ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the important role of communication in coaching athletes, and considers how a coach can communicate effectively, with a specific focus on how coaches can use their communications to inspire their athletes. It explains how coaches can communicate in a way that inspires athletes, as well as considering the consequences of such inspirational communication. The chapter presents implications for future research and provides suggestions for applied practice. Researchers examining the effective communication of coaches have considered athlete preferences for coach communication. In terms of athlete preferences, Aly found gender differences in their preferences for the coach getting a message across quickly during a game. Research in the social psychology domain has focused on the conceptualisation of inspiration as a distinct psychological process. Within the social psychology literature, researchers have shown inspiration to be associated with a range of positive outcomes, including increased self-determination and work-mastery motivation, improved well-being, increased goal progress, and increased productivity.
