Communication in the Movie Coach Carter

Course Description;
This course examines SPORT by applying psychological theory and research to the many different domains of SPORTS.
Movie/TV/real Life Assignment
Instructions
The application paper is designed to give you the opportunity to analyze the use of psychological skills in a movie, TV show, or real life experience based on your knowledge of Sport and Exercise Psychology.  You will choose one (1) of the topics covered in class and discuss how that skill is portrayed in a movie, TV show, or real life situation.  
***For this paper I choose the topic COMMUNICATION and make a connection to a movie. The topic of movie must relate to sports and communication. The resources can only use class material and textbook (see the attachment)
Materials from the class:
Introduction
Communication is a critical part of our daily lives. Our communications with friends, family members, co-workers, and others can impact our personal and professional lives. Successful people are often excellent communicators who effectively send and receive messages.
Communication is also an important skill in sport and exercise settings: coaches must be able to communicate game plans and give feedback to their players, exercise leaders need to give instructions to exercisers, and teammates need to communicate on the field. Unfortunately, breakdowns in communication are common and can hinder a player's or team's performance.
In this module you will learn about the communication process, where communication breaks down, and some keys for effective communication.
Module Topics
1. The communication process
2. Where communication breaks down
3. Sending messages
4. Receiving messages
5. Confrontations
Module Learning Objectives 
By the end of this module, you should be able to:
1. Describe the communication process
2. Identify where communication breaks down
3. List keys to effective communication
4. Explain the sandwich approach
The Communication Process
Think about the last time you spoke with another person. Maybe it was a short conversation with your spouse or co-worker or a long chat with your boss. What process did you go through during that conversation? Whenever we communicate with another person, we go through a specific process, as outlined below.
The process of communication
Source: Martens, R. (1987).  Coaches guide to sport psychology. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
The process of communication shows how interpersonal communication occurs using five different steps:
1. Decision to send a message: Before we intentionally communicate with another person, we make a decision to send a message. 
2. Encoding of the message: After we decide to send a message, we consider how to send the message. We think about what words to use, examples to give, and what else we might need to do to successfully send our message.
3. Channel: This is where the message is sent.
4. Decoding of the message: In this stage the listener is interpreting the message.
5. Internal response: After processing the message, the listener has an internal response (happiness, anger, sadness, interest, etc.).
When looking at this process, we can identify two areas where communication breaks down: encoding and decoding. Most of our difficulties with communication come when the sender does not send his message correctly and/or the receiver does not receive the message correctly. Quite simply, communication breakdowns come from poorly sent messages and ineffective listening.
Sending Messages Effectively
The two most common ways that we send messages are verbally and non-verbally. Verbal messages are a critical part of our communication, and there are several keys to effectively sending verbal messages, according to Martens (1987). For a complete list, please read pages 231–232 in your textbook.
Keys to effectively sending messages:
• Be direct: It is important to clearly and directly state your message.
• Be clear and concise: Effective messages are sent clearly and without non-essential information. When speaking with another person, try to use clear language and be concise. Think about what the person needs to know and then give him or her that information.
• Repeat your message: You should reinforce important points with repetition.
• Check for understanding: Your goal in communication is to get the listener to understand your message. Therefore, it is important to verify that the message was received correctly.
Giving Feedback
One of the unique ways we verbally communicate with other people is by giving feedback. Coaches and leaders must give effective feedback to their followers if they want them to improve and have success. One of the most effective ways to give feedback is the sandwich approach. In fact, research by Smith and Smoll (1996) indicates that the sandwich approach is an effective way to give feedback.
The sandwich approach
The sandwich approach suggests that you provide feedback in three steps. Here is an example of how to give feedback to a softball player who just had a ball go between her legs:
1. Positive statement: Lisa, great job getting in front of the ball.
2. Future-oriented instructions: Next time, try to keep your head down and watch the ball go into your glove.
3. Compliment: If you keep working on this, you are going to be great!
Non-verbal Communication
While we spend a significant amount of time focusing on our verbal messages, we often forget about the importance of non-verbal messages. As much as 50%–70% of our communication is non-verbal (Burke, 2005), and some estimates are even higher. 
Non-verbal communication can include:
• Physical appearance
• Posture
• Gestures
• Body position
• Touching
• Facial expressions
• Voice characteristics
We can send very strong messages through our non-verbal communication, so it is important to understand what your body is saying. Some keys to non-verbal communication include:
• Being consistent with your verbal and non-verbal communication: When a coach implores his team to “calm down” but is simultaneously screaming at the referees, it can send a confusing message. Sarcasm or inconsistent non-verbals can also be misleading (e.g., telling someone, “Great job!” while giving them a thumbs down).
• Being aware of what your body is saying: Your appearance, posture, and gestures can send strong messages. As you communicate with others, try to become aware of what your body is saying.
Confrontations
Confrontations are another unique form of communication. Many people do not like confrontations and try to avoid them, if possible. Other people enjoy confrontations and believe they are important for individual and team growth. As you think about your history with confrontations, it might be interesting for you to identify your confrontation style. 
Johnson (1981) identified five confrontation styles that are based on how highly a person values his goals and personal relationships:
• Turtle (Withdrawing): Turtles avoid conflict. They give low value to their goals and personal relationships.
• Teddy Bear (Smoothing): The teddy bears care more about relationships than goals and want people to like them. Teddy bears avoid conflict and look for harmony.
• Shark (Competing): Sharks value goals over personal relationships. Sharks try to overpower their opponents and get them to agree with their point.
• Fox (Compromising): Foxes place moderate value on their goals and relationships. They are happy to give up a little of what they want in order to come to a resolution.
• Owl (Collaborating): Owls highly value goals and relationships. Owls work together with other people to find a win-win solution.
As you look at the different styles discussed above, you might identify strongly with one. Regardless of whether or not you like conflict or try to avoid it, you will likely find yourself in a confrontation at some point. One of the most useful ways to approach confrontations is through the DESC method:
1. Describe: The first step is to describe the situation.
2. Explain: It is important to explain how the situation makes you feel.
3. Specify: The third step is to clearly describe what you would like to happen.
4. Consequences: The final step is to let the person know what positive consequences will occur if they do what you ask.
For example, you might sit next to a person at work who listens to loud music on his computer. When you approach him about it, you might say:
• “Steve, I’ve noticed that you really like to listen to your music at work.”
• “When you turn it up loudly, it makes it difficult for me to work, and I feel like our work environment is not great.”
• “I would really appreciate it if you could turn it down a little or even use your headphones.”
• “If you would do that, I think our work environment would be much better and we will probably be more productive.”
Confrontations can be uncomfortable, but they can also be extremely beneficial. When handled correctly, confrontations can help both parties understand the issues without feeling undue stress or guild (Weinberg & Gould, 2011). Here are some things to consider before confronting another person:
• Consider the purpose of the confrontation: Confrontations should be used to examine behaviour, discuss issues, and, ultimately, to improve the situation. They should not be used to “put someone in their place” or “blow off steam.”
• Avoid confrontations when you are angry: Before confronting someone, it is important to calm down, consider the purpose of the confrontation, and carefully choose your words.
• Work with the other person to resolve the issue: When you team up with the other person to identify a solution, you are more likely to find a positive resolution to the problem.
• Keys to Effective Listening
• Listening represents a major part of the communication process and is also where many breakdowns occur. Do you have difficulty listening to people? It is important to become aware of your listening skills before you can work to improve them. 
•
Now that you have assessed your listening skills, here are some keys to effective listening:
• Eliminate distractions: If you really want to listen to someone, it is important to turn off electronic devices and remove other distractions.
• Be there for them: When you are listening to another person, it is important to be there for them. Do not turn the conversation around to talk about yourself or change the topic to something more interesting to you.
• Show them you are listening: You can reassure a speaker through a simple smile or nod, which lets them know you are listening.
Active Listening
Active listening is the most effective form of listening. In active listening you show the speaker that you have heard and understood the message. Active listening can be done by using the formal active-listening response below.
“It sounds like you are feeling ____________ because __________, and you would like __________.”
A past student who worked as a security guard at an airport said that after watching a woman berate his (the student's) co-workers for making her wait in a security line, he decided to intervene. He said, “It sounds like you are really upset because we are holding you in line and you would like us to check you and let you go.” 
She looked at him and said, “You’re the only one who understands me.”
By using active listening, you can really show people that you are listening and understanding their message. When someone is upset and wants to be heard, active listening is a great way to show them you care. 
Summary
In this module we covered communication, including methods to communicate more effectively. In many cases our communication breaks down when messages are sent or received ineffectively.
By implementing the suggestions offered in this module, you can improve your communication skills. You might also become more effective at giving feedback and dealing with conflict.
***Please use and cite above class materials and relate them to the movie.
***I also upload the chapter of textbook of this topic (goal setting), please make some connection.
Reference of the textbook: Robert S. Weinberg and Daniel Gould, Foundation of Sport and Exercise Psychology (7th edition), Human Kinetics.
Your papers must be written in the following format (all three papers will follow the same format). Any papers that do not follow this format WILL NOT be accepted and you will receive a 0 on the project. 
 
