How Great Coaches Speak #23 (Part 1)
What NHL Coach Paul Maurice can teach you about being a better speaker
The 23rd coach in this series is Paul Maurice, NHL Head Coach of the Florida Panthers.
As of this past week, Paul and his team are the 2023-2024 Stanley Cup champs.
I wasn’t familiar with Paul until recently when I came across a few of his media interviews on YouTube.
Now that I’ve watched multiple clips of him coaching, speaking to his team off the ice, and interacting with the media, I can’t help but think how crucial his communication skills are to his team’s success.
One word that continued to come up for me as I watched Paul was “dynamic.”
When you watch Paul speak, you can see the wheels turning. It’s as if every word is passing through a series of filters. You can almost feel the effort Paul puts into tailoring the content and delivery of his message to the specific needs of the moment and his receiver(s).
I have other videos of Paul saved that I’ll share in Part 2, but for today’s post I’ll focus on one in which he’s mic’d up during and after game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final.
As you watch the 3-minute clip, here’s what I want you to pay attention to:
In the first two minutes, Coach Maurice is mic’d up on the bench. Notice the power of his voice and his use of concise and repetitive coaching.
Starting at 2:09, Coach Maurice is mic’d up in the locker room after the game. Notice his calm and conversational tone and his ability to deliver a personal and intimate message.
Before we evaluate this clip, check out some of the comments on this video 👇
None of these people in the comments are communication “experts,” yet every one of them has concluded that Paul Maurice is a highly professional, respectable, and deserving coach — i.e. we know effective communication when we see and hear it.
Our tendency to make quick judgments of others is aptly explained by Amy Cuddy and her colleagues Matthew Kohut and John Neffinger:
When we judge others--especially our leaders--we look first at two characteristics: how lovable they are (their warmth, communion, or trustworthiness) and how fearsome they are (their strength, agency, or competence). Although there is some disagreement about the proper labels for the traits, researchers agree that they are the two primary dimensions of social judgment. Why are these traits so important? Because they answer two critical questions: "What are this person's intentions toward me?" and "Is he or she capable of acting on those intentions?" Together, these assessments underlie our emotional and behavioral reactions to other people, groups, and even brands and companies.
WHAT Paul says and HOW he says it leads us perceive him as a person of integrity and a highly competent coach.
Imagine yourself mic’d up at work:
What would the comments on your YouTube video say?
How loveable and fearsome are you?
What specifically do you do that leads people to describe you as loveable or fearsome, or both?
Back to evaluating Paul’s communication.
I loved listening to Paul mic’d up during the game, actively commenting and coaching.
I imagine the on-ice players miss most of what he says, but the bench players benefit greatly from being exposed to Paul’s inner dialogue.
His constant commentary and coaching focuses their attention, encourages them take a broader (strategic) view of the game, and primes them to execute accordingly once they get on the ice.
“We gotta get on that body, we gotta get on that body when we can even on the PP…”
“Quicker on the puck, quicker on the puck…”
“On the body men and stay with the puck, you got one job, do one job…”
This reminds me of an idea shared in Doug Lemov’s book, The Coach’s Guide to Teaching (a must-read for any coach):
Physical downtime or rest time can still be productive cognitively. What if you gave “observation tasks” to the players in the team that was off?
Paul’s active verbal presence is (in a way) giving the players on the bench “observation tasks.”
If you lead a team or manage others, how can you incorporate observation tasks as a way to deepen their professional awareness?
What about Paul’s technical communication skills?
Paul projects his voice during the game, but not at the cost of clarity. Even though his volume is loud, his words are easy to understand.
This is important because there’s a fine line between projecting your voice and yelling.
To project your voice means to “push” your voice.
That “push” should come from your diaphragm, not your throat. Yelling comes from the throat, which can reduce the clarity of your speech.
As the clip transitions into the locker room, Paul transforms into an entirely different person. His physical presence and speaking go from energetic and commanding to calm and composed.
This contrast between Paul on the ice vs. Paul in the locker room is a perfect representation of what it means to be a dynamic communicator.
Did you notice how engaged Paul’s team was as he spoke to them in the locker room?
Did you also notice how little Paul moved (physically) while speaking to his team?
This is important because many coaches believe that they need to move around while they speak to convey their passion and energy and keep people engaged.
Not true.
Movement on its own doesn’t create engagement.
In fact, too much movement (specifically in the feet and hips) makes it harder for your listeners to follow along with your message because they have to continuously track you with their eyes.
So, how does Paul do it?
What is it about Paul and his speaking that commands the focused attention of his team?
His reputation. We listen to people we like and respect. It’s obvious how much respect and trust Paul’s team has for/in him.
His composed verbal delivery during a high-energy moment. Most coaches go into the locker room after a big win with big energy to match it. I think this sometimes works against them because it encourages their team to focus on the energy or their feelings more than the message. As soon as Paul starts speaking in a calm and conversational tone, he indirectly communicates to his team that what he’s going to say is serious and worth listening to. This win was important, but the job wasn’t done.
His message is personal and intimate — it gave me Ted Lasso vibes. He uses the word “we” a lot, he mentions “courage and brotherhood,” he says “everybody’s important… everybody’s a lead dog,” he compliments them as a unit “your 3rd period was awesome, OUTSTANDING,” and he ends by saying “you’re all *** brilliant and I love every one of ya.” I’d imagine hearing this type of messaging throughout a season builds a strong sense of pride at the team level.
What else did you notice about Paul’s speaking that made it so impactful? I’d love to hear from you in the comments of this post.
Stay tuned for Part 2!
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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
Exceptional piece Jenny. Like his focus on the bench to repeat teaching points aloud when he’s engaged on the activities of players on the ice. Like his awareness and thoughtfulness in choosing his words carefully to convey his messages to players postgame. Communication is the glue that bonds the relationships he builds with players and people. Clearly, his communication skills are important to the relationships with players and the bond. Look forward to what comes next in this series. TLPF Hockey 🏒🥅.