The 22nd coach in this series is Saga Krantz, the Director of Synchronized Skating for the Hayden Synchronized Skating teams.
Saga is also the Head Coach and Choreographer of the Haydenettes senior team, 28-time national champions, and 5-time World bronze medalists, and the assistant coach for the Lexettes and Ice Mates.
I’m excited about this post because we get to see Saga actively teaching and coaching her team through some choreography.
As you watch this 5:30-minute clip, there are two things I want you to notice about Saga’s approach:
Her assertive instruction and coaching (she says what she means in as few words as possible, she projects her voice while using a neutral tone, and she speaks without using hedging language — “kind of,” “sort of,” etc.)
Her willingness to “figure it out” in front of her athletes.
(Please watch the above clip before reading on)
Saga’s ability to assertively teach and coach while efficiently managing a complex training environment is seriously impressive. It’s obvious why she and her teams have had so much success.
Now, let’s dig deeper into what Saga does well…
1/ Her assertive instruction and coaching
What does “assertive” mean?
According to Google: “Having or showing a confident and forceful personality.”
According to researchers Pipas & Jaradat: “Assertive communication is the ability to speak and interact in a manner that considers and respects the rights and opinions of others while also standing up for your own rights, needs and personal boundaries.”
According to ChatGPT: “To be assertive means to confidently and clearly express one's thoughts, feelings, and needs while respecting the rights and opinions of others. It involves standing up for oneself, setting boundaries, and communicating in a direct and respectful manner.”
Too often, being assertive is confused with being aggressive. Here’s how they differ:
What specifically did I observe Saga doing that led me to describe her as assertive?
First, she adjusts her speaking to the context of the moment:
When interacting with a single athlete, she gets close to them and speaks in a neutral tone while making eye contact.
If she has to speak over the music, she “pushes” her voice so it can be heard and makes her words sound “crisp” so they can be understood.
She changes the speed at which certain words are delivered based on the outcome she wants to see — e.g., when she’s coaching her athletes to “hold” a particular position, she delivers the cue by saying, “Hollllllllllld” (drawn out). When she wants the athlete to “tuck” after that long hold, she delivers the cue by saying, “TUCK!” (fast).
When she sees her athletes doing something undesirable, she coaches them away from it using a stern tone. Because her stern tone is different from her baseline (neutral) tone, her athletes can easily identify her intentions when she uses it.
Why is this important?
Because how you deliver your words matters just as much as what you say.
An assertive communicator will use a range of communication techniques to achieve their desired outcome, whereas a passive or aggressive communicator tends to communicate only using one.
A passive or aggressive communicator might say, “This is just how I communicate,” whereas an assertive communicator might say, “I choose how I communicate based on the person and situation.”
Because of her conscientious delivery, it’s evident that Saga’s priority is to create understanding with her athletes quickly. Before delivering instructions or coaching, she considers her desired outcome and then delivers her words in a way she believes will achieve that outcome.
Second, she doesn’t use hedging language.
Hedging language is non-commital language used to soften the impact of your words or to express uncertainty, doubt, or qualification — “Kind of…”, “Sort of…”, “Possibly…”, “…but I don’t know.”
Is hedging language always bad? Of course not.
But when it comes to teaching or coaching, hedging words and phrases can limit the impact of your words, create doubt in the person you’re teaching/coaching, and have you perceived as lacking confidence.
Compare these two examples (read out loud):
Teaching with hedging language: “I sort of think you should lead in with your left leg.”
Teaching without hedging language: “Try leading in with your left leg on your next attempt.”
Yes, hedging language CAN be effective if used intentionally — especially if you’re working with adults or emotionally mature athletes who want to be included in the coaching process or who don’t respond well to directive coaching.
The problem is, most coaches aren’t using hedging language intentionally. They’re using hedging language out of habit.
What’s the lesson here for you?
Practice communicating assertively:
Say what you mean, but not in a mean way.
Say what you mean without justifying or overexplaining. Don’t rob others of their right to have a reaction.
Use positive non-verbal cues*: eye contact, open posture, and respectful gestures. (*I’m aware that these body behaviors won’t work for everyone)
Be open to using various communication styles to match the unique needs of the person and/or moment.
Make requests, not demands. Give people an opportunity to say “yes,” “no,” or “maybe…”
Actively listen without interrupting others. Then, paraphrase or validate what you heard before you respond.
Express your needs directly while respecting that others decide whether or not they’re interested in — or capable of — responding to them.
Participate in crucial conversations only when you can do so as a calm and respectful participant.
People who communicate assertively, regardless of their profession, tend to be liked and respected more than their passive or aggressive counterparts.
2/ Her willingness to “figure it out” in front of her athletes
Saga is out on the ice figuring it out with her athletes.
Multiple times, we see Saga moving through the choreography while verbalizing her logic and using her body to visualize her desired execution.
Two reasons I see this as a positive communication behavior:
When she verbalizes her thought process behind the choreography, her athletes get insight into what she’s working toward and how she envisions the parts fitting together. This will empower some of her athletes to contribute to that process. They might think, “I see where she’s going with this and I think I can help her figure it out…”
She’s being vulnerable. She’s indirectly communicating to her athletes, “I don’t have everything figured out.” And because she’s in a leadership position, that subtle message is promoting a culture of creative exploration. She’s giving her athletes permission to get messy in the name of excellence.
Do her athletes respect or trust her less because she doesn’t know exactly what she wants or how it should be done? No. Quite the opposite.
They respect and trust her because she shows up to practice with a structured plan, she communicates with them directly and respectfully, she invites them to contribute to the practice, and she gets results.
What’s the lesson here for you?
Great leaders don’t know or try to control everything.
They provide structure, guide assertively, invite contributions strategically, and take ownership of making decisions for the group.
Don’t be afraid to set some structure and then invite those around you to fill in the details.
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If you’re interested in working together or bringing communication training to your team, let’s talk.
Thanks for reading!
Jenny
Thank you for sending thru the teaching style of Saga Krantz . Loved your input to the vidio also.
Lots for me to take away here & practice.
Many Thanks Di 😊