Paragraph 1: A very brief one-paragraph summary of the movie, TV show, or real life situation. For a movie or TV show, it should only be a few lines (no more than 10). Assume I have seen the movie or show so just remind me what it is about. 
The rest of your paper should address the topic that is covered in the movie, TV show, or situation. Identify the topic and then describe how it was shown in the movie, show, or situation. Be sure to compare what you saw in the movie, show, or situation to what was covered in class and the textbook. For example, if you choose confidence as a topic, discuss how confidence affected people in the movie, show, or situation and then discuss how that is similar or different from what we have learned in class about confidence. Show me that you understand the course material and can use that knowledge to analyze how the movie, show, or situation depicts it.   
For each paper you will choose one topic, you should be sure to address the following questions: 
 
· Explain the use of the topic in the movie, show, or situation (you do not have to address EVERY scene in which they show the mental skill but please make sure you are thorough).  
· Present a critique of both appropriate and inappropriate strategies shown or used as they relate to the topic.  
· Identify what you would do differently in working with the team, athlete, or individual portrayed in the movie, show, or situation.  
· Address implications for your own field. For example, how would you apply what you have learned from the movie, show, or situation (and class) to develop this same mental skill (e.g., goal setting) in your field?  
· Be sure to use appropriate references and include a reference page at the end of the paper. 
 
Grading: 
You will be graded on their paper based on the following criteria: 
                                    Summary of movie or situation          5  marks 
                                    Discussion/analysis of topic                20 marks 
                                    Connection to course material            20 marks 
                                    Spelling, Grammar, and Flow             5 points