Learning Garage Consultancy, in joint efforts with Sierra Leone Aquatics and Cricket Sierra Leone, on Wednesday ended a three-day training on effective communication for 26 sports-related persons.
The programme, held at the Conference Hall of Cricket Sierra Leone, Kingtom Police Field, targeted twenty athletes (15 swimmers, 5 cricketers) and six officials (coaches and administrators from both sporting disciplines). The aim is to help them through skills that will improve their communication and that will boost their growth using the media.
Facilitated by Alie Sonta Kamara, the Executive Director of Learning Garage Consultancy, the training covered topics on effective communication, how to respond to the questions frequently asked by journalists, how to face difficult questions with tact and grace, the rights of the athlete during an interview, facts gathering and early preparation for interviews, the importance of the media in the development of the athlete, the dos and don’ts of the athlete on the social media, the most essential grammar knowledge required by the athlete, moving from thought to speech and text, among others.
On the nature of the training, the President of Sierra Leone Aquatics, Mohamed Turay, said he is very impressed with the contents of the clinic which he believes will help swimmers both locally and internationally as they will be able to express themselves in a well-composed way and will make them know the importance of the Media as a platform to be considered a major partner in their development pathway.
Speaking on Wednesday during the closing of the three-day training, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cricket Sierra Leone, Sheku Alim Cawray described the effort as new and crucial for the captains and vice captains of the national representative teams. “It provides a platform for the players to enhance their communication skills, which is essential for effective leadership on and off the field. Good communication helps in building team morale, resolving conflicts, and making strategic decisions. Therefore, taking part in a training like this can greatly benefit the participants and project their images in a positive light. This can contribute to collective team performance and success,” he added.
Tommy Ibrahim Turay, a swimmer, thanked the leadership of Sierra Leone Aquatics for always making history. He said the training has given them a new insight into what it means to be an athlete and how to grow as one. “With the knowledge gained, it is my belief that we will never be the same again. We are going to implement what we have learnt to be better athletes,” he surmised.
Moving the vote of thanks, George Edward Ngegba, Captain for the National Cricket Senior Men’s Side, said acquiring knowledge is extremely good for oneself as it will empower one to do more and go beyond boundaries. “The programme was indeed a success as I learnt a lot of new things about how to use social media, construct proper and accurate sentences, the dos and don’ts of social media and the essence of using the media properly and the benefits of making the journalist your friend. My utmost thanks and gratitude go to Cricket Sierra Leone for selecting me to be part of this educative and comprehensive programme about Effective Communication in the media,” he pointed out.
This is the first time such an effort has been made to improve the communication skills of athletes and sports officials alike in Sierra Leone.
“I look forward to conducting more of this with athletes and officials from other sporting disciplines as it projects personal branding, bolsters fan base, and creates opportunities beyond the comfort zone,” said Alie Sonta Kamara, Executive Director of Learning Garage Consultancy.
CSL Media Department
