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

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Session 7: Power and its impact on the communication process

Introduction

There are some very engaging real life video scenarios in this session that you will be asked to interpret. One video is about coaching elite child athletes and another examines a dispute between two neighbours, in which the dialogue plays out in two ways. Asking you to analyse and interpret such examples gives you a further opportunity to apply your learning, and it will enhance your awareness of communication skills.

There are often differences in power (i.e. experience or authority) between those involved in any communication, but this session makes you more aware of this. The potentially negative influence of power and control in an unbalanced dialogue is illustrated.

It is perhaps fitting that one of the final video situations you address, a dispute, is one that requires extremely well-developed communication skills. By the end of this session, you will be far more aware of how to respond to power imbalances and use of the full range of interpersonal skills in potential disputes.

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

  • identify when a power imbalance may be negatively influencing communication and what you can do to help avoid this
  • observe others communicating in situations in which there is a dispute and reflect how you might respond towards an appropriate outcome.