Communication has always been an integral part of coaching. In the old days, Vince Lombardi screamed and threatened his Green Bay Packers. Bobby Knight threw things and bullied his teams. John Wooden spoke softly so his players would have to pay close attention to hear him. Others have used a combination of diverse methods to get their points across to athletes.
Communication has evolved over the years as each generation requires different approaches – well-planned team speeches, hand-written notes and letters, one-on-on meetings, small-group sessions.
What’s the best way to communicate with today’s athletes, a group that falls into the much-maligned millennial category? Inc.com recently posted an article about more effective ways to communicate with millennials.
Among the suggestions are three that we will look at here:
Keep It Brief But Meaningful
Think 140 characters. Millennials have mastered the art of getting their point across within the confines of a Twitter message. By the way, that last sentence was 104 characters. The millennial athlete appreciates short and informative messages. At the same time, they want to have a clear set of instructions and a thorough plan that helps them reach their goals. In other words, get to the point and be clear about it.
Nurture Their Passion
“Millies” have a strong desire to have a meaningful life. They want to make a difference, and that craving to do something meaningful can be cultivated. Inc.com suggests leaders use “mission-driven terminology” when communicating with millennials. Explain to them how what you are asking affects the big picture and helps the team accomplish its mission.
Choose The Best Medium For Communication
Inc.com says, “Face-to-face meetings and conference calls are not as effective with millennials. Reach the younger generation where they already spend the most time–on their mobile devices. Try an online team portal for collaboration with a mobile app.”
A mobile app is, of course, preferable to an online team portal. Millennials are used to communicating at any time of the day or night, not when they are in front of their laptop. DRIVN’s communication feature, or “chat” is the ideal medium of communication for millennials. DRIVN gives the coach and player the ability to communicate quickly and efficiently at any time on their phones. It eliminates the need for text messages that get lost, emails that go unread and voicemails that were skipped.
Sign up for your 15 minute demo today and see how DRIVN can drastically improve your team communication from day one.
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