Table of Contents
Title page                                                                                 i         Â
Approval page                                                                                                    ii
Dedication                                                                                                    iii
Acknowledgement                                                                                             iv
Table of contents                                                                                                v
List of tables                                                                                                  vii
Abstract                                                                     viii
CHAPTER ONE: Introduction
Background to the Study                                                                              1
Statement of the Problem                                                                          9
Purpose of the Study                                                                                   10
Research Questions                                                                                  10
Hypotheses                                                                                          11
Significance of the Study                                                                     11
Scope of the Study                                                                                            12      Â
CHAPTER TWO: Review of related literature
Conceptual Framework                                                                 13
Theoretical Framework                                                                     26      Â
Empirical Studies on Communication Techniques                               28      Â
Summary of Review of Related Literature                                        31      Â
CHAPTER THREE: Methods
Research Design                                                                                      33
Area of the Study                                                                                               33
Population for the Study                                                                                      33
Sample and Sampling Technique                                                      34      Â
Instrument for Data Collection                                                         34      Â
           Validity of the instrument                                                               34
           Reliability of the instrument                               =                           34
Method of Data Collection                                                                      35
Method of Data Analysis                                                                35
CHAPTER FOUR: Results and Discussions
Results                                                                                                        36
Summary of Major Findings                                                                   47
Discussion of Findings                                                      48
CHAPTER FIVE: Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations
Summary                                                                                               55
Conclusions                                                                                                 55
Recommendations                                                                                     56
Suggestions for further study                                                        56
References
Appendix I: Distribution of Football Club Administrators and Players 60
Appendix II: Questionnaire                                                               61
List of Tables
- Formal communication techniques used in disseminating information by the football club administrators. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 36
- Informal communication techniques used in disseminating information by the football club administrators.                                                                                                           37
- Verbal communication techniques used in disseminating informationby the football club administrators.                                                                                                             38
- Non-verbal communication techniques used in disseminating information by the football club administrators.              39
- Factors that hinder effective communication in the football clubs.                          40
- Communication techniques used in disseminating information in the club by the football club administrators.                                               42
- Test of significant difference in the utilization of formal communication techniques by the Club chairmen and Head coaches in the football clubs.                                           44
- Test of significant difference in the utilization of informal communication techniques by Head coaches and Assistant coaches in the football clubs.                                             45
- Test of significant difference in the utilization of non-verbal communication techniques by the Head coaches and Assistant coaches in the football clubs.                          47
Abstract
The study was
geared towards investigating the communication techniques utilization by
football club administrators in Obudu, Cross River State. Formal, informal,
verbal and non-verbal communication techniques were reviewed. Descriptive
survey was used as the research design in the study, while population of the
study consisted of 154 respondents which are 4 club chairmen, 4 secretaries, 4
team managers, 4 head coaches, 4 assistant coaches, 4 fitness coaches and 130
players in the various football clubs used in the study. The population was a
manageable size, hence, there was no sampling. Four point rating scale
questionnaire was used to collect data in the study. Criterion mean of 2.50 was
used to answer the research questions except number 5, in which frequency and
percentages were used. The null hypotheses were tested using t-test statistics
at .05 level of significance. The results of the show that the football club
administrators utilization formal, informal, verbal, and non-verbal
communication techniques in disseminating information in the clubs. Also, the
results show that the factors that hinder effective communication in the
football clubs include; ignoring information, mis-reading body language,
distrust, poor presentation of information and inability of the coaches to
express himself. There was no significant difference found in the utilization
of formal communication techniques by the club chairmen and head coaches. Also,
the result revealed that there was no significant difference found in the
utilization of informal and non-verbal communication techniques by the head
coaches and assistant coaches respectively.
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
Background to the Study
Achievement of the objectives of every organization lies largely with communication. In organizations, communication aids both the super-ordinate and subordinate to effectively pass information on the goings-on in the organization with the aim of achieving success. Communication forms the bedrock of achieving success in football clubs, and this is dependent on the utilization of different communication techniques.
Communication is the life line of any organization. According to Crooks (2005), communication is the act of successfully sharing meaningful information with people by means of interchanging of experience. Desh (2006) described communication as the act of transmitting information, ideas and attitudes from one person to another, which can be formal or informal in nature. Communication is concerned with the creation, transmission, interpretation and use of information. Through communication, behaviour is modified, information is made more effective and productive, change and organizational objectives are realized (Desh, 2006). Philip (2006) opined that communication is a two way processes involving giving and receiving information with the message given having a meaning based on the giver’s understanding and knowledge, and the recipient’s interpretation. Philip (2006) further stated that communication implies a natural exchange of ideas, facts, opinions and feelings between two or more persons, showing that communication is more of a group activity. In this study therefore, communication is defined as the process of passing and sharing information, facts, feelings and ideas between football club administrators and players in order to achieve the objectives of the club.
