The Communication and Media Guide

THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU SPEAK, BECAUSE YOUR WORDS AND INFLUENCE WILL PLANT THE SEED OF EITHER SUCCESS OR FAILURE IN THE MIND OF ANOTHER” NAPOLEON HILL

The League Managers Association, St. George’s Park, National Football Centre, Newborough Road, Needwood, Burton upon Trent, DE13 9PD

The views and opinions expressed by contributors are their own and not necessarily those of the League Managers Association, its members, officers or employees. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

Editor Alice Hoey alicehoey1@gmail.com

Publisher Jim Souter jim.souter@leaguemanagers.com www.leaguemanagers.com

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LMA VALUES >>

UNIFIED in serving our members equally, respecting diversity and promoting equal opportunity

RESPECTED

for acting with integrity and for upholding the highest professional standards

FORWARD THINKING

in our approach, focused on positive outcomes and innovative solutions

PRIDE in representing our members and in the quality of our work PASSION for the game, its values and heritage, and for coaching and leadership

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in all areas of activity, delivered by a knowledgeable, talented and world-class team

WWELCOME RICHARD BEVAN

Chief Executive, LMA

elcome to the LMA’s third Leadership and Personal Development Guide, produced by the LMA Institute of Leadership and High Performance. The institute aims to ensure that all those who choose to be professional practitioners in football - coaches, managers and leaders - have access to a world-class programme of education, insight, personal development and support services, throughout their careers.

Based at the LMA’s home, St. George’s Park, the institute brings together a brilliant team of academics, industry experts and consultants to provide tailored learning experiences and resources that fit the requirements of our members and the unique challenges of the modern game. All of the institute’s work is guided by the LMA’s four-pillar, 360-degree model of football leadership and management: You – personal health and wellbeing, career and personal development, skills acquisition and personal profile

Your Team – leadership, high-performance teams, culture, vision and values

The Game – sport science, analytics, talent identification, tactics and coaching

The Industry – the club, football finances, game regulations and the community

This guide focuses on one of the most crucial areas of your skill set: communication. Time and again, through regular feedback and research with our members across all levels of the game, high-quality communication is singled out as the most important factor that allows managers and coaches the time and opportunity to build successful teams and succeed in their jobs.

Under the leadership of our brilliant editor, Alice Hoey, we have brought together outstanding contributions from many of the leading members of the institute’s team, including Nicky Fuller, Richard Nugent, Mark Procter, Cathy Wood and Jeremy Snape. We would like to thank them for their support here, and for their ongoing work with the institute. In addition, we would like to thank Adrian Bevington, Andy Clark, Roberto Forzoni, Michael Hoey, Steve Martin, Joseph Marks, James Pearce, Dominic Irvine, John Neal, Stephen Cook, Gary Hughes, Jonathan Northcroft and Robert Smith for their individual insights and contributions.

Practical and easy-to-use, this guide aims to encourage awareness of some of the most relevant and important communication topics. It encourages positive, proactive practices and strategies.

We hope that it proves to be a valuable resource throughout your career.

SPEAK PROPERLY, AND IN AS FEW WORDS AS YOU CAN, BUT ALWAYS PLAINLY; FOR THE END OF SPEECH IS NOT OSTENTATION, BUT TO BE UNDERSTOOD”

WILLIAM PENN

SKILLS

WE LISTEN AT 125-250 WORDS PER MINUTE

WE THINK AT 1,000-3,000 WORDS PER MINUTE

People whose managers hold regular meetings are three times more likely to feel involved in and enthusiastic about their jobs

STRENGTHEN BONDS

Employees who feel they can communicate openly tend to place deeper trust in their bosses (Source: Gallup)

>2% of people have had any formal education in how to listen

7

PLAIN TALKING

On average, people make a judgement about other people 7 seconds after meeting them (Source: publicwords.com)

50% believe people use jargon to sound clever, 30% think they’re doing it to impress, 67% are turned off by common business jargon and 70% know the meanings of less than a third of phrases

55% of interviewers make up their mind based on the strength of the candidate’s handshake

First impressions are the second most important factor when considering a potential recruit (Source: Monster.co.uk)

THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP

Words: Alice Hoey

Just how important are good communication skills to the job of the manager? Think for a moment about your responsibilities as a leader. You have to shape and share the vision of your organisation or team, foster and maintain a healthy culture and get your people to perform harder and better with that in mind. You have to be an ambassador for your team and organisation and a liaison between them and the outside world. You have to be a coach, a teacher, a confidant, encourage and discipline, make plans and help people to achieve them.

Communication skills underpin every one of these core aspects of the role and not one can be fulfilled effectively without them. Yet despite being so fundamental to our success we rarely get any real training or help when it comes to how to talk, explain, chastise, advise or apologise. How well we do all of these things will determine how effective we are as leaders and managers, yet they are largely learned and improved as we go along.

In this opening section of the guide, we examine some of the areas where communication is put to the test on an almost daily basis, such as motivating the team, attempting to influence other parties’ thinking and one-to-one conversations, and look at some of the simple changes we can make to improve our effectiveness.

HOW TO MAKE TALK COUNT

Managing a team is so time-consuming that you need every conversation to serve some useful purpose, whether it be agreeing a common goal, correcting a mistake or simply establishing rapport. Sometimes, though, conversations go nowhere or leave both speakers further apart.

Words: Prof Michael Hoey

There are no easy ways of making sure every conversation counts or everybody would use them, but there are some pointers derived from linguistic research that may help you make the best of the opportunities that conversations offer you. They are things that we all do instinctively all the time, but being aware of them may help us to use them more effectively.

The first point is that speech is not all about conveying information. Speech is in fact a series of actions and everything we say performs an act of some kind – in addition to informing, we request, inquire, offer, apologise, criticise, praise, complain, celebrate, lament, accept, refuse, explain, accuse, make excuses and so on. You should therefore try to go into every conversation with a definite idea of which act you want to perform while you both talk. Politicians

are particularly good at doing this. If you know what act you want to perform, it is easier to steer the conversation in the right direction.

The second point is that conversations are quite well organised, with a short beginning, a variable middle and usually a well-defined ending. It is especially helpful to know how to bring a conversation to an end, once you have done what you needed to do. The first step is to sum up what you have been talking about (e.g. ‘So we’re agreed it needs to be sorted out by Friday’) or to make a future arrangement (e.g. ‘Let’s have coffee after Monday’s meeting’). If you can, take the opportunity to reinforce what you were trying to do in the conversation. Hopefully, the person you are talking to will reply with an ‘OK’ or ‘right’. You should then follow up by thanking them for their time (e.g. ‘Thanks’; ‘it was good to catch up’). If you move through these stages quite quickly, you’ll come across as in charge and it will be much harder for the other person to raise a new point without coming across as rude.

Thirdly, most conversational exchanges consist not of two parts (e.g. question and answer) but of three (question, answer and follow up), and what you do in the follow up affects where the conversation goes next. You can use the follow-up to acknowledge what someone has just said and then add to it yourself.

‘Why is he leaving?’

‘He was offered a job elsewhere’

‘Oh, OK. So we need to move on getting a replacement’

Alternatively, you can choose to keep the other person talking while you decide what you want to say or do. Saying something like, ‘Really?’ will always get the other person speaking, even if only for a moment.

Importantly, you can also use the follow up to challenge the other person by suggesting they’ve not been sufficiently informative (e.g. ‘Doing what?’) or accurate (‘I thought he wanted to retire’). This needn’t come across as aggressive, but keeps you in charge of the direction of the conversation.

Finally, watch out for clues in your and the other person’s speech that indicate what you are thinking. The word ‘well’ means that the other person disagrees with part of what you said. (‘She’s opposed to the changes’, ‘Well, she thinks they should be introduced in stages.’). The word ‘er’ often indicates that you don’t want to admit something. And ‘oh’ in combination with ‘right’, ‘yes’ or ‘OK’ sends the message that a piece of news or an idea is new to you. As a manager, you might want to avoid sounding surprised too often.

ONE-TO-ONE CONVERSATIONS

When addressing a group, some generalisations will be necessary, but in a one-to-one conversation you have the opportunity to focus on your and their needs alone.

Words: Mark Procter, Learning Curve

When a conversation is between two people it has the potential to be a dialogue where both parties benefit. It isn’t just about presenting an idea; it’s an opportunity to explore ideas in depth. With this in mind, it is helpful to approach one-to-one conversations with the right collaborative mindset and to consider a few rules of engagement.

Think win-win – How can we both get what we want from this conversation?

People will do things for their reasons and not yours – We often forget that everyone is different and therefore has different motivations.

Seek first to understand and then to be understood – If it’s true that people will do things for their reasons and not yours then it makes sense to find out what’s important to the other person before wading in with your own opinion.

Reminding oneself of these rules of engagement before any important oneto-one conversation is important. Imagine these rules on a post-it note on the other person’s forehead as you converse with them. With your mindset in the right place for a good collaborative conversation, there are three skills that it is particularly helpful to develop.

BUILD RAPPORT

Rapport is important because it leads to trust, which is the foundation of success in a one-to-one dialogue. Without trust, the barriers go up and it is hard to make progress. Rapport is built on commonality. This can be commonality in a number of areas, but interests and backgrounds are often the easiest to understand. Seek out what you have in common and start a conversation around this.

The acronym F.O.R.M can help here: Family, Occupation, Recreation and Meteo. Meteo might seem a strange topic of conversation, but ask yourself how often you get chatting about the weather, good or bad, and its impact on life. The most powerful rapport-building topics are often universals, i.e. things that are true for all of us.

You can also build commonality using non-verbal behaviours, a technique called matching and mirroring. People who have a rapport tend to have naturally matched their body language. The theory is that it is therefore also possible to build rapport through deliberately matching non-verbal behaviour. While this may be true, there is always a risk of being caught out, so it might be safer to match the energy or state of the other person instead. If, for example, they are excited, get excited too. If they are sad, be sad too. If they are angry, then empathise with that anger by showing that you are angry about something similar. Matching the other person’s state in this way is more likely to result in genuine empathy than simple body language, such as crossing your legs in the same way. In any case, your body language tends to result from your state, so you’ll move faster when you’re excited and look down when you’re sad.

UNDERSTAND NEEDS

You can uncover the other person’s needs through effective questioning and there are three levels of dialogue with which you can converse.

Facts – Use open questions, i.e. what, when, where, how Emotions – How does it make you feel and how does it make others feel? What emotions is this generating? What is the effect of the emotions on the situation and the outcome?

Needs – What do you need to happen? What do others need from you? What do you need from them?

It may take time to move from facts to emotions to needs, and it will require you to build trust first, but once you understand the other person’s needs you can truly help them. It is best to ask open questions that require a full answer rather than a simple yes or no. For example, ‘What is most important to you about this project?’ not ‘Is this project what you want to do?’

LISTEN

Of course, having great questioning skills is worthless without effective listening. When in conversation it’s easy to fall into the trap of only half listening, making assumptions about what is coming next and waiting for your chance to respond. True listening is difficult but essential for building empathy, because it’s only when the other person feels listened to that they will talk openly and the conversation can move forward.

Listen clearly to everything, which means accurately hearing what is being said instead of loading it with personal assumptions. Paraphrasing and summarising helps to avoid any misunderstandings, where what you heard someone say doesn’t match what they actually meant. Repeat back what you heard and check your understanding.

It’s also important to observe non-verbal messages as well as the words spoken. Most of the impact of someone’s communication is carried by their body language, a large part by their voice and only a small part by their words. Therefore, if we listen only to what they say we miss most of the intent of the communication.

For example, is there congruence between what their body language and voice are saying and the words they are speaking? ‘How was your day?’ ‘Fine!’ Was it really? Watch for shifts in body language; is it becoming more open or more closed and what does that tell you? What do you need to do to get the conversation back on track?

A one-to-one conversation can be a great opportunity for both parties to walk away with what they need, as well as building trusting relationships, but only if handled effectively. With practice, the skills required will be a huge asset in any manager’s toolkit.

STEP BY STEP

First, get yourself in the right mindset

Build rapport early in the conversation through commonality

Ask open questions to uncover the other person’s needs and listen to their words and non-verbal signals

Summarise what you have said and agreed

COMMUNICATING WITH THE TEAM

Great leaders have the ability to inspire outstanding performances in others by what they say and how they say it. This comes through experience and by taking on board some key principles.

Words: Dominic Irvine, Epiphanies

Advertising guru David Ogilvy was once quoted as saying, “Set exorbitant standards. There is nothing so demoralising as a boss who tolerates second rate work.” What was once exceptional performance in time becomes the norm. At the 1908 London Olympics, American Johnny Hayes won the gold medal in the men’s marathon with a time of 02:55:18. Fast forward to the 2012 London Olympics and the winning time was 02:08:01, achieved by Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda. That’s a staggering improvement of a shade over three-quarters of an hour in something as simple as putting one foot in front of the other, albeit quickly.

Even more amazing is that in the 2015 London Marathon 1,208 runners beat Johnny Hayes’ 1908 time. What was once an Olympic Gold medal standard is now nothing more than something a good club runner can achieve. Today’s

great is tomorrow’s mediocre. I can think of no example in business or sport where the inexorable improvement in performance demands an expectation of unreasonable standards from people today.

Don’t, therefore, be afraid to set the bar high in your expectations of the team. Provide them with a vision that makes the effort required worthwhile. Set the goal in context; it’s how President Kennedy inspired Americans to embrace the idea of putting a man on the moon. “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy,” he said, “but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organise and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone and one that we intend to win.”

However, when setting standards don’t make the mistake of aiming to be something vague like ‘the best’ or ‘the greatest’. Aiming to be at the top of the division or the industry leader by the end of the year is much clearer. Kennedy did not talk about being the best in space exploration; his goal was unambiguous and very difficult – put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.

PAINT THE PICTURE

A beautiful landscape painting doesn’t show you every blade of grass and leaf on every tree. There is enough detail that you know what it is, leaving your mind to fill in the gaps. Great team talks do the same, painting enough of a picture of how the future could be that everyone understands the message, but each person fills in the missing blanks as it best relates to them, their motivations, desires and goals.

