Mike Hesson highlights how the importance of a pep talk and knowing the impact of how a speech can change a team’s thinking

In today’s world, inspirational speeches have become a very active part of any sport, and it is important to know your strengths before you take the field for any big game or even when you are going through a very rough patch. What do you think that crucial pep talk comprises? It can be only the rosier side of things and how a hero can come and save your day or at times it can be very bitter, pushing you to the brink to understand what exactly has been the cause of your downfall.

Mike Hesson opened up on the RCB Podcast Season 2 to clarify what a pep talk should consist of and it is not what you think should be an ideal war cry ahead of any of your games. Hesson said, “If in an elite sport you think that speech is going to be the difference between winning and losing, then you are delusional as a coach. There are times when you need to give a very clear and direct message and you need to be very succinct in terms of strategy or the tactics or the way you go about things.”

He further added, “If you think that having an inspirational speech before heading out into a game, where you’ve got to be thinking clearly and focused, I’d say that you are quite delusional. There are many coaches who have tried and there are odd one-offs, where it’s appropriate, where you think that your team needs a little bit of a spark and a ruck-up but cricket is about being consistent in your approach and making good decisions.”

Hesson continued, “So, you’re never going to cloud that by getting an arousal level to a certain extent or talking about a man who climbed a mountain. If you are doing that before your guys are going out, particularly when you need them to be clear with their thinking, you know 80% of the players are going to say thanks but no thanks.”