Social skills in training
As part of my C-license trainer training, I am supposed to write an article about social skills in everyday training. Instead of just sharing the content in the study group, I'll give you a little insight into the content.
Social skills in (table tennis) training
Social competence is a person's ability to interact with others. The more pronounced, the easier it is to understand the other person's points of view and to convey your own points of view.
For the exercise or training situation, social skills must be differentiated from professional skills. As a trainer, I have to understand what I can convey (professional competence) and how I can convey it (social competence). When trying to differentiate, it quickly becomes clear that there is no sharp separation and that the “what” and “how” play closely together. For good training, there needs to be a functioning relationship between trainer and athlete. This relationship is based on the following aspects: communicative competence, the ability to cooperate, conflict resolution competence, emotion management and dealing with diversity, such as cultural or social origins.
I would like to emphasize one central aspect: expectation management. Both the athlete and the trainer have an image in their head of how training should go and how the other person should behave. As a trainer, I project my view of the ideal athlete onto my training group. I should do this explicitly and support it with clear “I” messages. This gives the trainees the opportunity to understand this image and act accordingly. At the same time, as a trainer it is important to pay attention to the wishes of the athletes through active listening. These building blocks result in appreciative communication, which is a healthy platform for good training.
In sports support, it is important to pay particular attention to the topic of “conflict”. On the one hand, conflicts should be viewed as a good thing. They allow those involved to grow and create change. The prerequisite for this is dealing with the situation constructively. First of all, it is important to assess whether the conflict concerns the group or individuals - never resolve a conflict with an individual in front of a group! According to the identification of the conflict situation, it is important to work out a solution cooperatively with everyone involved, evaluate the suggestions and reach a decision together. Ideally, the implementation of the solution is viewed retrospectively after some time and adjusted if necessary.
