CIC CFC Communication & Leadership Skills 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A team captain is undermining the coach's authority by encouraging teammates to ignore drills. The coach should:
- Remove the captain title immediately in front of the team
- Meet privately with the captain to address the behavior and its consequences (Correct answer)
- Ask other players to report the captain's actions
- Ignore the situation to avoid conflict
Correct answer: Meet privately with the captain to address the behavior and its consequences
A private meeting addresses the issue directly while preserving the captain's dignity and giving them a chance to correct course.
Question 2: The 'sandwich method' of feedback involves:
- Giving all positive feedback before the season and all negative after
- Starting with a positive, addressing the concern, then ending with encouragement (Correct answer)
- Alternating praise and criticism randomly throughout a conversation
- Criticizing in private and praising in public only
Correct answer: Starting with a positive, addressing the concern, then ending with encouragement
The sandwich method frames constructive criticism between positive statements to maintain motivation while communicating areas for improvement.
Question 3: Which communication barrier is most likely when a coach uses too much technical jargon with a new, inexperienced athlete?
- Emotional noise
- Language/semantic barrier (Correct answer)
- Physical barrier
- Cultural barrier
Correct answer: Language/semantic barrier
Jargon creates a semantic barrier when the receiver lacks the background to decode the terminology.
Question 4: A transformational leader in coaching is best characterized by:
- Relying strictly on rules, rewards, and punishments
- Inspiring athletes through vision, motivation, and personal development (Correct answer)
- Delegating all decisions to assistant coaches
- Focusing exclusively on winning records
Correct answer: Inspiring athletes through vision, motivation, and personal development
Transformational leaders motivate beyond extrinsic rewards by connecting athletes to a broader vision and fostering growth.
Question 5: Before a championship game, several athletes appear anxious. The most effective communication approach is:
- Remind athletes of all past failures to motivate them
- Use calm, positive, and specific pre-performance cues to build confidence (Correct answer)
- Avoid talking about nerves entirely
- Increase pressure by emphasizing consequences of losing
Correct answer: Use calm, positive, and specific pre-performance cues to build confidence
Calm, specific, positive communication helps regulate anxiety and directs athlete focus to controllable performance cues.
Question 6: A coach sends a game-plan email to athletes but receives no acknowledgment from half the team. The root problem is most likely:
- Athletes are being disrespectful
- The coach chose an ineffective communication channel for this audience (Correct answer)
- The message was too detailed
- Email is always unreliable for team communication
Correct answer: The coach chose an ineffective communication channel for this audience
Selecting the wrong channel (e.g., email vs. team app or group chat) can result in low message reach and engagement.
Question 7: Which approach best demonstrates servant leadership in an interscholastic coaching context?
- Prioritizing the coach's own recognition and career advancement
- Putting the athletes' growth, well-being, and needs above personal wins (Correct answer)
- Demanding strict obedience to establish authority
- Setting team goals without athlete input
Correct answer: Putting the athletes' growth, well-being, and needs above personal wins
Servant leadership centers on serving others first, prioritizing athlete development over the coach's personal goals.
CIC CFC Communication & Leadership Skills 3
A team captain is undermining the coach's authority by encouraging teammates to ignore drills.
The coach should: