Coaching Sandwich

When it comes to learning to improve, I’ll use a coaching example. I’ve coached a lot of competitive athletics over the years (baseball, football, basketball), and I’ve learned something valuable about learning to improve. It’s called the “coaching sandwich,” where direction is sandwiched between positive statements. It is based on the notion that you can never shame a person into loving the game or yell them into playing with real passion. However, there are times when direction is needed, and learning can help with improvement.

At times like these, the coaching sandwich is appropriate:

1. Recognize something positive.
2. Give direction.
3. Provide encouragement.

Here’s how you could use the coaching sandwich in the context of a basketball game where, say, the point guard caused a turnover in a particular situation (your understanding of basketball isn’t critical; just substitute any sport or activity):

• Call time-out, or wait for the next stoppage in play (but no more than a few minutes after the event has occurred).
• Call the player over to you, and put your hands on the player’s shoulders.
• Make eye contact and say, “I really like your hustle out there” (recognize something positive).
• Wait a moment and remain in eye contact.
• Then say, “But, it works better if you ball fake to the left before passing to the right. Without doing that, the other team guessed where the pass was going, and we got a turnover” (give direction).
• Smile.
• Finally say, “I know you can do it. Now get back in there and show me” (provide encouragement).
• Put the player back in the game as soon as possible.
• Wink at them.

I find the coaching sandwich isn’t used often enough, particularly in work-related settings. Instead, direction shows up in the form of an impersonal email or an offhand remark. As such, learning doesn’t happen, and little improvement occurs because the person reacts with defensiveness, shame, irritation, anger, or some other negative emotion.