How Great Coaches Speak #18
What Mano Watsa with PGC Basketball can teach you about being a better speaker
The 18th coach in this series is PGC Basketball President and Owner, Mano Watsa.
Mano has a long history with PGC Basketball, which has hosted more than 110,000 players and 7,500 coaches at their camps. The PGC Basketball website shares, “Since 2007, when Mano took on leadership of PGC, the camps have grown from 1,000 players each summer to 12,000 players and 2,000 coaches annually.”
Beyond PGC camps, Mano has impacted hundreds of thousands of students, players, and coaches through his keynote speaking.
Enjoy this 5:51-minute clip of Mano speaking on how to build mental toughness.
(Please watch the entire clip before reading on)
What makes Mano great at speaking?
Three things:
He actively uses his gestures to visualize his message.
He speaks without filler words.
He verbally guides his listeners through his message.
1/ He actively uses his gestures to visualize his message.
All humans come pre-programmed to gesture. It’s not something you need to be taught how to do.
Want proof?
“Congenitally blind speakers gesture despite their lack of a visual model, even when they speak to a blind listener. Gestures therefore require neither a model nor an observant partner.” (Nature - Jana M. Iverson & Susan Goldin-Meadow)
Gestures are a critical component of communication, and they’re tremendously effective.
As the Spanish-Roman rhetorician Quintilian observed,
For other portions of the body merely help the speaker, whereas the hands may almost be said to speak. Do we not use them to demand, promise, summon, dismiss, threaten, supplicate, express aversion or fear, question or deny? (Quintilian 11.3 85-86).
What exactly do gestures do in regard to communication?
They increase your verbal fluency, allowing you to ‘find your words’ faster.
They help reinforce the tone and energy of your message.
They help you convey implicit knowledge (the type of knowledge that’s difficult to transmit to others via speaking or writing - such as experiences, ideas, skills, etc.)
They’re a visual demonstration of your commitment to and understanding of your message.
They help your listeners better comprehend your message.
With these things in mind, let’s return to Mano’s talk.
Here’s what I noticed (and you should take note of) about Mano’s gestures:
They reinforced his words. When he says “…rise above…”, his gesture moves from low to high. When he says he’s going to share “…five things…”, he holds up five fingers. When he says “…you can acknowledge your feelings…”, he brings both of his hands to touch his chest. When he’s talking about making your bed and says “…you practice doing it with precision…”, he demonstrates pulling the covers onto the bed tightly.
When he’s not actively gesturing, his arms are down by his sides. This position — arms at sides — is a neutral body language position. There’s nothing to misread. Also, it has Mano come across as being comfortable and connected. Whereas holding your hands together in front of your core may be perceived as closed off, reserved, or even nervous. I’m not saying that’s the truth, but…. perception is reality.
There isn’t a ‘right’ way to hold your hands, but you want to choose positions that leave little room for misinterpretation.
He gestures from the elbow. Because Mano’s gestures stem from the elbow (not the wrist), they appear assertive and confident. No flimsy wrists!
I encourage you to video record yourself speaking live. Then, go back and take note of what your gestures communicate.
2/ He speaks without filler words.
Mano’s message is clean. Because he doesn’t use filler words, it’s easy to follow along with each point.
There aren’t any wasted words. You know when one thought ends and another begins.
He creates S P A C E for his listeners to digest his message by incorporating brief pauses.
I can’t overstate how impactful learning to speak without filler words is on your communication effectiveness.
Learn more about filler words HERE, then sign up for one of my upcoming Speak Without Filler Words workshops (Feb. 15, Feb. 24, Mar. 1)
3/ He verbally guides his listeners through his message.
What do I mean by verbal guidance?
Mano says he’s going to share five things. From a communication standpoint, that’s quite a bit of information to get through without your listeners getting lost or checking out.
Knowing this, he verbally guides his listeners through his message by telling them (1) where he’s going, (2) where he is, and (3) what’s coming next.
You never feel ‘lost’ as he goes through his message.
If you want to listen to him give verbal guidance, reference these:
At 1:10 - “…and you get out of bed. You wake up early. That’s number one. Number two. This might seem simple…”
At 1:54 - “Number one, you get up early, you don’t hit the snooze, you rise above your feelings. Number two, you make your bed. Number three, you work out. You get to work.”
At 2:43 - “Those are three. Ready for the last two? Give me a head nod if you’re ready for the last two. Here are the last two. Your school day gets done, study first…”
At 4:43 - “Five things again, let’s recap…” (Reviews all five points)
If you’re going to make more than one point, you need to verbally guide your listeners through your message.
Not only will it help your listeners stay focused, but it will also keep you on track.
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Who should the next coach be?
Until next time,
Jenny