- It is a science
- It is positive reinforcement
- It is a find them doing the right thing
- It should be the preferred style of coaching
- It is positive & upbeat instead of negative and destructive
It is a science. Penn State University has implemented a positive leadership program for the U.S. Army called Resiliency training. The program is designed to help Soldiers with PTSD . Leaders must learn to positively lead Soldiers when they return from overseas. Penn State has performed extensive research regarding positive reinforcement. The following is from their website.
Welcome to Authentic Happiness
Authentic Happiness is the homepage of Dr. Martin Seligman, Director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania and founder of positive psychology, a branch of psychology which focuses on the empirical study of such things as positive emotions, strengths-based character, and healthy institutions.
This website has more than 2 million users from around the world, and you are welcome to use all of the resources available here for free.
Positive Psychology Initiatives
Positive psychology theory and research has been applied across many domains, from education to health to neuroscience. Now on Authentic Happiness you can read overviews of some of the largest initiatives currently underway, including:
Positive reinforcement is looking for the "right" in people instead of always looking for the "wrong"
Example of positive: Hey Joey, great swing now level your bat out and see ball hit ball. Example of negative: HEY JOEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HIT THE BALL WILL YA?
Find them doing the right thing. Example: If you have a team of 5 basketball players and 2 of them are not listening try this: praise the ones that were listening because they deserve your attention. Praise the behavior you want instead giving all your energy and time to the ones not listening. You still have to give the ones not listening some attention, but correct them softly in your tone. Over praise the ones that are doing the right things. Be over the top with praise instead of over the top with anger.
It is not always possible to be positive at all times. Example: Safety! It should be your number 1 concern. If little Joey is swinging his bat and getting close to another ball player because he is not paying attention, then you must yell JOEY-FREEZE! Then criticize in private and tell Joey in no uncertain terms that he must not swing his baseball bat anywhere he wants to without regard to safety. As soon as Joey swings his bat in a safe area, over praise him for his listening and being safe and thank him as well.
Positive coaching relieves stress and allows all involved (players, coaches, parents, & officials) to enjoy a "game" that their little athletes will hopefully remember for a very long time. The goal of any coach should be to keep athletes in their sport as long as possible. Through positive coaching they will learn to enjoy sports and hopefully stay out of trouble. No one likes to get yelled at and feel as if they are failures. Even as a coach you would hate to get yelled at. Just try to remember how you would feel if a parent yelled & screamed at you. I am guessing that you will not feel good at all. If you display some empathy towards your athletes and truly feel what they feel, you will have no choice but to be positive.
