The Growth Mindset
The Role that Teammates can Play to Improve each others Self-Talk
The first step in learning how teammates can help improve their teammates improve each others Self-Talk it is important to understand the connection between body language and Self-Talk. One of the clearest ways that humans communicate what is going on internally is through body language. Body language of an athlete is a clear reflection of their thoughts, it is the physical manifestation of their Self-Talk. According to a University of British Columbia study it is a hard wired connection. The study examined the body language responses of blind athletes to success and struggle and compared them to those of athletes who had sight. Both groups responded in the exact same fashion suggesting that body language is hard wired and connected to the narratives in athletes’ heads and not a learned behaviour.
The best way for athletes to help each other with their Self-Talk is to be aware of their teammates body language. Bad body language manifests itself in outwardly talking to oneself, shoulders and head down, facial expressions and exaggerated responses to mistakes or errors. One of the most damaging types of body language is when teammates express frustration to their teammates mistakes with displays of body language.
Everyone’s expression of frustration or joy is different so it is important to pay attention to the signs that teammates are giving out. The challenge in a team setting is that body language can be contagious, which is fine when things are going well but can be a real challenge when a competition is not going well. When one member of team feels threatened and questioning their safety or place in the group it is a natural reaction for other members of the group to start to feel that way as well. So it is important for teammates to recognize the signs of bad body language and start to try and help their teammates as soon as they see it. Helping teammates work through their body language can be done using any of the three techniques or any of them in combination:
1. Touch- High fives, chest bumps, touch on the shoulder, head or back, or handshakes all help people feel connected. Physical touch releases the chemical Oxytocin in our brains which has a calming affect, so any of these touches will help an athlete calm down without even knowing it. It also increases security and safety for an athlete and lets them know that their position in the group is secure. This is an ancient response to threat because for early man alienation from the group meant hardship and likely death. If an athlete makes an error in a game and they receive a reassuring touch from a teammate it reaffirms their place in the group. When they do not it is a natural response to begin to question the impact the error will have on their standing in the group and to begin to engage in negative Self-Talk.
2. A word of encouragement- A simple act of telling their teammate to move on to the next play can be enough of a reminder to help them refocus on the task at hand instead of focusing on what is going wrong. It also serves to create security and safety about their position in the group. The video below shows a young Ricky Rubio telling Alexei Shved to “change his face” and “be happy” and “have fun” This was a great example of a teammate picking up another. Also, note that Rubio combines this with a tap on Shved’s head as they are leaving the timeout.
3- Non-Verbal Communication- Head nods, smiles, eyebrow raises are all ways that humans can communicate a great deal without actually saying anything. When teammates have a strong connection they will be able to infer the non-verbal communication in these actions. It is especially effective if the teammates establish something beforehand.
I love this example from a UCLA and Oregon men’s basketball game from 2019.
I love this clip. Jalen Hands, the UCLA point guard at the time, shows such great leadership and awareness about where his teammate is at. Hands uses all three techniques, he uses touch to help Brown physically change his body language, but there are two subtle things he does at the same time. He provides Brown with verbal encouragement by saying “Chin up” and pats him on the chest. The best thing is that it works, you can see Brown move on and start to figure out what he needs to do on defense. This is a great example of noticing, and correcting a teammates body language which helps them move on from error and negative Self-talk. He definitely knew what triggered Brown and tried to help him correct it.
None of these techniques are particularly difficult but they require awareness and empathy. Our curriculum which is releasing at the end of the month will highlight techniques to help teammates gain awareness of the relationship between body language and Self-Talk and how they can help one another.