For example, I once worked with an HR director of a major multinational about to be taken over by its largest rival. She needed everyone in her team to perform at the top of their game right up until they turned the lights out in the office for the last time. The challenge was that her team would be impacted by the takeover as much as everyone else. She chose to paint the picture of creating a legacy about which they could all be proud and have a great story to tell. For each individual that story mattered, whether because it could go on their CV to get a new job, to establish a career as a consultant or simply to be able to hold their head up high, knowing they had ‘done right’ by their colleagues.

Creating the space in the message that allows each individual to connect with their personal values helps to drive motivation and commitment. This depends on you, as the leader, being empathic to the position of each person in your team and creating a picture that works for them.

TELL STORIES

Story-telling is also an important tool when trying to illustrate what you mean or hammer a point home, as it creates a memorable frame of reference. Think about any great evening with friends; it’s the stories that people recount that make them so memorable. People love a good story.

When working with a railway company that was seeking to raise its standards significantly, we got people to tell stories of where they had seen people in the business demonstrating the required standards of behaviour and quality of work. These stories helped people to understand what the board wanted to achieve. More importantly, it demonstrated to those in the room that it was not a question of whether the business could do what was required – they’d already demonstrated examples of where it had been done –but how to make that the standard delivered everywhere. Had the board just presented a set of metrics that had to be achieved the reaction might have been more along the lines of why such a goal was impossible to achieve. It was the stories that swung it for them.

If you want people to do something, what stories best illustrate what’s required and why? How can you relate these stories to your objective?

COUNTER THE FLOW

In any project or piece of work there will be times when you and your team get frustrated, when things are happening more slowly than you’d hoped and morale is low. As a leader you will probably feel it more than most, but this is your moment to shine. It’s at times like this that you must, more than ever, rise to the challenge of energising and inspiring the team to carry on.

When things are going well, that’s your time to step back and recharge. Every dip in energy requires a corresponding peak in your efforts to keep people going. Look around at your people – are they engaged in what they are doing? Are their heads up? Are they energised? If so, sit back, provide guidance and steer their performance onwards. If on the other hand their

shoulders are slumped, heads are down and there is little or no energy, that’s the time to focus more keenly on your communication and deploy all the team tactics at your disposal to lift morale and give them a boost.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER

A superb example of someone putting all of these aspects of team communication into practice was Colonel Tim Collins briefing his troops, as played very memorably by Kenneth Branagh in the BBC’s ‘10 Days to War’. In this single speech, he sets high standards, paints a picture and tells stories. He provides energy at a time when people need it most. Whatever you may think of the context in which he is speaking, it is compelling communication in a more challenging situation than any of us will ever face. Communicating to teams is more than just a presentation. It’s about understanding people and what makes them tick. It’s about creating the experience that has them talking to others about the inspirational message you delivered and the way you delivered it. And, above all, it’s about motivating them to respond and perform.

MOTIVATIONAL LANGUAGE

You might understand human behaviour and what makes people tick, but making subtle changes to your everyday language could spur your team on even more.

Words: Roberto Forzoni, sports psychologist

To be truly inspirational you need to understand how communication can enhance and detract from your effectiveness. You need to come up with a personalised way of being and communicating that works in the environment and at the time it needs to.

Once you have developed your philosophy, you can reinforce it with clear and subtle use of everyday language; you will soon be encouraged when others pick up on this language and start using it themselves. As with covert persuasion techniques, it works. Motivation is interactive; as much as high performers are incredibly self-motivated, most people will have times when they look toward the leader for some additional inspiration and guidance. So how do you choose the right language for the right occasion?

SELF-DETERMINATION

It can be helpful to combine research into the use of language with your own experiences when developing your approach. As the psychologist and originator of the Self-Perception Theory, Daryl J Bem, said, “As I hear myself talk, I learn what I believe.” Your use of language will enhance this way of being. It’s called ‘change talk’.

In their seminal research on motivation and, in particular, intrinsic motivation (Self-Determination Theory), Deci and Ryan outlined three psychological needs of all humans: autonomy, competence and relatedness. As a leader, you need to help your team members hit all three components in order to increase their intrinsic motivation and, as a result, their performance. For most leaders, the autonomy aspect may be the hardest to understand and implement. It’s not a case of letting the lunatics run the asylum, but instead a mature group of people working together and all aiming to achieve the same thing. Asking occasional ‘sutonomy’ statements, such as ‘What do you think?’ and ‘How can we improve?’ can work well here. Being able to have an input or the offer of an input is important, even though you, as a leader and source of inspiration, set the agenda and ensure the needs of the organisation and team members are met.

ATTRIBUTION THEORY

As much as it may seem obvious, it is important to ensure team members really understand the reasons for success and failure. When people talk about the reasons for a particular outcome they may be totally irrational, attributing success or failure to luck, superstition, a decision or single incident. Team members who account for success in this way on a regular basis do themselves and their teams a disservice. Understanding and perhaps emphasising the correct and accurate reasons (attributions) for success and failure will help motivate team members to do more of the same or, better still, encourage them to explore other things that might help them to improve.

Understanding what is controllable and what is not is key to why this approach is beneficial. For example, saying, ‘The work we put in this week really paid off’ and ‘The fact we’ve worked so hard on our fitness allowed us to come back and win that game’ demonstrates that subtle usage of language can motivate people to do more of the same.

It is worth remembering that while, on occasion, it may be useful to deflect or attribute blame on external sources in order to maintain confidence and self-esteem, it is not a policy that should be used often.

MOTIVATIONAL ESSENTIALS

When communicating with your team consider these 10 factors:

Demonstrate trust

Make jobs more complete

Introduce challenges

Encourage some team members to be experts

Drive out fear

Preserve your subordinates’ dignity

Sack the slackers

Empower – don’t micro-manage

Hire self-motivated people

Be a good boss

(as listed by Harvard Business Essentials)

SOLUTIONS NOT PROBLEMS

The essence of the solution-focused approach, meanwhile, is a focus on what you want to achieve, as opposed to what you do not want or the problem itself. Having an attitude of ‘what do we want to achieve and how are we going to achieve it?’ is far more likely to help motivate the team. Emphasise your objectives and agree a strategy to achieve them, asking individuals to tell you how they can draw on their own experiences and expertise.

Encouraging team members to be curious about what they might do as individuals and as a unit towards those team goals is also motivating. Monthly strategic meetings with the whole team followed by shorter, more regular gettogethers can work well, especially when there is some negotiation between the leader and team members on targets and strategies. There is always a balance to be struck.

Challenge team members to be curious, self-reliant, self-disciplined, humble, honest and team focused. Making occasional subtle reminders in presentations or even during media communications can be helpful here in driving change.

Always leave team members with one key message from meetings that can be reinforced with references by you and other staff throughout the week.

DO NOT

Intimidate

Overly criticise

Use sarcasm

Use guilt

DO

Plan what you are going to say

Compliment good work at the time

Show appreciation (even a thank you can work wonders)

Involve team members in main strategic planning

Maintain discipline and consistency while being flexible in your approach

PLANNING YOUR LANGUAGE

Whatever approach you use, in order to maximise the effectiveness (and you will not always be effective) there needs to be a deliberate and conscious strategic plan to what you do and say, when you do and say it and how you do and say it. Many a great impromptu motivational speech had its origin in a pre-planned and pre-prepared strategy. Be mindful of your non-verbal communication and remember the saying ‘they don’t care what you know until they know you care’.

When it comes to motivation and positive language, there is no onesize-fits-all approach. In fact, if leadership theory tells us anything it is that leadership style is incredibly varied. It is also contextual and related to positions of power of the leader, environment, team member characteristics and leadership characteristics, among other things.

Your approach will be dictated by all of these factors, along with your personality style and preferences. Delivery needs to be tailored to support the characteristics of team members, and again context is important. What may work in the early season or beginning of a project (whereby a more directive approach may be best suited) might not work so well later on. Flexibility in your approach is therefore key.

TRENDS AND TECHNOLOGY

In his work on influence and persuasion, Dr Robert Caldini investigated the importance of likeness and similarities between leaders and team members. He found that the use of similar language and similar means of communication can enhance its effectiveness. Social media is now an integral part of the lifestyle and communication of the younger generation, so understanding what is being used and how will help any leader. Even if you do not engage with it yourself, you will need staff who understand the latest trends and technologies in order that you can improve your communication channels.

WHEN NOT TO SPEAK

It’s important also to know when not to use any words at all and when to take extra care during difficult periods. Avoid any form of knee-jerk response, offthe-cuff remark or sarcasm and be wary of speaking about your own state of mind, particularly if you are going through a difficult period. What may appear innocent to you at the time may come back to haunt you and impact on other members of the team, staff or other stakeholders.

We live in a time of instant everything. With TV monitoring every move and statement and social media sending messages to millions instantly, mistakes can be costly and embarrassing. To avoid saying something demotivating, it can sometimes be best to say nothing at all.

ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS:

In their Self-Determination Theory, Deci and Ryan outlined three psychological needs: autonomy, competence and relatedness. Try asking your team members:

‘What do you think? How can we improve?’ – sutonomy

‘How’s the family? How can we best work together as a unit?’ – relatedness and autonomy

‘You did that really well. Great to see your hard work paying off’ – competence

COMMUNICATING UPWARDS

How successfully you can communicate with your chairman, chief executive and board will be central to your future success.

Words: Dominic Irvine, Epiphanies

Many people believe that communicating upwards is simply about ensuring you have covered all bases, with every detail mapped out to show you know what you are talking about. But you also need to get your messages across clearly, professionally and with authority.

LESS IS MORE

One common mistake when giving a presentation to the board is trying to cover everything. This tends to result in very long, slide-dense presentations in which a sense of boredom prevails. Often, someone steps in and cuts the presentation short, because time is too precious for members of the board. Importantly, in trying to cover all bases the nub of the issue is lost.

In this kind of situation less is more. The most effective presentations to the board are those that use just a few select slides, which cover the key points

and support a dialogue between the person presenting and those listening. Ask yourself, ‘If I could have only one slide to support my presentation what would it be?’ Create this slide. Any more than this is a compromise.

CLEAR AND CONCISE

Emails also benefit from brevity and, in my experience, the shorter the email the greater the likelihood of getting a response from further up the chain of command. Emails can be a source of deep irritation, especially when they are poorly written and their purpose is not immediately clear. Struggling to compete in an overflowing inbox, such messages may never get read, let alone digested and acted upon.

It’s important, therefore, to make it easy for the reader, starting with the subject line, which should be informative. A colleague used to put simply ‘here you go’ in every subject line, with no indication of what the message was about. While this might have made sense if read immediately after a phone call or face-to-face discussion, when opened hours, days or weeks later it did not. Looking for an email at a later date was like searching for the proverbial needle. Likewise, avoid subject lines or first lines of emails that relate to a particular time or event, such as ‘following our chat just now’. You may be keen to show how early you have started work, but an email that begins ‘good morning’ will just seem odd if opened the following afternoon. Choosing a subject line is something of an art, but get it right and it invites the reader to open your email and, hopefully, act on it.

Begin your email by telling the recipient what the purpose of the message is, i.e. whether you wish a decision to be made and, if so, by when. If you are simply keeping them in the loop then say so. Next, set out in brief the key information you wish to communicate. If you are adding an attachment, alert them to this and tell them where specifically in the attachment they will find what they need, so they don’t have to trawl through page after page.

Only copy other people into an email when you have already agreed in advance to keep them in the loop, but don’t do it just to cover your back. Just because you’ve copied someone else into your communication doesn’t mean you have abdicated responsibility.

Estimates vary, but the general view is that most emails are now opened on mobile devices. It’s therefore worth applying the mobile test – can your email

be easily digested on a mobile phone screen? If you have pasted in complex graphics that require the reader to zoom in and out, the chances are they will end up frustrated or just give up.

Lastly, proofread your email before you press send. Read it out loud in your head. If it can’t be read as if it’s being spoken, it needs to be rewritten.

BE PRECISE

When writing upwards, or indeed sidewards and downwards, it’s important to think carefully about your choice of words and how the reader might interpret them. The word ‘immediately’, for example, might seem an appropriate inclusion in a request until you ask what it means to different people. For some, ‘immediately’ means ‘start within a few seconds’, for others, it means ‘today’ and for some it can mean ‘this week’ or even longer. If your own definition differs from the readers’ it could sow the seeds of disappointment, discord and even conflict. Convert vague terms like ‘now’, ‘soon’ and ‘in due course’ into precise timescales, such as ‘by 6pm today’ or ‘by the end of Q1 (31st March)’ or whatever the right time is.

Words may also have a cultural context. Once, when I was sitting in a meeting in Amsterdam, an English-born and educated chairman commented that a particular point was ‘interesting’, by which he meant he was by no means certain that he agreed. In contrast, his Dutch colleagues took his use of the word ‘interesting’ at face value and were struggling to work out why what had been said had generated such interest.

COME WITH SOLUTIONS

One of the most common frustrations I hear from directors is that people only ever seem to bring problems. What they really want to know is not what the problem is alone, but also some consideration of the possible solutions or options available. While you may not know how to resolve an issue, it’s important to have a stab at it. It will help you in your thinking and provide a straw man that others can use to stimulate ideas for a better solution. People often work best not with a blank sheet of paper, but with a basic idea or solution that they can use as a starting point and build upon.

BE STRATEGIC

In all of your communications, consider how the message you seek to deliver fits into the overall strategy. If you are struggling to find a link then the chances of others seeing it are low and they may not take the issue seriously. While you don’t always need to articulate the link, you need to know what it is.

USE APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE

Contrary to popular opinion, the adage ‘do unto others as you would do unto yourself’ is not the way to go. Instead, it should advise, ‘do unto others as they would do unto themselves’. In other words, treat people not so much as you would like to be treated, but how they would like to be treated. For example, while you might prefer to read emails and text messages to keep in touch, your boss may prefer a phone call or a face-to-face meeting. If so, you will need to make the call or stick your head around their door for a chat. Work out how they like to receive their information and how much of it they need, then provide it in that format and quantity.