Communication is a matrix through which the objectives of sports are achieved with the input of all involved. Osmond (2004) stated that good communication in football clubs is one of the pre-requisite for effective sports administration, while a breakdown in communication leads to confusion and frustration. Nelson (2006) asserted that communication is critical and driven by team leader who works with the entire team to establish ground rates and bring the team together to achieve the stated objectives. Good communication helps to establish and disseminate goals of an organization, develop plans for their achievement, organize human and other resources in the most effective and efficient way, select, develop and appraise members of the organization, lead, direct, motivate and create a climate in which people contribute and control performance (Nelson, 2006). In football clubs in Obudu, communication serves as a medium through which information is passed among the club administrators. Communication helps the club administrators in enquiring, persuading or stimulating actions towards achieving the stated objectives of the football clubs in Obudu. Communication is broadly divided into different types which include: intrapersonal, interpersonal, lateral, and vertical communication (Micheal, 2000).
Intrapersonal communication technique is a type of communication. Intrapersonal communication is the basic level from which all other forms of human communication are derived. According to Micheal (2000), intrapersonal communication is a communication that involves an individual sending and receiving messages internally. It is a communication that deals with one’s self, which include; dreaming (especially, daydreaming and lucid dreaming), talking to oneself, internal monologue and gesturing while thinking. Cunningham (2002) stated that intrapersonal communication functions as one’s thought process that is, communicating within oneself. In this form of communication, the sender and receiver is one and same person. Intrapersonal communication comprises of mental processes that functions every time one communicates. Parker (2003) stated that advantages of intrapersonal communication include; the ability to focus on individual work, studying without distractions, planning ahead and finding solutions to issues. Parker (2003) further stated that intrapersonal communication helps in developing strong sense of self-management and self confidence which leads to working with and forming friends more easily. Intrapersonal communication occurs within an individual which involves the evaluating of and reacting to internal stimuli, and these evaluative and reactive processes help human beings to cope with and understand ideas, events, objects and experience (Miner, 2005). Generally, in football club administration, intrapersonal communication enables the administrators to access their individual abilities and shortcomings without distractions, which help them to develop self-confidence to discharge their duties effectively, even among football club administrators in Obudu, Cross River State.
Another type of communication is interpersonal communication which involves interaction between two or more people. Micheal (2000) defined interpersonal communication as communication that involves sending and receiving information between two or more people. According to John (2002), interpersonal communication is a type of communication in which the sender is one person while the receiver can be one or more persons, the feedback message is usually personalized and the feedback is immediate. Interpersonal communication is the essence of most group discussion. Interpersonal communication include: formal, informal, verbal and non-verbal communication being that all involves sending and receiving information, (John 2002). Freitas (2006) stated that interpersonal communication helps to maintain link between people, interacting with colleagues and resolving conflict. In football club administration, interpersonal communication help administrators to interact with the players, seek information from colleagues and discuss their duties and responsibilities. The duties of football club administrators make it paramount to get in close touch with the players by way of achieving the objectives of the club, resolution of conflicts and allocation of resources which is done through interpersonal communication.
Lateral communication is another type of communication that can be used by football club administrators. According to Prats (1993), lateral communication is the flow of messages across functional area at a given level of an organization. Lateral communication involves not only the movement of information from the upper levels to the lower levels of the organizational hierarchy but also involves primarily the quality of information shared among peers at similar levels (Spiker,1997). Charnov (2000) stated that lateral communication occurs among coworker, during staff meetings and informational presentations, throughout shift changes and among employees regardless of peer types. Lateral communication’s main objective is to keep organizational personnel informed of all current practices, policies and procedures. Charnov (2000) further stated that the advantages of lateral communication include: the exchange of good rate of ideas between staff of same level, increases efficiency of staff in an organization, most appropriate for giving instructions and ensures that everyone works towards same goal of achieving success in the organization. Rowels (2002) opined that lateral communication is in greater use and substantially encouraged in organizations that are more organic in operations, and such organizations adopt the principle of manage by exception which emphasizes a high degree of delegation and team work. Generally, in football club administration, lateral communication enable club administrators to communicate directly without going through several channels of communication in the club, even among the club administrators in Obudu, Cross River State.
