Q: How Long Should My Interventions Be?

‘ What you say, and the way you say it, impacts the outcome ,’ explains Professor Stephen Rollnick, a clinical psychologist and researcher on the subject of motivation and behaviour change who advocates a more collaborative approach to working with players. ‘There’s a phrase I like: ‘You’re a guide on the side rather than a sage on the stage.’’

Question 1

What Are the Keys to Giving Great Team Talks?

Accepted Answer

Team talks are an important part of gameday. A good team talk will engage our players, encourage them to reflect on the game, and help them to consolidate their learning. This Q&A looks at why they’re so important and explores the different opportunities to communicate with our players on gameday — guiding us on how we can make these crucial interventions more effective.

Question 2

Why Do We Give Team Talks?

Accepted Answer

Effective communication is key to being a good coach. And team talks before, during, and after matches are vital opportunities to engage our players, communicate with purpose, and reframe gameday as a learning opportunity.

Question 3

How Can We Set Our Players Appropriate Targets?

Accepted Answer

Gameday is a valuable opportunity for players to learn. As coaches, we can facilitate their learning by giving them targets that prioritise development over results, and then using our team talks to reinforce and reflect on them.

Question 4

What Should I Cover in Half Time Talks?

Accepted Answer

When coaching younger players, we should be careful not to overload them with information during our half time talks. ‘When you’re in the heat of a match and you’ve written eight key points down in the first-half, it’s very easy to get caught up and feel like you have to relay all of that information to the players,’ says Dave Wright. ‘But overloading can be dangerous. We don’t want to deliver a tactical masterclass on the white board or overwhelm them.’

Question 5

How Long Should My Interventions Be?

Accepted Answer

‘What you say, and the way you say it, impacts the outcome,’ explains Professor Stephen Rollnick, a clinical psychologist and researcher on the subject of motivation and behaviour change who advocates a more collaborative approach to working with players. ‘There’s a phrase I like: ‘You’re a guide on the side rather than a sage on the stage.’’

Question 6

How Can I Involve My Players in Team Talks?

Accepted Answer

Involving players in team talks is a great way to engage them and see how much they’ve understood. As Dan Wright explains, ‘If we want them to have a little bit more autonomy, we have to know what they’re experiencing — and they are better placed to tell us what they’re experiencing than we are.’

Question 7

What Makes a Good Debrief?

Accepted Answer

A good debrief encourages the players to consider what happened during the match and what lessons they can take away from it. ‘Self-reflection is a skill, and I think it’s something we need to encourage in our players,’ says Dave Wright. ‘I think encouraging them to be analytical and honest with each other — for example, through peer-to-peer assessment — is really valuable.’

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What Are the Keys to Giving Great Team Talks?

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