In communication training the idea of sport's psychology doesn't come up that often. However, if you want teflon-like mental muscles then I encourage you to read this post.Since childhood, I've been enamoured with many leaders and sport coaches like, John Wooden, who was the head coach for UCLA. Through Wooden's brilliant guidance, and the way he communicated with his team brought them to win 10 national championships in a 12 year period. We can learn valuable lessons from this type of leadership.Outside of skill, you need confidence, and remember only a winning psychology can win the game. Since I love bringing in certain dynamics associated with sport's psychology into my practice; here are a few valuable tips to develop a stronger communication plan In Carol Dweck's enlightening book, Mindset, she talks about having two mindsets. A fixed mindset person, focuses on what is believed to be the "truth". Whereas a growth mindset person will challenge this "truth" and through hard work and dedication believe that they can change. If you want to be a phenomenal communicator, you'll always have to push through mental barriers. We all have the beliefs from time to time that we are not good enough, and that we're not worthy enough. You are worthy, but it takes swapping out old fixed beliefs for new ones. This is where a good coach is worth their weight in gold. "Leave your baggage outside of the door." Years ago when I was studying acting, my mentor Earle Gister would say "Stop getting in your own way" What he meant was this: sometimes we bring our "stuff" or "mental clutter" into a situation, and that ultimately takes us out of the moment. If we are too busy in our heads thinking about all the stuff that we can't control then we can't possibly be in the moment. Learn to leave your baggage outside of the door: your worries, your concerns, your judgements. It's in the moment where you want to live your life, not in the past or the future. Be coachable. Being coachable means be a good listener and suspend your judgement. Even if you disagree with someone's point of view, you can still honor their perspective. At the end of the day, your audience, whether large or small will appreciate that you are a team player and that you care about them.
