Business, Sports & Gaming

Teams Fail Without Effective Communication

Lesson time 12:12 min

In this lesson, Coach K breaks down the elements of effective communication, including ways to maximize messaging and run an effective meeting.

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Topics include: Communicate in Real Time • Create an Environment for Communication • Elevate Your Meetings • Know When to Be Quiet

Coach K

Teaches Values-Driven Leadership

12x “Coach of the Year” Mike Krzyzewski teaches how to motivate a team. Discover your innate leadership skills with drills to prepare for success.

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Preview

[MUSIC PLAYING] - Communication on a team cannot be assumed. It has to be taught. You have to create a habit of talking to one another, verbally and in other ways. In basketball, I think communication is the lifeblood of the team. You can be working hard, you can be doing a whole bunch of things physically together, but unless you're talking, you do not bring everyone together. It-- I want to repeat, it's the lifeblood of an organization. And it's not just communication with your customer or client. It's your communication with one another. It's essential. And so how do you do it on your workplace? And my workplace is the court. Like, I got this. My hands are out. Ball's there. You know, you're okay. So you're giving instruction while the activity is going on. Huge. Huge. [MUSIC PLAYING] If a player is not talking to a teammate, he still is talking. He's talking to himself. Not out loud, but he's thinking. And if he's thinking just about what he's doing and not coordinating what he is doing with what we are doing, we're not doing it as well. We're not as instinctive. Now, that doesn't mean you don't think about what you're doing. It's got to be where you're-- you let other people in. The other thing with communication is you speak to action. A lot of people can communicate after, a lot communicate before. While it's going on, come on, we're trying to win while it's going on. We're preparing to win before, we're analyzing if we won or lost afterwards. The communication while it's going on becomes the most important communication that you can have. [MUSIC PLAYING] When a game is going on, I don't stand up during a game very much. A lot of coaches like to do that. You have to find your own style. And when there's a timeout, a lot of coaching staffs huddle together on the court. And then the head coach goes and talks to the team. I hardly ever do that. What I have is while the game is going on, my staff sits right next to me. If Chris Carrawell says, Coach, we need to get Powell out right now, I may not be thinking of that, but I don't want to wait till the timeout to do that. And so I'm getting-- I'm getting information while action is going on. I love that. And as a leader, you've got to be comfortable with that. Some leaders are not comfortable with that. I am really comfortable with that. And so when the timeout occurs, I don't talk to my staff. They've been talking to me. And I give information. So that's how I handle the communication in my workplace with my staff. We communicate in a staff meeting, where I want input. You know, I ask what do you think. I would hope that they would just say things without me even saying that, but sometimes you have to prompt communication. You know, John, what's your opinion of that? Do you have something to say? How would we do that? Especially in your one-on-one conversations and trying to make that individual understand his or her mission, he...

About the Instructor

Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski is the winningest coach in men’s college basketball history. For the first time, he’s sharing the secrets to building an environment conducive to success. Learn how to read body language, deliver difficult feedback, and identify talent. Whether on the court or in the office, you’ll be confident exercising leadership strategies that influenced players like Kobe Bryant and Shane Battier.

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Coach K

12x “Coach of the Year” Mike Krzyzewski teaches how to motivate a team. Discover your innate leadership skills with drills to prepare for success.

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