Training sports officials’ communication: From a toolbox of skills to adapting appropriately to audience and situation: Training sports officials

Effective communication is essential to effective officiating. More than simply learning signals and instructions, officials across sports must adapt appropriately to numerous contextual variables, including the match situations, individual player differences, and expectations of the level of contest and other macro and micro sport cultures. This chapter reviews multiple roles and contexts associated with sport officiating and the evolution of officiating communication research over recent decades, which has wrestled with approaches to conceptualising and teaching two-way interactions. The final section draws on more recent conceptualisations to outline strategies to help officials improve their match communication. We present a four domain model for understanding sports official communication that reflects the characteristics and skills required. We then present ideas for training that include (i) coaching a toolbox of skills, (ii) recognising audiences and the importance of their perceptions, and (iii) adapting appropriately to the nuances of each situation. Recommendations for future research to progress current communication research in sport officials are made.