ARE YOU WORTH LISTENING TO?

How do you sound? How clear is the way you speak? How many times do you use filler words like ‘ummm’, ‘ahhh’ or ‘like’? When the spoken word is littered with fillers such as these it destroys its credibility, while clear, concise language conveys credibility, planning and authority.

Think also about how boring your tone of voice is. There is an unfortunate trend for people to try and speak in their lowest register in an attempt to add gravitas to their voices. However, what this actually does is remove any variation in tone, creating a dull, flat sound better suited to sending someone to sleep than engaging them in conversation. Record yourself, listen to it, think about how you could come across in a more engaging way, then practise.

PERSUASION AND INFLUENCE

In today’s overloaded, media savvy and reputation-obsessed world, the messenger is often more important than the message. To persuade and influence others, it’s not just what you say that counts but how you say it.

Words: Steve Martin & Joseph Marks, Influence at Work

Football managers understand more than most that small, marginal changes can make a big impact, and that includes communication. In his ground-breaking research into the psychology of persuasion, renowned psychologist Robert Cialdini noted that people are influenced not so much by what is being said but by who is saying it. Credible communicators often carry sway, because when a credible communicator speaks audiences don’t have to go to the trouble of validating each piece of information they receive. When a credible person speaks, what in other circumstances might be considered questionable seems more acceptable and potentially also truer.

So what small adjustments can you as a manager make to increase your credibility? One well-tested approach is to highlight a minor drawback or weakness in the case you are about to make. This sounds counter-intuitive,

received wisdom being to direct attention to the positives in your message and sweep any failures and flops under the carpet. However, research into persuasion has found that prior to presenting your strongest message, admitting a small drawback or weakness about your case increases not only the credibility of the next thing you say, but also its persuasiveness.

That doesn’t mean you should highlight your major stumbling blocks or critical errors. But in situations where minor, not insurmountable shortcomings exist, proactively presenting these minor drawbacks first can make the very next thing you say more credible and persuasive. This strategy can be particularly effective when you expect someone else to raise these weaknesses. ‘Fessing-up’ can pull the rug from underneath an attacker’s or adversary’s feet.

POTENTIAL OR REALITY?

Of course, simply admitting small weaknesses won’t be enough to build your credibility. An audience needs also to be convinced that you have the necessary expertise and experience to deliver on your claims. But what if, unlike managers with an enviable track record of experience, wisdom and success, you are a relatively new kid on the block? Does having only limited experience and expertise mean that you won’t be able to change the way people think about you until such time that you have accumulated enough?

Perhaps not. New research suggests that people tend to be more interested in (and persuaded by) a communicator who focuses his audience’s attention on future potential. In one study, recruiters were asked to evaluate two applicants for a managerial position. The applicants’ backgrounds and qualifications differed only in one key aspect – one had gained two years’ relevant experience and scored highly on a leadership assessment test, while the other had gained little experience, but scored highly on a leadership potential test. Despite his limited experience, the candidate who had scored

highly on the potential test was rated as likely to be the more successful hire, despite being less qualified.

Similarly, social media users shown a series of quotes about a comedian registered much greater interest (measured by click-rates) and liking (measured by fan-rates) when informed of the comedian’s potential than when told of his achievements to date. “This guy could become the next big thing” was more of a draw than “Critics say he has become the next big thing.” It seems the promise of potential has an arousing quality that can outshine reality and this can be a useful tool in persuasive communications.

CREDIBLE COMMUNICATIONS

Soften the blow – Use dispreferred markers such as ‘I don’t wish to complain but...’, ‘I’ll be honest...’ or ‘I’m not usually a hard manager but...’ when delivering criticism.

Focus on future potential to win favour to an idea, rather than proven success alone.

‘Fess up’ to small weaknesses first to increase the credibility and persuasiveness of your next point.

Use the other person’s name – The theory is that when you hear your name it validates your existence, making you feel more positive about the person validating it.

Be a parrot – Show you really understand and empathise with how the other person is feeling through ‘reflective listening’. Listen, then paraphrase, repeating it back to them.

Express yourself – Say it with passion and emotion and it will demonstrate your credibility and help to energise those on the receiving end.

Be fluid – To sound confident and therefore persuasive use fluid, fluent speech, avoiding interjections and hesitant phrases such as ‘um’, ‘er’ and ‘like’.

Mirror, mirror – Many of us use mirroring or mimicry of other people’s behaviour, speech and body language unconsciously when we communicate, but it can also be deliberately employed as a tactic to influence opinion. Try nodding throughout the conversation, for example. Start small – Research supports the idea that once someone has agreed to one request they are more likely to concede to something else later on. Start by getting people’s support or agreement on the small issues or ideas, then work your way up to larger, more important ones. Frame it – Concepts can be framed in a positive or negative light, depending on the words and contexts used and the balance of information given. For example, someone who views a product or service favourably might describe it as ‘good value’, whereas a critic would call it ‘cheap’.

WHATEVER WORDS WE UTTER SHOULD BE CHOSEN WITH CARE FOR PEOPLE WILL HEAR THEM AND BE INFLUENCED BY THEM FOR GOOD OR ILL”

BUDDHA

DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS

SIX POSITIVE COMMENTS FOR EVERY NEGATIVE ONE IS THE RATIO THAT HELPS TEAMS PERFORM AT THEIR BEST

THE LOWEST-PERFORMING TEAMS ARE THOSE THAT RECIEVE ALMOST THREE NEGATIVE COMMENTS FOR EVERY POSITIVE ONE

(Heaphy and Losada)

CRISIS = OPPORTUNITY

HBS professor Bill George’s ‘Lessons for Leading in Crisis’ include:

• Remember your internal compass of values

• To ensure that recovery is long-lasting and sustainable, practise a clear set of principles

• It’s OK, even necessary, for leaders to be open with others, admit mistakes, and look to trusted friends and associates for advice and support

• Use a crisis as an opportunity to reshape the market

A Center for Creative Leadership survey found three distinguishing characteristics of leaders who are most successful in leading their organisations through transitions and crisis:

1 Listen well and demonstrate sensitivity when dealing with employees

2 Skilled in honest, proactive communication

3 Willing to articulate clearly the rationale and necessity for change despite the pain those changes might inflict

CRITICISE WITH CARE, BECAUSE: 31%

have been told more than once that they don’t take criticism well 34%

become less motivated and don’t work as hard when their work has been criticized

39%

feel degraded when someone points out their mistakes

66%

admit that they are hard on themselves when they fail, and will dwell on it

(Source: PsychTests)

WE NEED TO TALK

Words: Alice Hoey

While it might not always feel it, communicating with people when the going’s good is the easy part; people are happy, motivated and reaping rewards so, like a wheel rolling downhill, you only have to give the gentlest encouragement to maintain momentum. Faced with failure, disappointment and doubt in the ranks, the job becomes much harder – picture said wheel stuck deep in the mud – and that’s when your communication skills need to be stronger and more strategic.

Whether you’re dealing with a full-on crisis or a crisis of confidence, a personality clash or a behavioural issue, as a leader your words, timing and delivery can either fan the flames or extinguish them. In these sensitive situations, greater emphasis will be placed on you as the manager because those under your wing and in your support team will seek reassurance, help, advice and guidance. When people are hanging on your every word, every word needs to count.

Here, we provide some practical advice on how to rise to the challenge of crisis communications and tough talks.

TOUGH TALKS

Having difficult conversations is part of the job of management and how you navigate them, especially through testing times, can define your career.

Words: Jeremy Snape, Sporting Edge

Having a difficult conversation can be mentally and physically draining, so it’s natural to want to put it off and hope the problem goes away. It won’t, so get in early before things start to fester. Conflict is rarely a surprise and dealing with it in a frank and courageous way shows that you are passionate about the needs of the team as a whole and that this is something that needs to be dealt with in the quest for improvement. The sooner you handle it, the more energy you will have for the next challenge.

Firstly, it’s important to remember that your manner, language and behaviour at all times sends messages to your team members on how they are expected to act. Even when you are not overtly offering them advice and guidance, it will be a part of most interactions. Even the way you talk with other people sets an example.

Before walking into a potentially difficult conversation you need to understand the mindset, sensitivities and motivations of the person or people you are meeting. Perhaps they are more sensitive or wound up following an injury, illness, a family issue or a recent difficult event. Understanding the personalities and backgrounds of your performers is a key element in your preparation. Put yourself in the other person’s position and try to see their point of view. What is driving their concerns and behaviours?

COME PREPARED

In tense times, our language and tone can become rushed and cluttered, so it’s important to slow things right down. Take deep, slow breaths to feed your brain with the oxygen it needs to avoid triggering the fight or flight response. We rarely stumble over our words when we are relaxed. Pick your time and place wisely, avoiding busy public places or pressing deadlines. Bringing them into your office will reinforce the power dynamic, while joining them on turf they’re more familiar with is likely to make it feel more informal.

Think about what you want from the conversation – are you looking for their insight and to hear their position on a particular matter or will you be directive and do all the talking? Working backwards from the impact you want to leave them with will help you to prepare your approach. Because emotions are likely to be high, it can help to come equipped with evidence such as video footage, statistical outputs or examples of problematic actions and when they were made. When our language is more objective it takes the heat out of the situation. Having a third point of focus such as an iPad or report also helps to steer the conversation away being a head-to-head clash.

Explaining the impact of any negative actions on the team culture or the game plan is also key, as it makes it clear you are not having a personal dig and focuses on the wider context. Your language should also become future focused as soon as possible. Harping on about the bad things that have happened has limited impact, so move on and think about ‘feed-forward’ as well as feedback. Your peer or team member needs to be able to channel any frustration towards reflection and action.

Avoid using the word ‘but’, as it has a tendency to erase whatever went directly before. For example, when you hear, ‘You’re doing well, but...’ your back is immediately braced for criticism and you don’t take in the compliment. Another way of saying the same thing would be, ‘You are doing well and by doing x and y you could do even better’.

Providing timelines in your language is also a great way to draw out the emotion of the current conflict. For example, ‘If I think where your game could be in 12 months’ time, I can see you doing x and y, so we just need to get over this setback and start working towards that position’.

HONESTY

Leaders often consider these conversations as soft skills, but in truth there is nothing harder. You can’t hide behind other people’s opinions; own it. ‘I think we have a problem here’ is better than ‘I’ve heard some people aren’t happy with you’, because the emphasis in the latter is on who leaked the news rather than dealing with the issue itself.

Difficult conversations can be a great way to re-establish your leadership values and standards and they are not a sign that something is wrong. If you are not having many tough talks it is more likely that you have your head in the sand too often or are simply not pushing your team hard enough.

GIVING ADVICE AND CRITICISM

Handle this important aspect of communications well and it gives your team guidance and focus; get it wrong and it can damage relationships and performance.

Words: Roberto Forzoni, sports psychologist

As a leader, it’s natural that your team will turn to you for advice, especially in times of need and when things are not working out as they should be.

With a solid philosophy and confidence in your training and experience, you’ll usually know what action needs to be taken. However, what you are saying is only half of the picture; the language you use and how and when you use it can dramatically affect the impact made on the recipient.

Firstly, it’s important to remember that your manner, language and behaviour at all times sends messages to your team members on how they are expected to act. Even when you are not overtly offering them advice and guidance, it will be a part of most interactions. Even the way you talk with other people sets an example.

Then there will be occasions when your advice or criticism is needed on specific issues or situations. Here, you’ll need to think carefully about how and when to give it and consider what objections or resistance you might come up against. Preparation is key to ensuring you have all the correct information to hand and are ready. For example, you may want to signpost team members to sources of additional information or support or back up your points or decisions with statistics and evidence of some kind. Choose your time and place carefully so you can focus entirely on the matter in hand with no pressure to wrap things up quickly or worry about privacy.

ENCOURAGE PROGRESS

Professor Carol Dweck’s work on fixed and growth mindsets can help when considering how best to offer words of advice, praise and criticism. Dweck has researched the effects of language on personal development and growth, and extols the virtue of encouraging and developing what she terms a ‘growth mindset’ as opposed to a ‘fixed mindset’. People with growth mindsets believe they can learn, improve and develop. Nothing is black and white. The opposite is true of someone with a fixed mindset; they believe they either win or lose, are good or bad at something. There is no in-between and so no focus on making incremental improvements.

Through our language we can encourage either of these two types of thought processes. As an example, rather than congratulating your team members (or yourself) on being good, gifted or talented following a victory, try complimenting them on their efforts towards achieving that success –the preparation, strategic planning, long hours, resilience and never-give-up attitude. This has the effect of motivating the team to try even harder and explore more ways to improve.

If however you encourage the talent or ability response by focusing rewards and praise on the final result alone, it can be demotivating. When the team is confronted with a tough challenge and its success is not repeated, the message team members are left with is one of ‘I’m clearly not as good as people think or say I am,’ leading to a decrease in effort and excuses, which can lead to maladaptive behaviours such as cheating, skiving and giving up.

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM

No one likes criticism, however much it is sugar coated. It is human nature that we remember a small piece of criticism for far longer than we do a whole heap of praise, sometimes holding onto it for a lifetime. On occasions, though, giving criticism and constructive feedback is necessary and it’s a task many managers dread. That reluctance and a lack of understanding of how to do it can mean important messages fail to get through and the trust of the recipient is lost.

Fortunately, there are ways of giving criticism and feedback that don’t offend and upset the recipient; delivered in the right way, it may even be welcomed and appreciated. Consistency is key, particularly with criticism. Again, as much as you may want to shoot from the hip sometimes, planning what you want to say and appreciating the best time and place to say it are important.

