Teamwork in team debriefings: Coaches’ communication patterns after wins and losses

This content is included in your SPKN Membership

Study Details

Authors
Deniz Durdubas & Umut Sezer
Published
2025
View the study
Citation
Durdubas, D., & Sezer, U. (2025). Teamwork in team debriefings: Coaches’ communication patterns after wins and losses. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology. Advance online publication.

This study examined how head coaches communicate during post-game team debriefings and whether win–loss outcomes shape the teamwork behaviors they emphasize. Using video- and audio-recorded debriefings from 18 elite basketball, volleyball, and soccer teams (seven coaches; 1007 minutes of footage), the authors analyzed coaches’ verbal behaviors through a new observational coding scheme based on the Multidimensional Model of Teamwork in Sport. The scheme captured phases of performance evaluation, problem solving, and planning, as well as communication modifiers such as tone, feedback, and instructional style.

Key Findings

  • Coaches spent most of their debriefing time on performance monitoring, problem solving, planning, and goal specification, which together made up more than half of all behaviors.
  • After wins, coaches dedicated more time to reflection, especially performance monitoring, and problem-solving discussions. Sessions tended to have a neutral emotional tone, more feedback, and more team-directed language.
  • After losses, coaches displayed significantly more system monitoring, often focused on external factors such as referees or contextual constraints. Performance monitoring paired more often with feedback, data presentation, and opponent analysis when teams lost.
  • Problem solving differed by outcome: After losses, it more frequently involved instructions and closed-ended questioning, suggesting a more directive, corrective style. Overall, athlete involvement was low, indicating debriefings were generally coach-driven rather than dialogic.
  • A consistent behavioral sequence emerged across all sessions: Performance Monitoring → Problem Solving → Planning/Goal Specification, followed by a return to performance monitoring. This aligns with the teamwork cycle of evaluating past performance, addressing issues, and preparing for future action.

Practical Applications for Coaches and Support Staff

  • Use wins as an opportunity for deeper reflection. The psychologically safer climate after a win supports more balanced analysis and collaborative planning.
  • Be mindful of attribution patterns after losses. Emphasizing external explanations may ease emotional tension but can limit learning; pairing feedback with concrete data or video clips can help keep discussions constructive.
  • Create space for athlete voice. Incorporating open-ended questions and encouraging player-generated solutions can shift debriefings from corrective to developmental.
  • Balance directive communication with clarity. Instructions are useful, especially after losses, but overreliance can reduce athlete ownership and initiative.
  • Adopt a structured debriefing flow. Following an evaluation → adjustment → planning sequence provides consistency and supports learning, regardless of the game outcome.