Effective communication can make or break a team. There are two different types of communication. The first would be verbal communication and the second would be non-verbal. The issue with communication is that it can be both positive and negative.

Verbal communication is fairly easy to comprehend. Anything we say to each other falls into this category. When things aren’t going as planned you have one of two options you can berate your teammates or motivate them. Berating them will most likely cause them to not want to work as hard or lose confidence in themselves. It will create a hostile environment. But, if you can motivate your teammates you will show them that you believe in them no matter what is happening and it will cause them to work harder. It will help them have more faith in you.

Non-verbal communication can be anything from a look you give, to a hand single, to a high-five or something of that nature. Non-verbal communication has a similar impact, but there is a slight difference. The negative might not even be something you do, it might be something you don’t do. It has been shown that more positive physical contact between teammates can help improve team chemistry and performance. A high-five or fist bump with a teammate after a missed shot or opportunity shows a teammate that you are still invested and still believe and trust in them. By not communicating they might feel like they are on their own and put even more weight on their shoulders.

A negative approach to communicating with your teammates will tend to lead to a less successful team where as a positive approach will tend to lead to more success. It is difficult to stay positive when things aren’t going the way you plan. That being said, a true leader on a team is going to work to bring everyone on a team together rather than ostracizing people. Not everyone is going to be on point all the time, but if everyone puts everything they can in and everyone works together things will move smoothly. Effectively communicating individual rolls and staying positive you can help bring everyone together and ensure that things go as planned.