CRITICISM – AN ACTION PLAN

Use the sandwich technique – positive, negative, positive

Criticise the action not the person

Explain why a particular behaviour or action is not acceptable

Offer help when needed to change (this can be personal help or sign-posting them to the relevant person or agency)

Follow up the action as and when required

Outline the consequences for failing to change

Acknowledge any change with praise

Communicate any faults in a positive way – ‘you were fantastic, but you haven’t shown it on this occasion’

Motivate with positive language – ‘you can win this’ instead of ‘you can’t lose this’

If the advice relates to something specific, strike while the iron is hot. Otherwise your words will seem out of place or irrelevant

Be sensitive, especially if the other person hasn’t asked for your opinion

Research by Smith & Smoll in 1996 concluded that to minimise the risk of the recipient becoming immediately defensive and trying to justify his actions, a ‘sandwich approach’ can help. The team member being criticised will invariably have been doing more right than not, so open and close with some form of genuine praise or positive feedback, with the corrective action sandwiched between.

Deliver a positive statement followed by a future-orientated instruction and then another compliment. For example, ‘You worked really hard today. Next set play, make sure you’re on the shoulder of the attacker and are touch tight. Terrific effort and that was a great shot in the first half.’ Delivering the criticism in this way stops the individual from zoning out. They hear the advice and take it on board. The opening positive statement gains attention, the future-oriented instruction is heard, and the compliment helps maintain trust and increases the likelihood that the recipient will engage in whatever behaviour you want from them in the future.

The corrective feedback needs to be future-orientated to avoid the player thinking immediately about the error and then repeating it – so ‘you need to try this next time, rather than ‘you did this wrong’. It also avoids the danger of adding insult to injury with sarcasm or ridicule. The closing statement increases the chance that the instruction will be remembered.

Without criticism and feedback it is impossible for your team to improve their behaviours and performance. They need direction, timescales, detail and advice. It is the job of the manager to deliver that in the most constructive and motivating way possible.

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

In times of intense difficulty, when panic and uncertainty can spread like wildfire, the worst thing you can do is go quiet.

Words: Jeremy Snape, Sporting Edge

Crisis situations don’t need to be harmful to a manager’s career; in fact, handled well with careful planning and good tactics they can improve a manager’s reputation and strengthen their resilience. Great leaders seize these opportunities to shine. The key is to develop an effective game plan, with communication at its heart, that enables you and the team to thrive in adversity rather than simply survive. Through what you say and how you say it, you will need to quash doubts, fears and speculation and give hope.

COME TOGETHER

The first thing to do when a crisis hits is gather as much information as you can as quickly as you can. You will need to identify how the issue has arisen, who is involved and what the main areas of contention might be. Having a pre-prepared contact list to hand can help here; who are the main stakeholders around each team member, academy or department, in the legal or financial team and in the

governing bodies and what relevant insight might they have?

It can also be useful to develop a stakeholder map. Draw three concentric circles denoting those who are directly involved, affected indirectly and who affect the situation from outside alone via noise and rumours. Bring the people directly involved together quickly to establish their positions and feelings on the situation. At this point you can also identify the best communication channels, so that you can provide the media with the full facts and right messages.

SPEAK CALM AND CARRY ON

1. Get the facts from the key stakeholders fast.

2. Rumours grow in a vacuum, so provide solid information and facts to show you understand what is happening and that you are qualified to fix it.

3. Be visible, honest and authentic. Offer compensation or an apology, ideally before it is demanded of you.

4. Prepare for negative events in advance with contact lists, preprepared statements and scenario testing.

5. Be open about any problems. If your team members think you’re holding something back or doubt your ability to respond to the challenges they won’t give you their all.

6. Stay calm. You need to remain emotionally detached from the problem in order to think quickly and clearly. People won’t respond well if they see you’ve lost your cool. Take a few moments out before addressing them.

7. Listen. Engaging staff and team members, asking them the right questions and listening is often more useful than anything else.

8. Words are not enough – body language, tone of voice and behaviour all convey critical messages.

9. Language must be clear and unambiguous – leave no room for debate and discussion.

10. It’s worth remembering that the Chinese word for crisis consists of two characters, meaning danger and opportunity.

Often, this initial detective work will equip you with enough information to make decisions on the next steps towards finding a solution. This authoritativeness is particularly necessary for those people impacted by the crisis, such as your team members, at all levels, and your support staff. While they may not be directly handling the event, they will often have a stake. Give this group information quickly and then update them regularly, and ask for their support. As well as helping to get them on side, they will be more likely to become your ambassadors now and in the future. This will also help to ensure it is your message that is circulated rather than a false or negative one.

The other group to manage carefully are those who create the noise around the crisis, usually your supporters group and the media. While you should work closely with your media officer, if you have one, it’s important that you are visible. Fronting up the communications shows that you are taking the crisis seriously and that all views are being heard by the person making the decisions.

If it is clear that something has gone wrong in your organisation then take it on the chin and issue a public apology, and if appropriate acknowledge the embarrassment. People are far more likely to forgive those who show they are human than those they feel have behaved arrogantly or aggressively. Demonstrate that you understand the wider implications of what has happened and explain what actions you or the person involved plan on taking to ensure it does not happen again.

Any statement that you make needs to be clear, concise and unambiguous and, crucially, delivered from the heart. Your fans will want to see that you care, rather than just hearing the right words, so be true to your natural style and don’t just read out a legal statement in a monotone voice. Your humility will go a long way to calming the storm.

READY FOR ACTION

It’s also important to consider your own coping strategies in times of high stress. It’s easy to skip meals, have an extra glass of wine and miss out on sleep in troubled times, but you will need to be more mentally and physically fit than ever to lead your team out of the storm.

Great leaders are always prepared to deal with any crisis that should arise and, while it isn’t possible to predict what and when that will be, the important

systems and processes can be implemented and rehearsed.

The occasional ‘what if’ session can make a good break from business as usual and act as a great team-building exercise. Dissecting the impact and implications of a potential crisis with the relevant parties can help to fine-tune your response systems and bolster confidence. Just like an athlete visualising their game plan, getting your heads of departments together to consider the most likely crisis scenarios, such as medical, contractual or reputational issues, will pay dividends. It can also help to research how past crises have been dealt with well and poorly by others and then learn from these events.

DEFENDING THE INDEFENSIBLE

Steve Martin and Joseph Marks, Influence at Work

Invariably there will be occasions when you are called upon to comment following a disappointing performance by your team. It’s a delicate situation because praising your team members and making excuses for them will do little to maintain your position as a credible and honest communicator. Publicly expressing your dissatisfaction, meanwhile, runs the risk of demotivating your team and undermining morale, while also negatively labelling yourself.

Again, in such circumstances small adjustments in your communication can prove useful. Recent research suggests that when critics use cushioning phrases such as ‘I don’t wish to complain but...’, ‘I’ll be honest...’ or ‘I’m not usually a hard manager but...’ it can soften the blow of a negative comment. These phrases (known as dispreferred markers) not only help to temper criticisms, but also serve to increase the likeability and credibility of the very person doing the criticising. As a result, whereas managers who publicly deliver harsh judgements on their team are likely to provoke negative reactions and even be accused of deflecting the blame, those who selectively use dispreferred markers tend to come across as more empathetic, caring and sincere. Interestingly, the evidence suggests that this is not just an English-speaking idiosyncrasy, but can also be effective in different cultures and languages.

It might seem hard to fit such fictional role play into a busy schedule, but the best organisations and leaders develop their crisis plans during periods of calm. Preparation will give you the clarity and confidence you need to perform at your best when a crisis hits.

EFFECTIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE APOLOGIES SHOW:

Contrition Say that you’re sorry, from the heart, in words that are true to you.

Humility Explain that the action or behaviour for which you are apologising is unacceptable in your organisation, profession and position.

Understanding Show that you are aware of the implications of your behaviour or action on the organisation and those around you, i.e, as a role model and leader you must lead by example.

Change Explain how you plan to address the issue, for example, receiving training or help to ensure you don’t make the same mistake again.

THE TWO WORDS ‘INFORMATION’ AND ‘COMMUNICATION’ ARE OFTEN USED INTERCHANGEABLY, BUT THEY SIGNIFY QUITE DIFFERENT THINGS. INFORMATION IS GIVING OUT; COMMUNICATION IS GETTING THROUGH”

SYDNEY J HARRIS

DELIVERING YOUR MESSAGE

PEOPLE

40%

(publicwords.com)

Images go into your long-term memory, but words live in your short-term memory (Source: Boldtask Labs)

Humans can produce: of us respond better to visual presentations than to text alone

70% agree that presentation skills are critical to their success at work (Source: Prezi) the average listener hears, understands and retains

700,000 signs

250,000 facial expressions

5,000 distinct hand gestures

50% of a presentation’s content (Source: PPTPOP)

41% would rather visit the dentist than sit through a slideshow

STAND AND DELIVER

Words: Alice Hoey

Communication is essentially all about conveying messages in such a way that you are not only listened to but hopefully also understood. It would be fantastically simple if that meant just using the right words. Imagine if there were a tried-and-tested formula or a handbook full of phrases guaranteed to get your message to stick.

Communication, of course, doesn’t work that way; the right words will depend on who we’re speaking with and in what situation. What’s more, it isn’t the words alone that matter – although our choice of language is very important – but who is speaking them and how they do so. Some people could read the phone book and their tone, intonation and presence would still draw a crowd.

Some of this comes down to body language. The ability to read and decipher the almost imperceptible signals being given off by other people is an innate skill and one that helps us to understand and communicate with other people. Flip it around, though, and most of us are blissfully unaware of the messages our own body language is sending out or the impact that has on our ability to persuade and influence, teach, and demonstrate authority and confidence. Becoming more aware of the body’s role in communication and then gaining some control over it therefore enables us to complement and strengthen our verbal communication and avoid mixed messages.

In this section, we look at the subtle nuances of language that help your messages to sink in as well as the skills around delivery – how to come across as a confident and credible figure; someone worth sitting up and taking notice of.

GETTING YOUR POINT ACROSS

As a leader, you will need to understand how different people learn and be adept at passing on information, teaching new skills and helping people to develop. Words: John Neal, Ashridge Business School

Achieving depth of learning and mastering a skill takes hard work and commitment, and few people will make the personal sacrifice and commitment needed without a good reason why. Therefore, before they do anything else great leaders communicate to their teams exactly why they are learning and what it will do for them. This is motivation at its best.

Importantly, though, great leaders do this not just once but repeatedly, updating the why factor as time and experiences move on. Our needs, those of our teams and the competitive environments in which we work all change over time, so we need this constant reminding and refreshing of why and what.

To provide that motivational why factor you need to understand each individual that you are coaching. A current competence profile is not enough; you also need to talk to them one-to-one and get to know them and their personal life stories. Discover what has brought them to their current position, how they see the world and what motivates and inspires them most.

Knowing each person as an individual also helps when applying some pressure during teaching, because a skill that can’t be delivered under pressure is of no use. Pressure is all about perceptions and we all perceive things differently, so the coach needs to know each learner well enough to understand how to apply the right level of pressure at the right time.

You will also need to be a good storyteller. The future does not exist, so it needs to be constructed and brought to life in people’s imaginations through a narrative. Just like a good story, the future needs to engage its audience, amuse and make people laugh, while also being motivational.

Knowing your team-members well will allow you to build on their strengths, aiming to turn them into super-strengths. Research and practical experience demonstrates that focusing on existing strengths in this way increases people’s self-esteem as well as the speed and depth of their learning. Leaders must look for the positives, smile and be vocal in affirming when good things happen, even in the midst of difficulties and problems. It may feel like a bit of an act at times, but it is essential.

Of course, for your teaching words to really engage and sink in, you will need to have embedded the concept of continual learning throughout your environment.

DO NOT

Shout instructions

Order people what to do

Give a demonstration of a skill if you have long since lost the ability to do it

Give out-of-date knowledge and data

Use bad language

Demand boring or repetitive drills

Demand overly complex drills or exercises that are unrelated to your goals

DO

Ask questions

Listen

Engage with your team members

Experiment and innovate

There must be an underlying understanding among both those learning and those teaching that standing still in any area is going backwards. You must all be working to be the very best that you can possibly be.

EFFECTIVE TEACHING APPROACHES

Learning groups People often learn best when placed in groups with others with similar needs. Being able to talk through and debate what’s been learned together with the performance coach can also provide a welcome break.

Learning through games Learning is often deeper when the objectives are subtle and when people have the opportunity to play with a skill without undue pressure.

Whole part whole This is where a skill is broken down into its constituent parts, that element is developed without pressure, then built into the bigger whole. The various elements are practised until they all hang together and the whole skill becomes automatic and can be applied under pressure.

Reflective practice This is needed to follow up and embed new learning, so encourage your people to keep a reflection log every few days and to use a simple three-step process, asking: What happened? What did I learn? How can I apply it?

CONFIDENT COMMUNICATION

Why do some people speak and act with authority and confidence while others just appear arrogant?

Words: Richard Nugent, Success in Football

People often talk about confidence as if it is something that sits outside of them and comes with experience, achievement and recognition. This is understandable but flawed. Confidence is actually an emotional state and so results from what we think, the words that we use and our physiology. In other words, confidence is not an external stimulus, but the result of an internal process. It is something you do, not something you have.

CONFIDENCE VERSUS ARROGANCE

Another common misconception is that arrogance is merely overplayed confidence, whereas arrogance and real confidence are fundamentally different things. People who are genuinely confident are comfortable with imperfection and can be vulnerable. Arrogant people, meanwhile, build a surface persona around them, like scaffolding; it holds them up in certain situations or company and is often bold and loud. It is full of ego and fueled by talk of achievements or

connections with those who are achieving. However, this scaffolding is built for use only in that person’s comfort zone and when taken outside of that it falls away, often leaving them feeling overwhelmed.

BODY LANGUAGE

Look as confident as you sound:

Hands out of pockets

Don’t fidget or bite your nails

Chin up, eyes forward.

Don’t lower your gaze

Stand straight and tall, shoulders back

Don’t cross your arms

Smile

Shake hands firmly

Walk with big strides, don’t scurry

THERE ARE THREE FOUNDATIONS OF CONFIDENT COMMUNICATION:

START WITH WHY

Over the past four decades a multitude of studies, both social and academic, have shown that powerful communication begins with why. Clearly describe to your audience why they should listen to you or why this proposal or project should be given attention. This helps to engage your audience from the outset. Also give people your why. For example, if you are going for a new job what is the core belief behind your management style or coaching philosophy?

