America was introduced to the, “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” with the iconic opening phrase that introduced ABC’s Wide-World of Sports for 38 years. The next line in the show’s opening reveals one of the reasons why we love sports: “the human drama of athletic competition.”

Athletic competition naturally breeds drama, which in turn breeds strong emotions.

Whether at the youth, high school, collegiate or professional level, coaches are intimately familiar with the emotional component of athletic competition. In fact, coaches count on emotions running high at some point during the season. These emotions should originate on the field of play during competition, but can often arise from the sidelines or in the stands.

There’s no shortage of stories about incidents between coaches and parents. Unfortunately, these altercations at times have escalated from verbal to physical.

Accordingly, it is incumbent on coaches to foster trust with players’ parents during the preseason.

There are a few steps a coach can take during the preseason in an attempt to mitigate potential issues:

• Hold a preseason meeting with parents to let them know that you are approachable. Parents can often be intimidated by coaches. Accordingly, they may be hesitant to speak directly to the coach and wait until their frustrations boil over before having their first interaction with the coach. Letting parents know you are willing to talk in an unemotional manner should help you to avoid these potential pitfalls of coaching.
• During the meeting with parents, as well during the initial meeting with the team, make sure to discuss playing time. If you are a youth coach, you may institute an equal playing time policy. If you are a high school coach, or coach a team that is a bit more serious about competition, you can discuss the merits that underlie playing time. For example, it may be talent and work ethic. However, if you decide to go in this direction, make sure to let parents and athletes know that during contests that have already been decided, you will insert players who normally do not get the majority of playing time.
• If parental over-involvement becomes an issue, then you can institute an email-only policy for all complaints. The policy allows coaches to digest the problem a parent has so the coach can formulate a thoughtful answer without involving emotions.
• Never speak with parents who are yelling at you or are emotionally charged, as nothing good can come from this type of coach-parent interaction.
• If a parent does approach you in a heightened emotion state and demands to speak with you, kindly let them know you will be happy to discuss the issue at a later time. You can even offer to schedule a meeting for specific day in the near future.
• If you schedule a meeting with a parent, make sure to have a third-party sit in the meeting. This allows the coach to have an impartial party who can clarify points you attempt to make, recall any comments made during the meeting and–in worst-case scenarios–act as a witness to anything that may occur.
• During any coach-parent meeting, make sure to fully listen to the parent’s concerns and hear them out. Don’t interrupt. Often, people who are upset just want to vent and listening can alleviate their distress. Further, pay attention to your body language during your discussion, it can say either “I am listening” or “I don’t care.”
• Above all else, keep your composure even if the parent does not.

When the inevitable coach-parent conversation does arise, be sure to respond in a way that conveys respect and understanding. Of course, each situation is different. However, a few universal truths can make navigating this conversation a bit easier:

• If you don’t agree with the parent’s point-of-view, let the parent know that you can see their point-of-view and understand where they are coming from. This tactic can go a long way toward diffusing any potential issues.
• Make sure to initially acknowledge the child athlete’s strengths before discussing what they need to improve upon. Placing a compliment before something that can be deemed as a negative can often make the parent’s response a positive one.

If you only remember one point this season, it should be this: only through unemotional conversations can true understanding be had. It is through understanding that trust is built.

SEE ALSO: 7 types of parents that coaches must be ready to handle

SEE ALSO: The tricky balancing act that is also known as the parent-coach relationship