COMMUNICATION
Most of us during our careers have been able to witness some good officials. 
Whether these people are basketball referees, football umpires or even netball 
umpires these good officials all have became successful because they communicate 
effectively and understand that good communication skills are learned. They 
also recognize how crucial it is for officials to communicate before games with
associates and coaches, during games with the players, the coaches, and the fans 
and after games with other officials.

As officials the message we want to send is very specific. It conveys 
confidence, control, calmness, positive feelings, and fairness. It can be sent 
verbally or nonverbally (body language). Our posture, gestures and movements, and 
the tone of our voice combine to transmit either the wrong or hopefully the right 
message. As officials, we know that our nonverbal messages will usually be more
frequent and more powerful than your verbal messages.

To become good officials, we have to clearly and consistently send the right 
messages. So it is of great importance that we consider what message we're 
communicating as we perform and try to improve our message sending ability.

TYPES OF CPMMUNICATION
As you already know communication can occur verbally or non verbally. As officials 
we are aware of the two types of communication. Because of how messages are sent, 
it is important to know them.

Nonverbal communication is typically organized into three categories:
* Body language
* Spatial relationships
* Paralanguage

BODY LANGUAGE
Body language is a powerful tool for an official. It includes your physical 
appearance, posture, touching behavior, gestures and facial expressions.

SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS
Spatial relationship is the space between the official and the player. There 
are four zones or spaces in which we interact with others:
* Intimate
* Personal
* Social
* Public

As an official we tend to move in and out of all four of these spaces during 
the course of a game. In a game we as officials will be, at times 
close (intimate), and at other times comfortable (personal). Therefore, the 
potential for communication is increased. Frequently, a friendly discourse takes 
place between  a player and the official (personal), whereas nose-to-nose 
jawing occurs between two players (intimate).

PARALANGUAGE
Paralanguage refers to the vocal components of speech, separate from the actual 
meaning of the word. "It's not what you say, but how you say it" explains what 
paralanguage is all about. Because paralanguage is a powerful part of communication, 
we ask ourselves these questions:
* Does my voice have resonance (associated with firmness and strength)?
* Do I speak rapidly of slowly?
* Can I project in a loud voice?
* Can I control the pitch of my voice?

By answering these questions we can then identify personal weaknesses and advantages 
in the use of paralanguage.

STYLES OF COMMUNICATION
Officials tend to have a dominant communication style, but they also adopt alternate 
styles in specific situations. We have been able to identify four prominent communication 
styles:

FIGHTERS
Fighters are primarily concerned with achieving their own goals. They 
are interested in "winning" the discussion and have little interest in 
maintaining the relationship. They see relationships as a game, with a 
winner and a loser.

NEGOTIATORS
Negotiators value their personal responsibilities and their relationships 
with others. They prefer a give-and-take approach. Officials who are 
negotiators listen to the frustrated coach or player and compromise when 
it is appropriate. They demonstrate authority but also show concern for 
the participant.

DICTATORS
Dictators, like fighters, are primarily concerned with asserting their 
authority. They give directions and commands and revel in their power 
they possess. The dictator makes calls with the attitude, "I'm the boss", 
rather than the attitude "I'm a vital part of this game". Often dictators 
place themselves above the game and participants.

QUITTERS
Quitters give up and do nothing. They avoid confrontation and conflict 
with players, coaches, and spectators. They become intimidated when 
calls are openly questioned, and this leads then to withdrawal and making 
fewer calls.

DEALING WITH PLAYERS, COACHES AND FANS
In dealing with other participants of the game, we have noticed that there are 
two poles, that are quite distinct from each other. The first is the official 
who has a pleasant style, quick smile, calm demeanor and creates a positive 
environment that has a soothing effect on players and coaches. This in theory 
is good for officials, however a official who uses the same tone of 
voice to enforce a controversial call compared to an out-of-bounds call 
will cause an abusive reaction by either the players, coaches or spectators. In 
contrast, a finger-pointing or verbal argument with a player or coach might 
demonstrate your certainty in the call but distorts the real message we want to 
communicate. At all times we must remember, communication is a two way street.

An article in the Referee magazine suggests some keys to communicating with 
players, coaches, and spectators at any level:

Have Your Head On Right - Don't think your striped shirt grants you immunity
from having to take a little criticism. It's part of officiating. Plan on it. 
Successful officials know how much to take. 

Don't Be A Tough Person - If a coach is on your back but not enough to warrant
a penalty, then just warn the coach in a nice but firm way. This is especially
true during time-outs. Standing near an unhappy coach just to "Show him up" will 
only lead to further tensions.

Don't Bark - If you don't like to be shouted at, don't shout at someone else. 
Be firm with a normal relaxed voice. This technique will do wonders in helping 
you reduce the pressure. Shouting indicates a loss of control, not only of one's 
self, but also for the game.

Show Confidence - Cockiness has absolutely has no place in officiating. You want 
to exude confidence. Your presence should command respect from the participants.
As in any walk of life, appearance, manner, and voice determine how you are accepted. 
Try to present the proper image.

Forget The Fans - As a group, fans usually exhibit highly emotional partnership
and delight in antagonizing the officials. Accepting this fact will help you ignore 
the fans, unless they interrupt the game or stand in the way of doing your job.

Answer Reasonable Questions - Treat coaches and players in a courteous way. If they
ask you a question reasonably, answer them in a polite way. If they get in your 
ear by saying "Hey ref, I want to ask you something" then ask them to call a time 
out because you are concentrating on the game.

Choose Your Words Wisely - Don't obviously threaten a coach or player. This will 
only put them on the defense. More importantly, you will have placed yourself on 
the spot. If you feel a situation is serious enough to warrant a threat, then it 
is serious enough to penalize, without invoking a threat. Obviously some things 
you say will be a form of threat, but using the proper words can make it subtle.

Stay Cool - Your purpose is to establish a calm environment for the game. Nervous
or edgy officials are easily spotted by fans, coaches and players. Avidly chewing 
gum, pacing around or displaying a wide range of emotions prior to or during a game 
will serve to make you seem vulnerable to the pressure.

Summary
Communication consists of sending and receiving messages, both verbally and 
nonverbally. Officials primarily communicate nonverbally and therefore must 
learn how to more effectively send these types of messages. We have to seek 
out feedback and reflect on our own style of communication to identify areas 
in which we are weak. We must also determine whether we are communicating 
effectively with others involved in the game.