SAY WHAT YOU WANT

While we have built-in safeguards that allow us to make decisions consciously, the brain is fundamentally wired to follow commands. When given a task or instruction it has a natural propensity to follow it.

This basic wiring means it is important to stress what you want. For example, if you say that you ‘don’t want to be scared about interviews’

your brain receives this message but ignores the ‘don’t’. You are effectively programming yourself to be more scared about presenting at conferences.

As you explain to a friend that you always look terrible when you are dressed for a night out you are programming your brain to notice more of what you don’t like when you are ready to go out.

This strategy is not fluffy or blandly positive; it takes advantage of your brain’s natural wiring to focus on getting more of what you want rather than what you don’t.

SHARE THREE THINGS

There are many views on why the number three is such a significant number. Some attribute it to its implicit connection to the holy trinity. Others attach meaning to the long-held view that the brain was made up of three specific parts, a view now considered to be outdated. Whatever the reason, three is a powerful number and helpful when establishing expertise.

For example, asked in an interview, ‘What is the most important thing when leading a football club?’ share your expertise with short, to-the-point answers in groups of three. ‘For me there are three things. Firstly, be clear on your leadership philosophy. Second, help staff and players buy into that philosophy. Third, deliver on promises.’ As you make your three points, count them out on three fingers, held up. This gives congruence to your answers and keeps you on track with your responses.

A similar approach can be taken when writing. When you want to demonstrate confidence and expertise, keep your sentences short and in groups of three. It will help you to be concise, credible and convincing.

Confident communication is a skill and the more you practise it, the more easily you will access your own state of confidence. These three foundations will help you to build those habits more quickly.

FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WANT

Use language that helps you and others focus more on what you want than on what you don’t. For example, say:

‘I’m really looking forward to a good night’s sleep’ not ‘I am tired’

‘I really need to relax’ not ‘I am stressed’

‘I need to get better at this’ not ‘I am terrible at this’

PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLIC SPEAKING

Making a great speech starts with the recognition that it is not all about you. It’s about understanding who is in your audience and what they want to take away from the event.

Words: Andy Clark, Speak Easy

Being an impactful presenter starts long before you actually get up there to speak. From the moment you first learn that you have a chance to address people, before you do anything else, you should start looking at who you’re talking to, why you’re talking to them and who stands to gain from that. We call this a ‘stakeholder analysis’, and the stakeholders in your presentation can be anybody from your club, colleagues, fans and the media to the charities you are supporting and the event venue.

Then of course there’s you. It’s likely that you also stand to benefit from your moment in the spotlight, from the possibilities of enhancing your career to the motivation and enjoyment that comes from receiving praise for a great speech. Think about everything that anyone could stand to gain from your presentation and how you can best deliver that to them. Only then can you start to consider what you’re actually going to say.

BRAIN TO PAPER

When it comes to ‘writing’ your presentation, there’s one very important rule – don’t script it. There are a number of reasons for this. First and foremost, a script keeps you too straight-jacketed. Unless you are an expert script-writer and sight-reader you won’t be able to communicate in the way that humans naturally do best; you will limit yourself to just reading words from a page. On a more practical note, it’s easy to lose your place when reading from a script.

A script will also drag you down if plans change and you get thrown in at the deep end. I’ve arrived at venues on countless occasions to discover my time on stage has been halved or doubled. Other times, I’ve found that the theme of the event has been changed or that some key element of what I had planned to talk about is no longer possible or relevant. In those situations a script is useless. When you have a conversation with someone it isn’t scripted. Confident in your experience and authority, you comfortably let your mind find the best words. Presenting is just the same. Speak naturally and each individual in your audience will feel like you’re talking to them.

FROM START TO FINISH

It’s likely that someone will introduce you to your crowd and that has the potential to make or break you in the eyes of the audience. Whenever possible, arrange your introduction beforehand and make sure it does you justice.

Open your presentation as you mean to go on – in the right state, portraying the emotions that will be most helpful to you. Perhaps sow a few seeds of what you’re going to talk about later on before moving on to the main element of your presentation – your most important message. Once you come to the end of your presentation or speech there’s a temptation to bring things to a close and then invite questions. Remember that this is your time in the spotlight, your opportunity to give your audience something and to influence them, so never let anybody else have the last word. Do indulge some time for discussion with the audience – it’s an opportunity to share more information with them and help them to understand your messages better – then wrap the whole thing up with your conclusions.

I’m not, however, suggesting that you write nothing down; one of the most important things to do when putting together a presentation is to get the thoughts out of your head. You are an authority on what you have to say, but while it is all in your brain you can’t necessarily rely on it falling out of your mouth in the right way on the day. When planning your presentation, write notes on the different things you could talk about, and in so doing you’ll find the best way that they all fit together. You may also discover something new and brilliant to talk about. I’ve found the very best way to do this is with post-it notes and a big blank wall.

Don’t script or memorise what you want to say, but do get it out of your head enough times that it becomes natural; you need to feel confident that you know your material.

A GREAT SPEAKER:

Knows and appreciates his or her audience

Identifies who they are responsible to at each event and what effect or result they need to deliver to enable them to achieve their goals

Writes notes to help them get what they want to say out of their heads and becomes familiar enough with it that they are confident

Doesn’t write a rigid script

Behaves in a way that is natural to them

Focuses on what the audience needs to take away with them; shows humility

THE BIG DAY

Now comes the actual delivery. Body language is important, and here we need to return to the point about stakeholder analysis – who do your stakeholders need you to be when presenting your message? Do they need to see strength, compassion, grit or joy? Are you speaking to entertain, to inform or to inspire? That, then, is the style in which to present yourself.

Often the best approach is to be whoever you are naturally, so long as you’re feeling what you’re saying. If you’re uncomfortable with the limelight at all, a trick by the late great Ronnie Barker might come in useful. Barker, despite being a wonderful comedian and character actor, felt stage fright when he spoke as

himself. To overcome this, he created a character that was in every way himself, and it enabled him to feel comfortable and confident in presenting as himself.

Whatever style you’re speaking in, one thing’s constant: we’re all human and we all work at a fundamental level on emotion. The words don’t actually matter that much; it’s about how you make people feel. Focus on the emotion that comes out of you as much as on the words.

Humility is a core characteristic of great presenters. Whether you’re speaking on a subject of strength or sorrow, hardship or victory, behind it all the focus must be on what the audience needs to take away with them. That’s humility.

Think of all the greatest speakers; they don’t speak selfishly. Some, like Martin Luther King, will have an unquestionable greater good behind their messages, but even with more everyday great communicators their primary focus is to entertain. Humility is at the core of most great and respectable speakers, because their audience, their colleagues and their teammates are what comes first.

BODY LANGUAGE

Demonstrate confidence and authority and engage your audience.

Avoid postures that convey a negative message contrary to your personal brand.

Open your chest and arms

Smile to engage your audience and relax yourself

Make eye contact with people in the audience

Use the space you have rather than standing rigidly on the spot

Use your hands – count out key messages, point to screens and make natural gestures

Use positive gestures, such as nodding, open hand gestures and smiling, to engage people in your story

POWERFUL PRESENTATIONS

Use simple graphics and bold images with minimal text

Remember the slides are there to enhance and help illustrate your key messages, not to be the presentation

Choose a clear, modern font that is easy to read from the far end of the room

Only incorporate video if it is of good quality

Be consistent across all slides, using the same font, format and level of detail throughout

Test your equipment then test it again. Take a back-up copy just in case

Time your presentation to ensure you don’t run over or finish too soon

LANGUAGE IS A MORE RECENT TECHNOLOGY. YOUR BODY LANGUAGE, YOUR EYES, YOUR ENERGY WILL COME THROUGH TO YOUR AUDIENCE BEFORE YOU EVEN START SPEAKING”

PETER GUBER

WORKING WITH THE MEDIA

BARCELONA

150,000,000 FOLLOWERS

Barcelona is the biggest sports club on social media with nearly 150 million followers (The Telegraph)

Social networking sites are used by:

90% AGED 18 TO 29

AGED 65+ 35%

an increase of 33% since 2005

(Pew Research Center)

8 of the 10 most tweeted about moments in 2014 were sports related 6 were from the World Cup No 1 was Brazil’s 7-1 loss to Germany (The Guardian)

75% of sports events organisers use social media to promote events and activities 90% for large events 50% for small events

Facebook is the most popular site for promoting sporting events (eventility.com)

EMBRACE THE MEDIA

Words: Nicky Fuller, Larkspur Consulting

There’s nothing new about the power and influence of the media, but what has changed is the level of demand on leaders and figures in the public eye. It is no longer enough to excel in your day job; today you are expected to be an accomplished spokesperson, a front-man or woman for your organisation and ready and willing to comment publicly at the drop of a hat.

What’s more, these expectations seem to increase the greater a person’s aptitude in their chosen field. So if you’ve had personal success in a sport, for example, you are expected to have not just knowledge about that sport, but also a raft of other skills that you may have had no training in.

Inevitably, we all learn on the job and pick things up on the way, but given the huge impact that the media can have on your career, a trial and error approach is ill-advised. Leaders need to work out their own strategies and approaches to communicating in what can be a highly intimidating environment.

Dealing with the press rarely comes naturally, but those who are able to embrace the media and appear at ease with it tend to find that the subsequent positive publicity enhances their careers and public standing. The key to success is to take control and seize the initiative; be on the front foot with the press, prepared for any eventuality and ready to address all situations. That doesn’t happen by accident – it takes preparation and rehearsal.

It’s rarely a crisis that ruins a reputation, rather the way in which the crisis is handled and how the spokesperson deals with the media. History is littered with organisations and individuals who hid from the media during troubled times and who then went out of business or lost their jobs.

It is also essential to understand that while you can’t control the media you can manage it. Some will say the only way to get positive press coverage is to keep winning. That helps, of course, but losing is part of the job and even wins can be accompanied by controversy, errors and disappointment.

Just as managers must equip themselves with all the tactical and leadership skills they need to succeed in modern management, media skills must also be acquired and honed. In this section, we look at the core areas of media handling that every manager needs in his skillset and highlight some of the common mistakes that might trip you up along the way.

THE MEDIA

PRESSURES AND DEMANDS

The manager-media relationship can and should benefit both sides, but for that to happen managers need to understand how the various media channels work and what demands and expectations they face from customers and stakeholders. Here, some of the major media channels give us their views.

GARY HUGHES, SKY SPORTS

As Sky Sports now has an even greater reach across linear and digital platforms, the demands on our production teams are greater than ever. We require a variety of content to service all platforms and make all Sky outlets the ‘go to’ service for our customers. Customers expect up-to-date, accurate football news, context around stories, cutting edge, agenda-setting insight from our pundits and interviews from the biggest and most relevant names in the game.

Meanwhile, with so many outlets the quantity of content required has been greatly increased, because different stories suit different platforms.

Despite the growing volume of content required, quality is an absolute must and our standards are higher than ever – both in terms of the people we interview and our production. Quality in terms of the latter can be defined in many different ways, but first and foremost it’s about accuracy and this applies to every piece across all Sky platforms.

Quality is also judged on how a piece is shot and cut and our journalists and production staff across all of our platforms require a variety of skills to meet our quality control checks.

Managers are now very important to all media organisations, especially Sky. The starting point and number one criteria for any media-manager relationship is trust. Media organisations such as ours should respect that and make judgement calls about how far to push and what to ask, especially in emotional post-match situations. Managers, meanwhile, should understand that tough questions do need to be asked and that it comes with the job.

It’s important to us that managers understand that Sky provides a vehicle and platform where they can communicate their messages. They are, after all, representing their clubs and speaking to their supporters when they are talking to any media outlet.

We hope that they will share their opinions and philosophies and give their views of the game and how it should be played. It’s great when they share their passion, because we want to see them as human beings.

“We hope that they will share their opinions and philosophies and give their views of the game and how it should be played”

JONATHAN NORTHCROFT

Managers may think they have little in common with journalists, but in fact they often do: we all work in highly precarious industries. Like football, journalism has changed enormously and feels more pressured than it has ever been, yet the fundamentals have stayed the same.

Twitter, podcasts and digital media are all just new tools of delivery. As a football reporter, the content you need to bring to your audience never alters: what happens in matches, what participants say before and after them, how those participants are doing generally and what they are actually like. And, of course, news of transfers, sackings and appointments.

One of the great difficulties for managers is that the volume of content journalists need is rising while access to sources of it is diminishing. Clubs may be reluctant to allow us to talk to their players and getting close to chairmen, executives and owners is often difficult. The manager is left caught in the middle: his press conferences may provide the only remaining opportunities to get quotes or information.

We have three windows in which to speak to managers, post-match, prematch and that increasingly rare privilege, the one-on-one. Post-match we’re looking for conviction, emotion and, above all, authenticity. These are the things that make reaction quotes sing. Realism works. Simply claiming that a bad performance was a good one doesn’t – that just creates a story, and not a positive one. When it comes to newspaper reports, the fans want to be taken ‘inside’ to see what can’t be seen on TV and detail is gold because it does that.

Revealing to us what you as the manager worked on in training, how that translated onto the pitch, what a player’s performance showed about his mindset or perhaps what happened in the dressing room all make our reporting so much better. Bear in mind also that bad reporters, starved of information, will go hunting for what isn’t there. Give out something and they will use it.

In pre-match press conferences, detail and mood are also important, and there’s usually a need for more in-depth information. Talking interestingly about players always gives us something to write about. Anecdotes are great.

Social media and the worldwide reach that every scrap of football news has is driving newspapers to become 24/7 multi-platform outlets that heavily leverage the Barclays Premier League. Writers have to write more and do so more often. Opinion and analysis is increasingly important because it’s an area where we can get an edge over TV.

