Coaches teach sports and much more. Not a comprehensive list, these skills will assist you throughout your life.
1) Have a firm handshake. Connecting well matters.
2) Learn eye contact. "The eyes are the windows of the soul." People sense whether you can be trusted or not and eye contact is part of that.
3) Conversation skills. Communicate without a steady stream of um, er, like, and you know. Don't know how? Practice in front of a mirror or use your phone to record your voice and play back.
4) Conduct a pre- or post-game interview. Be thoughtful, credit teammates and coaches, and avoid blame, complaint, and excuses. Adam Grant's book Give and Take shares the value or problem with ability to share credit.
5) Saying 'thank you'. Don't be sarcastic, condescending, or syrupy. "Thank you for helping" or "I appreciate your suggestion" goes a long way. As Robert Townsend wrote, "thanks is the cheapest form of compensation."
6) Show strong body language. Stand tall, be expansive. Learn to maintain good posture.
7) First impressions matter. "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." Combine eye contact, a firm handshake, good posture and body language, and unforced conversation. Be interested in people and they're more likely to be interested in you.
Your ability to get a job, entry into school, or other opportunity often depends on your interpersonal skills. Cultivate them.
8) Critical thinking. Our first instinct is to believe what we see and hear. In an era of manipulated images and disinformation, ask yourself whether something you hear is probably true, probably false, unknown, or just spin. Another Grant book, Think Again describes people as preachers, politicians, or prosecutors. He suggests thinking as a scientist examining evidence.
Developing these skills takes time and effort. As adolescents you may think it's not necessary now. If not now, when?
Lagniappe. When studying an opponent what are you evaluating? Before watching, ask what you're watching.
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