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Strategy Overview
After practice take one of your athletes and put her/him in the âSpotlight.â Ask individual members of the team to say the personâs name and tell the person in the Spotlight what they appreciate about her/him. It can be something they specifically did to help them personally, or an observation of how they helped someone else. Or, it can be a character attribute that they consistently demonstrate.
Tips:
- Make sure the statement is directed TO the person and not ABOUT the person.
- Coach your athletes to look each other in the eye when delivering and receiving the statements.
- Coach athletes to be specific. When an athlete says âJill, I appreciate the way you help people.â Ask them to be specific. For example, âJill, I appreciate the ride home that youâve given me when my mom wasnât able to pick me up.â
This strategy produces an atmosphere of appreciation. A sense of value is given to those who donât get the applause from playing time. This teaches the performers to see the value of those on the team who arenât as skilled at in the first dimension. Remember, people donât quit when they feel they have value.
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