Alongside traditional reporters like me who are still ‘out in the field’, there’s now a new generation of low-paid, mostly young, 24-hour reporters who service the insatiable appetite of online. They don’t go to matches or press conferences or do interviews because they have to stay in their offices churning out material, so you can’t get to know or influence them. You can however get to know and influence their editors.

At the Sunday Times and Times we want to stay very much as newspapers and not try to turn into websites, but we’re going to use the web to publish three or four digital editions per day in addition to our traditional print copies. So, like everyone else, we need to produce more content with less access, with managers being our remaining ‘bankers’ for material.

“When it comes to newspaper reports, the fans want to be taken ‘inside’ to see what can’t be seen on TV and detail is gold because it does that”

STEPHEN COOK, BT SPORT

To our customers, the managers are the main spokespeople for their clubs and as such our customers expect them to be as informative and open as they can be.

On the day of a match, we’ll show a live manager interview pre-match and again post-match; these are our priority interviews before coming off air. A football broadcast doesn’t feel complete without hearing from the managers on both sides and we think the fans expect that.

The Premier League rule that all post-match interviews must be completed within 20 minutes of the final whistle has helped us a great deal here and the vast majority of the time we are able to record and air interviews within this timeframe.

As managers are very much in demand, there is of course competition between broadcasters for their time. As host broadcaster we will always aim to get the interviews before anybody else, while also working with all the other media to ensure everyone gets what they need.

We have a strict policy on what questions we should and should not be asking managers in interview – we shouldn’t be afraid to ask the hard questions, but they should be measured and fair. We don’t try to trip anybody up and always give managers the right of reply. We will also ensure that managers get the chance to view any incidents they wish to before we ask their opinion on them.

It helps considerably that we use only experienced reporters who have spent many years interviewing managers. They are highly respected in the industry, but importantly also by the managers themselves. It means the latter are much more likely to provide the kinds of answers we’re looking for.

“The most important thing is that they convey the messages from their clubs to the fans and it’s great when they speak from the heart, which they nearly all do”

We will also do a number of sit-down preview interviews ahead of games. These often work well, as they can be a little longer and more general than the matchday interviews, which tend to be only 90 seconds and very focused on the specifics of the game.

The most important thing is that the managers convey the messages from their clubs to the fans and it’s great when they speak from the heart, which they nearly all do. Football is an emotive sport and managers are all different –it is great when their individual characters come across on screen.

ROBERT SMITH, 5 LIVE SPORTSWEEK

It’s unsurprising that few managers relish giving interviews and press conferences. Often they come at the worst possible times and the manager will have to reflect on a defeat or how long they might be in their job. The stakes are high, as are the emotions.

That’s why, on Sportsweek, when we speak to managers we try to give them time to share their thoughts in a more relaxed frame of mind, discussing a wide range of issues on a professional and personal level. We’re interested in finding out about your journey into coaching, your management philosophy, your ambitions for your club and career, how you spend your time away from football – in fact, an interview that shows all aspects of your life as a football coach, working in an extremely challenging but rewarding industry.

One of the benefits of an interview on Sportsweek is there’s time to engage in conversation. We don’t broadcast short soundbites. Our interviews are a nice rounded discussion, anywhere between five and 15 minutes, where listeners can learn what’s involved in football management. When there’s hard news to be tackled, meanwhile, we embrace the challenge.

Dealing with the media is a crucial part of the manager’s job and although it’s one that many coaches are wary of, many also relish the chance to speak in-depth about their profession. On Sportsweek we’re fortunate that managers

“Dealing with the media is a crucial part of the manager’s job and although it’s one that many coaches are wary of, many also relish the chance to speak in-depth about their profession”

from all levels of the game have accepted our invitation to be part of the show, hosted by our award-winning presenter, Garry Richardson, from non-league coaches to those in the very highest echelons.

Going forward, our hope is that despite the growing number of media outlets – including burgeoning in-house and social media platforms – managers still view the chance to speak to the BBC, and in particular our Sportsweek programme, as a valuable media opportunity. After all, the show has an incredible reach, with millions of listeners per month here in the UK and worldwide, and is essential listening for many leading figures in football and the wider sports industry. Many in our audience will be supporters of your club and fans of football generally. We’re sure they’d love to hear you on our programme voicing your hopes, ambitions, reflections and thoughts on the beautiful game.

MEDIA STRATEGY

The media demands on football managers are now considerable and they’re growing, so taking a laissez-fair approach is neither realistic nor productive. A carefully considered media strategy is essential.

Words: Adrian Bevington, Adrian Bevington Sport & PR

Media handling is part of the job of the modern manager and the best managers do it very well. Managers that choose to work with the media and who don’t adopt a defensive or confrontational style tend to receive more balanced, fair and supportive coverage. As a result, supporters are more likely to be sympathetic to them during difficult times.

While a manager’s longevity ultimately depends on team performance, such support can lead to a manager being granted more time in the role, even when the results are not strong. It makes sense that if a club’s owner, chairman or CEO is under pressure due to poor results they are more likely to decide to change the manager if the media and supporters are firmly against him. If, however, due to stronger relationships, particularly with the local media, a less critical tone is adopted, there is a stronger possibility that the manager will be given more time to effect a turnaround.

PLAN TO DELIVER

It is very important that managers don’t fear speaking to the media. Media conferences and interviews should be seen as opportunities rather than a hindrance. This is often easier said than done, of course, especially for teams at the top of the Barclays Premier League and the national sides, but it is a good starting point for any media strategy.

Making a conscious decision to work closely with the local media, in particular, can be very helpful. The ‘locals’ are every manager’s bread and butter; their reporters live and breathe their clubs every day and are the key conduit to the clubs’ core communities, the fans. A manager who shows that he understands the local environment and community and speaks well of them will prosper with his own supporter base.

Attend supporters’ meetings, former-player events and charity events and get out into the local community; it’s important to connect regularly with the key stakeholders in your communications strategy.

Equally, you’ll need to look after the broadcasters and make yourself freely available to speak with the main channels. If the opportunities are there to develop strong relationships and make allies, take them.

Many managers wait until they are out of work and seeking another job to work closely with the broadcasters, but why wait? Help them, within reason, while you are in a job. When there is a live TV game at your club, make the host broadcaster feel welcome and be prepared to give live interviews pre-match or to allow player interviews.

It is much better to be seen within the industry as being co-operative and understanding. It is short-termism, for example, to make a player available to the media pre-match when you know they will not be starting the game. This could result in you earning a reputation for being awkward or difficult. It’s also very important that managers give a fair amount of time to the media.

Managers are at their most vulnerable immediately after a game and it is crucial to establish a routine to calm down before going in front of the cameras. Take five minutes to speak with coaches and media officers prior to facing the cameras.

Remember, the media need to leave any conference or interview with content, so it is important that there is proactive engagement from managers. Give them nothing and any element of control is lost.

INTERVIEWS AND PRESS CONFERENCES

Look beyond those asking the questions and think about who are you really speaking to. It might be the supporters, your own players, the opposition manager and players, the board, opposition fans or the media itself.

Remember, you are in control of the interview or conference room. Where possible, try to lighten the mood, as humour and laughter can break the ice even in the most difficult of times.

Never go into an interview unprepared. Decide beforehand on a small number of key messages and make sure these are delivered clearly.

Establish how you will handle any no-go subjects. The manager’s first answers to these often sensitive and difficult questions tend to set the tone. Don’t allow yourself to be drawn into areas you don’t want to discuss.

Consider providing an update or giving some key facts at the start. Set the agenda and explain your position and thinking.

Be confident and prepared to disagree. Don’t fall into the trap of agreeing with a journalist’s questions and opinions simply to be polite. Always treat the journalists as individuals.

Be punctual and greet the media on arrival.

Take pride in your appearance. Avoid looking unkempt or walking into the room drinking or eating.

Avoid lots of hand-to-face action or hair movement, which can be seized upon for photographs. A brief shot of a manager rubbing his eyes or running his hands through his hair can lead to photographs that give the impression of a man under pressure.

TAKE CONTROL

If you are unhappy with something that has been said or written by a journalist, arrange to discuss this with them in private, avoiding attempts at public embarrassment. Clarify any inaccurate stories, ensuring the clarification can be used by broadcast outlets, and set the record straight, but not in a way that belittles an individual journalist.

Consider taking opportunities to host small groups or individual journalists at the training ground for more informal, not-for-publication chats. Talking over a tea or coffee may allow you to explain your thoughts and rationale better, without the worry of how it will appear in print.

Over a longer period, managers need to determine what their core messages are and be consistent with how they are delivered. This may, for example, be to continue to praise players who are struggling for form. Identify key dates in the diary and prepare what you’ll say ahead of each fixture.

All managers have different personalities and this determines how they will interact with the media, and it is important to be natural and authentic rather than attempting to be somebody you’re not.

As the manager you are in control of the conference and therefore you have the right to decide what you say. Be professional, courteous, serious when required and, most of all, prepared.

A harmonious relationship with the media will likely make the difficult and hugely demanding job of management that little bit easier.

WORKING WITH YOUR MEDIA OFFICER

Establishing a trusted working relationship with your club’s media officer is important on many levels.

Words: Adrian Bevington, Adrian Bevington Sport & PR

The media officer has an excellent understanding of what is going on in all areas of the club, with its stakeholders and supporters and in the media. They will work closely with the players, frequently acting as sounding boards for them, and with the club’s CEO and chairman.

Develop a close, trusted relationship with your media officer and it will help you to stay aware and prepared to deal with any issues that arise in press conferences, interviews and within the club. It will most likely significantly reduce the number of phone calls you receive from the local media, while also making the jobs of local journalists easier.

STARTING OUT

Clearly define responsibilities with the media officer from the outset, agreeing that they will co-ordinate and manage all media activity. It is important here that the media officer is seen within the club as someone who has your genuine

trust and support. This will afford them a greater level of authority and enable them to ascertain the information they need to do their job effectively, which in turn will help you.

Whenever possible, your media strategy should be developed in conjunction with the media officer and you should work with them to prepare thoroughly for each media interview and conference. Talk to them about the approach you want to take and any points you want to make and trust them to question and challenge you. Remember that their job is to look out for you and protect you.

After each game and before you conduct any interviews, ensure you take time to talk to the media officer, allowing them to work through and explain the questions likely to come your way. Discuss any major issues that have arisen during the game, so that the players and backroom staff get clarity on what your and the club’s position is.

Discuss any planned commercial activity in advance, as the media officer might be able to identify valid reasons why you should or should not do it. In particular, if you have strong relations with particular journalists, let the media officer know when you plan on talking to them so they don’t get caught out by any stories.

DEVELOP TRUST

Ensure your media officer has your contact numbers and feels comfortable calling you out of hours if anything urgent crops up. If you are busy, try at least to reply by SMS or WhatsApp. Also introduce the media officer to your agent if they don’t already know them, as there will be times when they need to work together on your behalf.

Try to reach a point where you feel comfortable with the media officer providing guidance to the media on your behalf. Sit down together every morning before training and briefly again afterwards to update one another on any news, such as injuries and transfer developments. This involves trust and confidence from you and a clear understanding of how you both work.

Work together to arrange informal meetings with the media, establishing where and when the media can come into the training ground, office or canteen to see you. This shows confidence and allows others to see it.

Also invite the media officer to travel to away games with the team and stay

in the hotel. This closeness delivers unity and guarantees a greater authority for the media officer when speaking to the press on your behalf.

It’s important that the media can see how much you value the media officer as a member of your team, and when that’s the case they will generally take their word when receiving guidance from them. If the media do not believe the media officer has your ear and trust, they will not trust or respect them to do their job. This can cause problems for the media officer when trying to correct stories that are not true.

Any pre-season tours should also include the presence of the media officer as you will need them on hand to help manage any difficult issues that could arise and assist with any communication required back to the club. Work together to support the club’s supporter, community and charity programmes and help the media officer in obtaining buy-in from the players in these areas. Remember, if the club is regarded as being media friendly, community focused and a supporter of charities, this reflects well on you as the manager.

The media officer is not always going to be right, so it is crucial that you have strong and open dialogue. You should be open enough to disagree with them, but allow them to disagree with you. This way you are more likely to find the right solution and approach.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

To the unprepared and uninitiated, post-match interviews and press conferences can be daunting and when they go badly wrong they can have a serious impact on your career. Dealing with them well requires discipline.

Words: James Pearce, Brightness Media

At the heart of every good interview is a message and behind every good message is preparation. Know what you want to say and stick to it.

When you’re under pressure what matters is not making the interview interesting or entertaining but delivering your chosen messages. During media training I describe these messages as the manager’s ‘safe islands’ – sentences that you can deliver without getting into trouble or causing unintended controversy.

SAFE ISLANDS

These safe islands need to be carefully selected in advance. If your team has just lost its third successive match, what message do you want to give out? Who or what was responsible and will you concede a bad tactical decision? Remember that there are various audiences for any interview or press

conference, because as well as the media your players and supporters will be watching and listening. Make sure that your safe islands give appropriate messages for all of these audiences.

Once you’ve chosen your safe islands, the challenge is to deliver them effectively. Choose every word carefully, sticking as closely as possible to the messages you have prepared. Just one loose word can get you into trouble. For example, a manager who is under pressure and asked how confident he is of still being in charge next weekend might reply, ‘fairly sure’. The word ‘fairly’, however, indicates that he is concerned on some level and betrays a lack of certainty. The journalist only has to follow up along the lines of, ‘You’re only fairly sure?’ and the whole interview is thrown dramatically off course.

TAKE IT SLOW

When we’re under duress and the adrenalin starts to pump we tend to speak faster, but one of the best ways to avoid saying anything that might get us into trouble is to slow things right down. There is no rush and it’s your words that will be judged, not the speed at which they are spoken.

In a tough interview it’s important to concentrate and take your time. There are no prizes for delivering an answer in record time, so once a difficult question has been asked take a deep breath and think. Silence can be scary when you’re live on air, but it’s important to realise that it’s natural. The audience will credit you with thinking, rather than leaping to judgement.

