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.
Talk-Show-Feel
Every individual likes to give and receive information in different ways. When communicating new information to students, we can simplify the process by focusing on three main communication modes: talking, showing and feeling.
This is a simple theory based on sensory input. It can help us to order and present information in three different ways, so we cover three main methods of giving and receiving information.
Put simply, first we talk about what we’re doing, then we show what it should look like, then we offer opportunities for students to try it whilst indicating some feelings they may experience.
Talk
This communication mode focuses on listening, hearing and talking. A clear and concise verbal explanation is important here. The information should also be presented in a way that is easy to understand and appropriate to the student’s age. A student who enjoys receiving information in this form might ask a lot of questions or repeat instructions back in their own words. They are often the last ones to practise something, as they will be processing the information in their heads.
Show
This communication mode focuses on watching, observing and demonstrating. Accurate demonstrations showing the task or skill from different angles or perspectives are just as important as the verbal description. Highlighting the part of the body that students should be watching will help them to focus on the right thing. Drawing diagrams in the snow or watching other riders and giving visual reference points in terrain can also help here. Students who enjoy receiving information in this form will often watch the instructor very closely or may choose to hang back and watch others in the group.
Communicate using demonstrations to complement any verbal cues given. Demonstrations are an important part of the communication and can take different forms. Stationary demonstrations are effective when focusing on a particular part of the turn, or a particular ski or body movement. Moving demonstrations are effective while skiing towards and away from the class. Demonstrations with the students following you will only benefit the student directly behind you.
Feel
This communication mode focuses on increasing awareness of the mechanics of the body and encourages experimentation and experience through movement. When communicating using this method, indicate pressure points that may be felt within the boots and tension in specific muscles. Analogies to similar movement patterns from other sports and day-to-day skills may help here, as will manipulating body parts into the desired position while stationary. Students who enjoy this form of communication will often attempt movements during the instructor’s explanation or may practise the movement whilst standing still before implementing it into their skiing.
When presenting information, always try to include all three communication modes. It is natural to begin with talking (unless you choose to say nothing which can make it challenging to teach). It is also very natural to follow this by showing a visual demonstration, unless you choose to present the task with an alternative method. Feeling is often the communication mode that is focused on the least.
Example
You are teaching your student to make a wedge using their legs to create the shape. In a stationary position, talk about the movement of the legs and how that moves the skis, explaining how the movement works and why it is useful. Show them how they should move while standing still. Get the student to make the movements and explain what they may feel, or better still, ask them what they actually feel themselves. Then show them the full task using a moving demonstration.
In previous literature and courses, talk-show-feel was presented as V-A-K (visual, audio, kinesthetic), which indicated three different learning styles. The concept that all individuals have one dominant learning style has been debunked in recent years; however, there is still a lot of value in presenting using all three of these “communication modes”: talking, showing and feeling.
Hot Tip
Using analogies and external cues can be another efficient tool for communicating. For example, the goalkeeper position to quickly describe a good athletic stance, or how we lean a bicycle as we ride around a corner to describe the way that the centre of gravity needs to move to balance against the forces as we ski through a turn.
Ask Yourself – Talk, Show, Feel
Talk
- Make sure your students can hear you – speak clearly so you are easy to understand
- Use the tone of your voice to keep your students engaged
- Use the intonation in your voice to keep your students engaged
- Make sure you know your audience. Communicate in a way that matches your student’s technical understanding. Being overly technical can potentially hinder their development
Show
- Make sure that your students can see you
- Demonstrate towards and away from your students
- You might need to walk up the hill a little or send your students ahead so that they can watch you
- Connect with your students with the facial expressions you make
- Engage with the gestures you make
- Eye contact as you communicate with your students
Feel
- Indicate specific body parts for students to work with
- Develop sensations that are tangible
- Some people will need longer to develop their kinaesthetic awareness