Last Updated2 June 2023

Effective Communication will cover the ways that you can be an effective communicator. Learn some important communication tools, discover different styles of communication, and delve deeper into different feedback and questioning tools that a ski instructor can use.

What-Why-How

No doubt you’ve heard the phrase “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it”.

The combination of words used to describe techniques and tasks is crucial to create understanding. The information delivered will not help students to progress if it is not delivered well.

Too basic and the description can lack detail. Too complex and the key points can easily get lost or can lead to confusion.

Presented information should be clear, concise and well-organised. The students must understand what it is they are trying, why they are trying it and how they are best to do it.

What

This starts with a single sentence that describes the activity or concept in a simple and concise way, for example: “Let’s start to learn how to change direction and turn our skis.”

What the skis will do
What body parts will be used or focused on, and what those body parts will do
The timing of when the activity should occur; the phase of a turn, in co-ordination or sequence with another movement or a place on the mountain or trail

Why

This should describe the main benefit of the activity or concept to help get the students’ buy-in to the learning process, for example: “Turning is a more effective and efficient method of speed control and will allow us to ski around more of the mountain.”

Why this activity has been chosen
Highlight the benefits
Why the activity relates to the overall goal of the lesson

How

This should describe the movements required to achieve the activity or concept. It will often include specific body parts and how the ski will likely perform as a result. For example: “Focus on pointing your skis where you want to go and, to do this, think about turning and steering both your legs.”

Give a tactical piece of information that helps students give it a go
Highlight or simulate a sensation or feeling
Communicate clarity around ideal ski and body performance
Relate what’s being learned to something the student already has prior experience or knowledge of

New instructors often find themselves over-complicating descriptions. This can create confusion in students and sometimes a lack of trust. The what-why-how method helps to avoid this and provides a recipe for delivery information in a simple and concise way, without missing the key elements. The simpler the information delivered, the easier it is to absorb.

Presenting information is more than just the verbal delivery, however. Verbal descriptions are often best followed up with physical demonstrations of the activity and the opportunity for students to feel the activity for themselves.