Sports administrators are what they sound like: responsible for administrative duties in sport. This includes marketing, fundraising, procurement, supply chain management and general administration tasks. They also sometimes organise and schedule sports events, manage the budgets or oversee the recruitment and training of new staff.
For this reason, sports administrators need to have skills ranging from business knowledge to organisation to patience to crisis management. But they also need to know about communication, especially when they are trying to market, organise fundraisers and organise events.
Here are the communication skills that a sports administrator needs:
Writing
When sports administrators are doing sports marketing, they often have to define and express the value that each sport has to add. This is the reason why they are required to have a good knowledge of writing.
It is not only about checking the necessary spelling errors in the text they are marketing but being able to express and evoke the emotions in the reader. Sports administrators need to be able to touch people in a unique way through their marketing so that they engage with the brand.
Public speaking
As a sports administrator, you need to be able to give people the important information they need regarding a sport. This is why the sports administrator needs to be comfortable around, and with talking to, people.
It is important for them to practise this skill daily.
Active listening
Part of being able to speak to the public is for a sports administrator to be able to listen attentively to what the public has to say. In this way, they can strategise with clients.
Being an active listener requires the sports administrator to stay focused on what the person is saying.
Non-verbal communication
It is crucial, during any interaction with the public, that the sports administrator knows the right body language. They are required to pay careful attention to their eye contact, hand gestures, posture and other kinds of body cues.
The cues can be as simple as smiling with relaxed arms and good posture, which can make the sports administrator look confident. If they are slouched with crossed arms and shifting eyes, they will appear nervous and uncomfortable.
Interpersonal
In order to build connections, the sports administrator needs to network with people they have never met before. Interpersonal skills tie all the afore-mentioned skills together.
The sports administrator needs to understand how to interact with more than one group of people, all with varying personalities. The sports administrator needs to learn how to adapt to other people’s personalities.
Communication is an essential part of being a sports administrator. They are widely responsible for the administration behind marketing, fundraising and sports events, which all require the administrator to interact with other people. These interactions help keep people interested in the sport that the administrator is trying to sell.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
Want to become a sports administrator? If you do, then you need to do our Sports Administration Course. For more information, please follow this link.