If you have planned your safe islands well and stick rigidly to them it can be frustrating for the press. They won’t give up easily because it’s their job to try to get something new and rattling the manager or catching them off guard can help to achieve this. Remember that as the one giving the answers you have the upper hand. If you would rather not discuss a subject then be firm and don’t do so.

The press may ask the same question over and over again using slightly different words each time, and you may have only one safe island answer to this question. In this situation simply repeat that answer each time the question is asked. This might be a little tedious for the audience, but when you’re under pressure it’s not your job to entertain; your priority is delivering your chosen messages.

Preparation and discipline are the essential ingredients for a good interview when under pressure. By all means throw in a little humour if you can, but this is by no means essential. Stick successfully to your safe islands and it should ensure that when you watch yourself back later you can do so without covering your eyes and ears.

PERSONAL BRAND

Increasingly, the most successful people are those that understand that they each have a personal brand and work hard to develop and nurture them.

Words: Nicky Fuller, Larkspur Consulting

People rarely think of themselves as brands. Their football club is a brand. Their car is a brand. Their watch is a brand. Indeed, there is a natural reticence for people to think about their own image. However, with the advent of social media, the cult of the personality has exploded and success in business and sport is now dramatically enhanced for those of us that consider how we are perceived by colleagues, peers and the public.

What, then, is your personal brand? First, you have to clarify your personal philosophy and determine how that characterises your life and managerial style. For example, you may be larger than life, with a great sense of humour and lead your team in a flamboyant way. You may be slightly more reserved and quiet. Neither is better than the other, but it is vital that you are aware of how you come across.

REFLECT AND REVIEW

Managers spend hours pouring over the replay of a match to see how they can improve but rarely reflect on their own media performances. Undoubtedly, many feel that there is little worse than seeing themselves on screen, but dispassionately reviewing yourself is important. Do you look at the interviewer and exude confidence or do your eyes flick around making you look shifty and uncomfortable? Do you use the interviewer’s name when responding to their questions to demonstrate that you’re engaging with them and actively listening? Virtually no one is relaxed in front of the media, but it’s about rehearsing, practising and critically reviewing your own performance.

Evaluating yourself can be tough, however, so it is useful to enlist help in shaping up your personal brand vision. Ask trusted colleagues and friends what they see as your personal brand. The feedback might surprise you, as people often see us differently to how we see ourselves. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos once said, “Your brand is what people say about you whenever you’re not in the room.” Authenticity is a vital part of this. You might look at other managers and feel that they have a brand that sets them apart and that you’d like to emulate. However, if it’s not in your DNA then it’s not right for you and people will see through it.

Think also about your target audience. If you were the CEO of a company selling a product you would look carefully at your core market and figure out exactly how to communicate with it. Every action that you take helps to reinforce your brand in their minds. This is where you need to be extra vigilant about how you take control of your image.

BUILD AND CONTROL

You would expect a football club or consumer product to protect its brand fiercely and be consistent in the way it communicates that image. For example, there are some products that use humour and irreverence to promote themselves and they wouldn’t sponsor something that was about the

establishment. In the same way, an individual should protect his or her image and retain that recognisable, consistent voice.

It’s important here to embrace the opportunities provided by the media. Football managers have more exposure to the media than almost any other profession – the sort of press access that many businesses would love – yet many consider it to be the least relished aspect of the job. Think about it differently. Embrace the opportunity to talk to the press and promote your own brand and key messages as well as those of your employer.

There are only three outcomes to a match – win, lose or draw – and you can prepare responses to each. The way in which you’re seen to be responding will reinforce the perception of your brand. That doesn’t mean that you become an automaton, but it does mean that you are in control. Part of the media’s job is to create drama and controversy and they will do that by trying to get a response from you. If you are prepared, you won’t allow them to lead you into areas that could get you in trouble.

If your personality embraces controversy then you can guarantee the press will give you more column inches if you’re prepared to be more forthright in

BODY LANGUAGE

Avoid postures that convey a negative message contrary to your personal brand.

Slumped shoulders and a caved chest This indicates that you’ve given up or are beaten by an incident

Reluctance to maintain eye

contact You are less likely to be trusted and your words believed Barrier behaviour Arms or legs crossed, constant wringing of the hands while speaking and holding the palms out all appear defensive

Slouching The message conveyed here is one of ‘who cares’ Fidgeting Indicates nervousness; you’re out of your comfort zone

your approach. But remember the impact that your words will have on your target audience – will the fans or board read what you’re saying with scepticism or disinterest? It’s all about the external perception. For example, it is no accident that some managers wear a tracksuit on the touchline and a suit in the interview room; they are conscious of the different messages that they are sending out at the time to their respective audiences.

Of course, the media no longer has a monopoly on publishing stories and views; anyone with access to a mobile phone can publish a picture of their hero and, indeed, national newspapers actively request that readers send in photos of famous people out and about. It’s important to understand that your every action could be broadcast across the world instantaneously. If challenged, you need a response to any negative commentary.

USING SOCIAL MEDIA

Many people in the public eye enthusiastically embrace social media because it enables them to communicate directly with the public rather than via the prism of the media. Over 77 million people follow Katy Perry on Twitter, while Cristiano Ronaldo attracts 38.5 million followers. The power that these celebrities wield over their audiences is a very modern phenomenon and it can be a fantastic tool to help expand and grow a personal brand.

It is, however, important to remember that the more you ‘broadcast’ your views and share your life over social media, the more opportunities the public has to comment on you and to you. No matter how apparently innocent and insignificant your actions or comments, there is a raft of people whose job it is to create news and who might, deliberately or accidentally, misconstrue you. In conclusion, the most famous and revered brands are those that have a strong, consistent image and positive reputation. It is no different for individuals. If you want your players, staff, board and public to immediately associate you with particular attributes then you need to identify and then amplify your brand. It may not be easy, but it will reap rewards.

GETTING TO GRIPS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA

Whatever you think about social media, it’s now integral to our lives, which means the need for managers to understand the opportunities and the risks is greater than ever.

Words: Cathy Wood, Matchstick Media

Young people aged 16-24 spend, on average, 27 hours or more each week online; for them it’s normal. Perhaps more surprising, though, is the rapidly advancing number of British people over the age of 55 who use sites such as Facebook on a regular basis. Social media therefore presents many opportunities for organisations and the people in them, but there are also risks.

On one hand, positive and engaging social media use enables organisations to communicate directly with existing customers and stakeholders and reach out to a huge number of potential ones in engaging and creative ways. On the other, those existing and potential customers are often just a few clicks away from discovering information which, in some cases, is old, out of date and would be best kept private. There will also always be a minority who regard social media as a way to verbally abuse others, particularly those in the public eye.

As a leader and manager it’s important to understand both the opportunities and risks that surround social media and how best to protect yourself, your team and the organisation as a whole.

KNOW THE BASICS

Social media is a vast, ever-changing landscape and it can be hard to know your ‘friends’ from your ‘favourites’ and your ‘re-tweets’ from your crying face ‘emojis’. That said, a little knowledge, even in understanding the language of social media, goes a long way. What’s ‘cool’ for a young person today may be old hat tomorrow as sites come and go and features and functions change. Current popular social media sites include:

FACEBOOK

The biggest media networking site in the world, Facebook is free and available to anyone over the age of 13. Users are required to sign up using their real names, although some get around this rule and use aliases. The site allows organisations unparalleled access to a captive global audience, with whom they can communicate stories and provide exclusive content, in so doing building loyalty and following. It’s also an opportunity for organisations and individuals to create their own positive images online.

Stay up to date with privacy settings and make sure you check them regularly. It’s important to understand who you are sharing your content with; while some images are suitable and will be enjoyed by a public audience, other more private snaps are best shared only within a more select group. Note that different settings determine which groups of people can see your information and remember than any one of your ‘friends’ could copy and share your pictures and posts. Keep in mind also that prospective employers will use Facebook to research candidates; while the party may be over, the pictures could remain visible for years to come, if you let them. If you or your team members drift away from Facebook, don’t forget to close old accounts so that out-of-date photos and posts are not visible later on.

WHATSAPP

A messaging app for users 16 and over that allows you to share messages free of cost worldwide via the internet. Users can send images and video clips and make voice calls. One of the main attractions is the ability to form groups where there is a common interest or link, within which messages can be shared. This is known as ‘group chat’.

Anyone in the public eye or who represents an organisation or brand must be careful when posting anything on a social media app such as WhatsApp. Think about who is receiving it, but also what perception it could create if shared more widely and out of context.

TWITTER

A means of expressing moments or thoughts as they happen in ‘tweets’ of 140 characters or fewer. Users must be 13 or above. Allows individuals and organisations to engage directly with people, giving them a window into live activities, interests and opinions.

It is important to realise that Twitter is open to abuse, with some accounts set up to impersonate others. This violates the site’s rules, so if this happens to you report it immediately. All social media is an extension of you, so think about the perceptions created when you tweet and how it could be taken out of context.

PERISCOPE

An app, integrated into Twitter, that allows users to stream and watch live video broadcasts. Users must be 13 or above and offensive material is not allowed. The app allows users to stream fast-moving footage without time delay to friends and followers.

Live streaming can be fun and instant, but make sure any live streaming does not break confidentiality issues at your club or organisation. Make sure there are clear guidelines in place, not just for Periscope but for the use of any social media app within the professional setting.

INSTAGRAM

An easy-to-use photo app where users aged 13 or above share pictures and short videos. Individuals often use it to provide a snapshot of their lives, while organisations can engage customers and stakeholders by promoting positive stories or posting exclusive content. As Instagram is a photo-sharing app most of the images are high quality and it lends itself particularly well to sporting action.

Managers and players are, by default, ambassadors for their organisations, even if they don’t mention them by name on social media profiles. What kind of image does each picture or video give? Be careful about who you allow to follow you and who you follow. Unlike on Facebook, users don’t have to give real names when signing up for an account, so be aware that people who follow you could have adopted different online identities. Consider how images and videos could be construed out of context or if your situation were to change.

SNAPCHAT

An app particularly popular with younger team members. They can send pictures and videos to each other and set a timer for how long the pictures or videos last. Once the timer counts down to zero the picture or video should disappear. This lack of permanence is one of the reasons the app is so popular, as many users wrongly believe no content posted here can ever reappear.

Although this app may appear to be risk-free, and so a good place to experiment with a risqué picture or post, it isn’t. Pictures can always be copied by taking a screen shot and there are apps that can store pictures without the sender knowing. People might also be tempted to post content that is more controversial than they otherwise would.

EDUCATE

Never assume that your team members understand their social media responsibilities. They may fail to connect the organisation’s code of conduct with their own social media use. Younger team members may be technically savvy, but it doesn’t mean they have the maturity to understand the longerterm implications of what they are posting. Help them with this by creating easy-to-follow charters for social media and make them separate from existing codes of conduct so there is no confusion about what is expected.

Think about the organisation and its stakeholders more widely when considering education around social media. For example, how much do staff, parents or outside contractors know about protecting themselves and their reputations, online?

ADRIAN BEVINGTON

Formerly FA managing director of the England national teams and director of communications, Bevington is now owner of Adrian Bevington Sport & PR Ltd, acting as a consultant to clubs, associations, owners, and sports rights companies, including the Football Association of Wales, Nottingham Forest FC and Watford FC.

Bevington has worked at the past five FIFA World Cups, and was the senior English FA executive at South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014, responsible for all team operations and communications. He is directly involved in the recruitment of England men’s, women’s and U21 managers and head coaches.

Bevington is considered one of football’s most experienced communications professionals and is highly regarded and respected by the global sports media. He has extensive knowledge of UK and international football and expertise in football strategy, reputation and crisis communications. He is an experienced spokesperson, chair of media conferences and TV and Radio broadcaster and a former member of the UEFA Media Committee.

ANDY CLARK

Andy Clark created Speak Easy 15 years ago and today the system is used by politicians, sports stars, business leaders, teachers, coaches, salesmen and at least one stand up comedian. Speak Easy is a tried and tested system for writing, learning and delivering presentations that takes people through a simple six-step process to delivering polished, professional performances. The system teaches how to focus on achieving the right results for the audience, sponsors and for you and to structure your presentation so that it moves people logically and emotionally to those results. It helps you to craft your ideas into a presentation, incorporating enough flexibility in the content so that it can be stretched or shrunk, quickly commit it to memory so you don’t need prompt cards and defeat stage fright. Ultimately you are able to deliver on stage feeling fully prepared and looking forward to the experience.

ROBERTO FORZONI

For more than 25 years, Roberto has been involved in performance consulting and coaching in professional sport and business. A recognised authority on the psychology of performance and group dynamics, Roberto is regularly invited to speak around the world on TV, radio and at various conferences on performance related topics. He has extensive experience in both sporting and business worlds and has extensively studied various forms of positive psychology techniques, including cognitive behavioural therapy, motivational interviewing, solution focussed therapy, and a variety of counselling and NLP techniques. Whilst working in many sports, including a host of Olympic sports and tennis, Roberto specialises in football performance psychology, where he works with Premier League managers and clubs.

He has a strong coaching background in football, having started coaching amateur teams in the mid-80s, progressing to coaching in non-league football and youth academy football and later taking first team coach roles at Crystal Palace, Brentford and Brighton and Hove Albion. During his early coaching years, Forzoni also took a psychology diploma and an MSc in Sport Sciences at Brunel University, and later completed the FA Diploma in Fitness and FA Diploma in Psychology and British Association of Sport and Exercise Scientists Accreditation. He is now studying for his Doctorate on the Applied Psychological Effects of Video in Sport.

NICKY FULLER

Media and presentation trainer Nicky Fuller is an award-winning marketer and communications expert with over 25 years’ experience. After a decade of running her own public relations consultancy, Fuller moved into sport, working with the Barclays Premier League in commercial relations and helping to create the global brand through a new digital strategy. She then joined World Snooker where, as COO, she developed a new commercial strategy and brokered a multi-million pound deal for new tournaments in China. Having launched Westfield in Europe she set up Larkspur Consulting.

