting on how your communication is viewed, it may help you to enhance your self-awareness and to consider aspects that could be improved.