Coaching Communication with Deaf Athletes

Aaron Moffett, ©2001

            Communication is important, and for the deaf athlete effective communication is vital for peak performance.  Many times communication is thought to be easy; one person speaks or signs and the other person listens or interprets the signs.  Even with instructions clearly stated, athletes perform drills incorrectly quite often.  What makes communication ineffective?

Reasons for Ineffective Communication

            There are six reasons for ineffective communication: (a) content of the message is wrong; (b) inappropriate transmission of the message; (c) receiver does not listen or attend; (d) receiver misinterprets content; (e) receiver misinterprets intent; and (f) messages are inconsistent.  Each one of these reasons can lead to miscommunication between coach and athlete.

Content of the Message is Wrong

Sending messages may be difficult because the sender must be able to relay the correct message.  When coaching deaf athletes, it is important for the coach to use the athlete’s preferred method of communication (e.g., ASL, Spoken English, or Cued Speech).  For example, some signs in American Sign Language (ASL) differ according to region, and many signs differ internationally.  Coaches who work with athletes from a variety of regions, should consult with each athlete to learn about the different signs that they use.  By consulting with each athlete, a coach is able to use the appropriate signs when communicating with their athletes and the athletes may then receive the message correctly.  Coaches who do not sign should learn survival signs and use visual and tactile cues whenever possible.  

Transmission of Message is Inappropriate

            There are appropriate and inappropriate times to speak to athletes, especially deaf athletes.  Since deaf athletes may not hear directions from a coach during the actual playing time, a coach should communicate important instructions during warm-up periods and timeouts.  Coaches of deaf athletes should make sure the athletes know their roles before going onto the playing field.  To do this, a coach should establish playing roles during practice in order to minimize uncertainty. 

Receiver Does Not Listen or Attend

A deaf player probably will not hear the coach shouting from the sidelines during playing time; therefore, a coach needs to find an alternative way to gain a deaf athlete’s attention.  One suggestion for coaches is to turn the lights on and off in an enclosed sporting environment to gain the athletes’ attention for a timeout.  In addition, a coach could have flags or other visual signals to assist in communication during on-going play.  Coaches should also be aware of the position of the sun and where they are standing.  The sun may prevent an athlete from being able to see the coach signing.  Then, the athlete is unable to attend to the message.  For an athlete who relies on lip reading or cued speech, it is important for the coach to face the athletes.  The athlete must be able to see the lips in order to know that a message is being sent and to be able to understand the content of the message.

Receiver Misinterprets Content

            An athlete may misinterpret the coach’s message.  For example, a coach may clearly instruct a swimmer to breathe every third stroke, but the athlete swims and breathes every stroke.  This incident of miscommunication may have been prevented by having the athlete restate the coach’s statement in the swimmer’s own words to show full understanding of the new instruction.

Receiver Understands Content but Misinterprets Intent

            An athlete may understand the substance of the message sent by the coach, but sometimes the athlete does not understand the emotion or intent of the message.  For example, deaf athletes cannot decipher changes in a coach’s voice and are unable to make sense of sarcasm using this technique.  A coach who uses sarcasm may confuse the athletes because they take the coach’s instructions literally.  Inconsistency in messages may lead athletes to question if the coach is serious or being sarcastic.  In order to prevent confusion, it is suggested that a coach is consistent in all messages by not using sarcasm or to make certain the athlete is aware of the sarcastic manner.  In this way, athletes are able to know exactly the intent of the coach’s message.

Messages are Inconsistent

            Coaches should make sure that their verbal and nonverbal messages are consistent.  For deaf athletes, nonverbal messages are integral for communication.  The facial expressions that are used while signing sends as much information as do the manual signs.  For example, when asking a question, a coach may fail to have an inquisitive look on the face.  Therefore, the athlete might misinterpret the coach as yelling at him/her.  For instance, a coach sends the team out to practice a drill.  The coach expects one drill but an athlete practices another drill.  The coach signs to the athlete, "What are you doing?" but does not have the facial expression that demonstrates a sincere question.  The athlete might think that coach is signing, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!"  Hence, the athlete is upset because she/he thought they were doing the right drill, but the athlete perceives the coach to be yelling at them.  The coach wanted to help the athlete but the nonverbal message sent to the athlete did not show that they were asking the athlete.  To prevent these incidents, the coach could have sent the proper nonverbal message, and the athlete may have then received the message properly.  Nonverbal messages must be consistent with the verbal or signed message.

Suggestions for Effective Communication

            This section includes several suggestions for coaches of deaf sport teams.  The coach should

In these ways, an athlete is better able to understand the messages being sent.

For More Information

Goodman, S. (1995). Coaching athletes with disabilities: General principles. Belconnen, ACT: Australian Sports Commission.

Hannula, D. (1995). Coaching swimming successfully. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Martens, R. (1987). Coaches guide to sport psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Martens, R. (1997). Successful coaching. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Minter, M. (1989). Factors which may prevent full self-expression of deaf athletes in sports. Palaestra, 36-39.