It's the Little Things

One of my biggest pet peeves in the strength & conditioning world is the ego. There are a lot of individuals that sit on their high horse saying “this is the way we’ve always done things”, or “this is the only right way to do things”, or even better “I’m too advanced to work on the soft skills” … well, I may still be quite young in the field, but with over 12 years of experience coaching, I don’t think anyone is too advanced to work on the soft skills and the simple things.

I really believe that the soft skills of coaching are just as, if not more important than the hard skills. The soft skills being communication, building rapport/ relationships, ability to develop connections/ networking, etc., and the hard skills being your textbook knowledge on program design, human body, exercise execution, and more. I think both are incredibly important in the world of S&C, but I often feel like all continuing education is geared towards information that you can only use with 0.1% of the population.

I really do believe that things like connection and program design are so far apart on the coaching spectrum. I really believe that building a connection with the individual(s) you’re working with helps your program make a BIGGER impact. Why? Because you are more likely to get adherence to the plan in place when you’ve taken time to show that you care, you’ve listened, and that you want those individuals to win.

“Athletes/ people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

You can write the best program in the world, but if you don’t take the time to develop some sort of rapport with the individual, that program may just become a piece of paper or document in your computer. It’s the ADHERENCE to the plan that creates movement forward towards the goal.

Connection can come in a variety of forms, and I know with this day-in-age, it’s not always a face-to-face conversations. Here are a couple strategies I like to utilize to build connection and develop rapport with the individuals I’m working with …

  • Learning Names: This is probably the simplest, but most effective way of establishing a connection. Use the name game, repeat the name you hear, or ask for reassurance if you’re unsure. Using a person’s name goes a long way.

  • Finding Common Ground: I love check-in questions for this reason, it allows you to find shared interests with the individual by asking about things outside of the gym/ weight room - their favourite music, how they take their coffee, go-to board game, etc. These may seem like insignificant questions, but they are great conversation starters!

  • Active Listening & Follow-Up: When an individual is speaking, it’s important to show that you’re listening. A lot of times this is your non-verbal communication - eye contact, posture, gestures, etc. It can also be as simple as following up on something that they had mentioned previously as it shows you were listening and have taken interest in what they’ve shared (this is also important from a logistics perspective, especially when it comes to injuries and ailments).

  • Acknowledgement: Making eye contact, shaking someone’s hand, giving a high five, using someone’s name - all gestures that don’t take a lot of energy, but make a massive difference in someone feeling included in the space and environment. Just because you’re comfortable there, doesn’t mean they are!

These things can happen in-person, or online, and it’s pretty cool to use a tool like social media to connect with people you may not otherwise connect with. This is obviously not an exhaustive list, but rather just a couple things to think about the next time you’re preparing to work with an individual or group of individuals.

I actually dive into this exact topic in my most recent FREE webinar Connected Coaching: The Intersection between Connection and Programming - it’s about 45 minutes, but worth the watch!

If you’re already passionate about this, I would recommend joining me in the next cohort of the School of TRAINING2XL: Coaching Foundations Course where I give you tools, strategies, and practical education for you to utilize in your coaching practice immediately. I built this course because I was frustrated with the lack of education on some of the most important concepts when working/coaching humans.

You can check out more information HERE, and don’t hesitate to reach out to me at alena@training2xl.com if you have questions!

Talk soon,

A

Alena Luciani