I noticed something while working on a group project for grad school the other day. Being effective in a group is about each member showing up prepared, and everyone sharing a collective purpose. Then, the conversation revolves around action.
Because in that context, there's only a few things one could say that make progress:
-What will be done
-Who will do it
-Where/When/Why/How they will do it
Conversely, there's a bunch of things that stall progress:
-Complaining about the project
-Evaluating the professor
-Proclaiming what doesn't work
-Unrelated side conversations
-Offering plenty of ideas, but deciding on none
-Anything not listed on the first list
It made me think about the context of cross country or track practice. Before and after practice is a fine time for conversations to be based outside the first list. That's how connections are made, and relationships are built.
But going off yesterday's blog, being effective within the time constraints of practice is crucial. That's why I think practice planning - all the way down to what you're going to say - is important. Practice is the time of day when a coach has the greatest impact on their athletes. Being very intentional about it allows for optimal effectiveness.
Practice is like that meeting for a group project. Once it's time to get better, that's the only thing that matters.