Communicating in Sports Teams *

Communication aids sports teams in achieving physical feats through the process of teamwork. Working in fast-paced, high-pressure environments, sports teams are epitomized by their focus on effective physical and mental coordination, constantly adapting as a team to changing information and dynamic opponents. However, successful physical and mental coordination in sports teams are dependent on communication that may occur well before gameplay. For this reason, coaches and team leaders focus on various communicative activities throughout the life of a sports team, such as knowledge sharing, role clarity, goal setting, motivation, culture, and cohesion. Sports teams also provide unique insights into how teams communicate in single-gender groups, how heightened emotion affects team performance, and how event finality plays a role in team process.