THE ORGANISATION

Founded in 2009 to help organisations with marketing and communications challenges, Larkspur works with clients as diverse as the Goodwood Estate, Barclays, the Chinese Government, Hearst Publishing and British Land, helping to deliver strategies that embrace marketing and commercial objectives. A key aspect of a marketing strategy is PR and communications and it is vital that principal spokespeople confidently manage the media and their own image. Consequently, Larkspur Consulting has worked with hundreds of highprofile individuals, CEOs from FTSE 100 companies, government officials and entrepreneurs to create their media profiles and to prepare them to face crisis situations proactively and reactively.

CONTACT

Nicky Fuller nicky@larkspurconsulting.co.uk

Larkspur Consulting www.larkspurconsulting.co.uk

07956 266292

206 Ice Wharf

New Wharf Road

London N1 9RF

MICHAEL HOEY

Michael Hoey has lectured in applied linguistics in over 40 countries, has authored a number of textbooks on linguistics and serves as the chief adviser on the Macmillan English Dictionary. Hoey, who is Baines Professor of English Language has had a long association with the University of Liverpool, where he began lecturing in 1993. He was Director of the Applied English Language Studies Unit between 1993 and 2003 and is currently Pro Vice-Chancellor for Internationalisation; between 2008 and 2009 he was Dean of the university’s Faculty of Arts.

STEVE MARTIN

A Royal Society nominated author and expert in the field of influence, persuasion and behaviour change sciences, Steve Martin is Director of Influence at Work. He is co-author of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Business Week International bestseller ‘Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion’, which to date has sold over half a million copies and has been translated into 25 languages.

A regular media commentator, Steve’s work has appeared in industry, business and national press, including The Times, Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Financial Times, New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Wired, Time magazine and the Wall Street Journal as well as on TV and radio.

His Persuasion column in British Airway’s in-flight magazine, Business Life, is read by over two million people every month and he is a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review. He is a guest lecturer on executive programmes at the London Business School, University College London and the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.

His latest book ‘The Small Big’ was voted The Times non-fiction book of the year 2014 and both Time and Fortune magazine rated it in their must read new business books.

THE ORGANISATION

Influence at Work is unique. Unlike organisations that deliver many kinds of skills training, it focuses only on influence and persuasion. Influence at Work is headed by two of the world’s most recognised names in the science and practice of influence – Robert Cialdini and Steve Martin. Influence at Work works with organisations all over the world delivering individually designed training services and consultancy. Its international best-selling books have sold almost three million copies, both have been rated as ‘Breakthrough Ideas for Business’ by the Harvard Business Review, are taught on executive programmes in Business Schools around the world and have attracted the interest of world leaders, policy makers, senior executives and business professionals.

CONTACT

www.influenceatwork.co.uk

steve@influenceatwork.co.uk

RICHARD NUGENT

Richard Nugent founded TwentyOne Leadership with the purpose of helping individuals and organisations to realise their leadership potential. His approach combines the latest research in the fields of leadership, personal development and change with over 10 years of experience of working with demanding clients to create lasting change. He specialises in executive leadership development around this and coaching emerging talent. He is the author of the best-selling book ‘Secrets of Confident People’ and is a renowned keynote speaker.

THE ORGANISATION

At TwentyOne Leadership, we believe that leadership capability is the competitive advantage in business and sport. Everything we do is designed to help our clients tap into this source of competitive advantage. We blend the best in leadership psychology, brain-friendly learning, neuroscience and high-performing teams to create powerful, impacting and unique experiences for our clients. Our clients tell us that after working with us they feel more confident and empowered to lead.

CONTACT

richard@twentyoneleadership.com twentyoneleadership.com

MARK PROCTER

During his early career in the IT and telecommunications sectors Procter held a progression of business and human resource management roles at Honeywell and Cable & Wireless before starting out on his own in 1998.

Over the past 17 years Procter has taught on numerous university corporate education programmes and worked internationally with managers from a wide range of organisations, including Allianz Insurance, Jaguar Land Rover, Arcelor Mittal, The National Trust, Transport for London and the LMA. His consulting work has also taken him into a variety of SMEs, where he has been able to impact their business profoundly.

Procter’s particular interest is in strategic leadership, an integration of the analytical skills of strategy development and the human skills of leadership development. His strength is being able to quickly understand key business issues and skillfully facilitate a team to develop and implement their strategic plans.

Procter is a managing partner at Learning Curve and an associate teaching fellow at Warwick Business School, where he has taught widely on MBA, diploma and executive education programmes. He is also an associate teaching fellow at Liverpool University Management School and a member of the Duke CE Global Educator Network, for whom he has worked extensively.

THE ORGANISATION

Learning Curve helps organisations address their business issues and achieve their goals by growing the capability of their people. Our client focused approach, along with many years’ experience in the design and delivery of training and development solutions will ensure you receive a high-quality solution specifically tailored to your needs. Learning Curve is a team of five managing partners, of which Mark is one, supported by a network of well-established associate consultants. We combine professionalism, energy and humour to all our client and delegate interactions.

CONTACT

mark.procter@lcnetwork.co.uk 07789 905974

CATHY WOOD

Cathy Wood is the managing partner of Matchstick Media Limited, which helps young people, footballers and athletes create a digital footprint to be proud of. Matchstick Media delivers social media enrichment sessions for LFE and has worked at more than 80 football clubs across the divisions helping to educate and promote best practice use of social media.

Cathy Wood is a former Great Britain Ironman triathlete, journalist and author. She represented Great Britain at World and European level, winning team bronze and team silver medals at successive European Championships. Wood founded Matchstick Media to help educate players and athletes on the positive use of social media and how to use it in a responsible and inspiring way. She has delivered social media workshops in more than 75 clubs as part of the LFE’s Life Skills options. Cathy also delivers the LMA’s Social Media Masterclass. In 2016 Matchstick Media launched Athlete Angel, a social media monitoring service for footballers and athletes. Details at www.athleteangel.com

CONTACT

www.matchstick.media

www.cathywood.co.uk

07905 816 222

JAMES PEARCE

James Pearce has been a national sports broadcaster with BBC News for more than 20 years. He has reported on television from three World Cups, three European Championships and numerous other major sports events. He was the BBC’s Olympics Correspondent for London 2012, leading the BBC’s on-air news coverage of the Games all the way from 2003 when the London bid was first launched. Pearce joined Brightness Media in 2013 and now works with many of the UK’s leading sportsmen and women, using his expertise to help them improve their performance in media interviews. He has a number of very high profile clients. He is responsible for all the media training for the Football Association, working with the England playing squads, and FA executives, and also runs courses at clubs up and down the country.

CONTACT

Tel: +44 (0)7798 694542

Twitter: @Pearcesport www.jamespearce.net www.jpmediatraining.com

DOMINIC IRVINE

Dominic Irvine founded Epiphanies at the end of 2001. With an enviable reputation as an international speaker and facilitator, his areas of particular interest are innovation and individual and team performance.

THE ORGANISATION

Epiphanies is a boutique consultancy that provides learning development programmes in the areas of leadership and performance for blue chip companies across the world. Our team brings together maverick thinkers, leaderships gurus, international speakers and facilitators with a wide range of multi-national and multi-cultural expertise.

The organisation examines how ordinary people can do extraordinary things – breaking through limitations and enabling individuals, teams and organisations to excel beyond what might be considered reasonable.

Above all, our mission is to provide moments of insight or ‘epiphanies’ in everything we do. Asking “why?” is the first step in finding the assumptions that constrain performance. This means challenging assumptions, separating myths from the facts. Often this is the key that unlocks high performance.

Occasionally a solution requires something different. Something unexpected, unique and innovative. Creativity is in our DNA. We begin with the end in mind, by starting with the business outcome you want to achieve, then help you realise opportunities and solve problems.

The organisation’s solutions are underpinned by academic research combined with hands-on experience of working in small and large organisations.

CONTACT

the.team@epiphaniesllp.com t +44(0)1943 430164 www.epiphaniesllp.com

JEREMY SNAPE

Jeremy Snape MSc, Founder of Sporting Edge, is a former international cricketer with a Master’s degree in Sport Psychology and is a non-executive director at the LMA. His analytical thinking and ability to simplify complex performance challenges into practical solutions has fuelled his reputation as a thought leader for high performance.

Also a key figure at Sporting Edge is Director Michael Caulfield MSc. Michael is one of the UK’s leading sport psychologists and has worked in professional sport for over 25 years. Drawing on his work in the Barclays Premier League and other professional sporting codes, he knows what is needed for high performance. Michael’s wealth of knowledge, energy and enthusiasm delivers a powerful impact every time.

THE ORGANISATION

Sporting Edge is a high-performance coaching company that fast tracks success by sharing the secrets of the winning mindset. Its fresh approach to coaching is powered by a digital library of exclusive video interviews with the world’s top coaches and athletes. These insights are blended with practical tools from performance psychology to drive results.

Talent is not enough. Following decades of investment in fitness and analysis, the mental game is undoubtedly the next frontier. Without the mental attributes of confidence, motivation and resilience, those at elite level have little chance of achieving and sustaining success. Sporting Edge has the solution and can deliver: confidential 1:1 coach and athlete support; inspiring team talks; coach education programmes; and cultural identity projects.

CONTACT

++44 (0) 1858 414214 info@sportingedge.com sportingedge.com

Twitter: @thesportingedge

Facebook: thesportingedge

Sporting

Sporting

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JOHN NEAL

As Director of the Sports Business programme at Ashridge Business School, John Neal teaches a range of topics, including leadership, team dynamics, coaching, change and personal performance. He is a performance coach who works with the potential of mind, body and spirit. He is also an exercise physiologist and performance psychologist and works throughout the UK, Europe, Africa, Asia, US and Australia. He is currently working with a number of professional sports organisations.

Prior to joining the full-time faculty at Ashridge, John was Fitness Director of Middlesex County Cricket Club, Director of The Middlesex Academy and an advisor to the England and West Indies Cricket Boards, MCC, Somerset County Cricket Club and the International Cricket Council. He has worked with teams at three World Cups across two sports and both genders. John is also the wellbeing advisor to the Royal Household.

John’s background is in business and elite sport; over the past 15 years he has set up and run his own chain of health clubs, combining this business with consulting and teaching in the public and private sectors. He has worked with elite international sports teams as a consultant psychologist, responsible for organisational dynamics and the individual performance of players and coaches.

THE ORGANISATION

Ashridge is one of the world’s leading business schools, with a reputation for world-class executive education and management development. Its activities include open and custom executive education programmes, graduate programmes, organisation consulting, virtual learning and applied research. Established 55 years ago, it has contributed to the success of thousands of individuals, teams and organisations by helping them to develop their leadership capabilities. Major business school rankings consistently place Ashridge among the best in the world, and it is also numbered among the one per cent of business schools worldwide that are triple accredited, holding AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA accreditations.

CONTACT ashridge.org.uk

Ashridge Business School

Ashridge Business School

Ashridge Business School

Ashridge Business School

Developing winners in sport and business

Developing winners in sport and business

Developing winners in sport and business

Developing winners in sport and business

The passion of sport and the theory of business come together in the first partnership of its kind between Ashridge and British sport. Sport and business share many common issues from coaching and leadership to teamwork and management, but with the same need for results in highly competitive and pressured environments. Through research, personal development programmes and consulting, Ashridge helps to develop business and sporting leaders and their teams.

The passion of sport and the theory of business come together in the first partnership of its kind between Ashridge and British sport. Sport and business share many common issues from coaching and leadership to teamwork and management, but with the same need for results in highly competitive and pressured environments. Through research, personal development programmes and consulting, Ashridge helps to develop business and sporting leaders and their teams.

The passion of sport and the theory of business come together in the first partnership of its kind between Ashridge and British sport. Sport and business share many common issues from coaching and leadership to teamwork and management, but with the same need for results in highly competitive and pressured environments. Through research, personal development programmes and consulting, Ashridge helps to develop business and sporting leaders and their teams.

The passion of sport and the theory of business come together in the first partnership of its kind between Ashridge and British sport. Sport and business share many common issues from coaching and leadership to teamwork and management, but with the same need for results in highly competitive and pressured environments. Through research, personal development programmes and consulting, Ashridge helps to develop business and sporting leaders and their teams.

www.ashridge.org.uk

www.ashridge.org.uk

www.ashridge.org.uk

www.ashridge.org.uk

Currently Head of Football at Sky Sports, Gary Hughes started his career as a junior at Sky News Sport in 1991 before moving to Sky Sports News as strand producer in 2000. He moved to Sky Sports Football in 2009, where he executive produced its Champions League coverage for five years.

Hughes has taken on the role of Head of Football at Sky since 2014 and is responsible for the day-to-day production of all football content. During his career, he has covered Euro 96, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004, as well as producing Sky’s coverage at the 1998, 2006 and 2010 World Cup finals.

JONATHAN NORTHCROFT GARY HUGHES

Jonathan Northcroft has been Football Correspondent of The Sunday Times since 2009, having previously worked as their Northern Football Correspondent. He joined the title as Scottish Football Correspondent in 1998, after three years as a sports writer on Scotland on Sunday. He began in newspapers with the Herald in Glasgow, where he was a junior news reporter.

A fading five-a-side player, in need of a pace transplant and technique overhaul, he at least gets conditioning work from chasing his two young daughters about. An Aberdeen supporter lucky enough to grow up when Alex Ferguson’s Dons were scaling the peaks of European football, his dad didn’t take him to the Cup Winners Cup final in Gothenburg because it would involve missing school – a failure to predict Jonathan’s future career of which he often gets reminded.

ROBERT SMITH

Robert Smith is series editor and producer on 5 live Sportsweek, the BBC’s leading weekly sports news and talk show, presented by Garry Richardson. It airs every Sunday on Radio 5 live between 9-10am. The show has won three Sports Journalism Awards and a Sony Gold Award for Best Sports Radio Programme. An audience of almost two million listeners tunes in every month.

SPEAK CLEARLY, IF YOU SPEAK AT ALL; CARVE EVERY WORD BEFORE YOU LET IT FALL”

OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES, SR

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