Effects of Communication Style on Competence Evaluations of Soccer Referees: Procedural Versus Relational Framing

Christian Burgers,Ruben Van Eeghen,Tammie Van Biemen,David L Mann

doi:10.1177/21674795211046536

Christian Burgers, Ruben Van Eeghen + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795211046536

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Abstract

Good communication skills are important for soccer referees, but it remains unclear what exactly constitutes good referee communication. In this article, we focus on the role of verbal framing by soccer referees by contrasting the effects of procedural frames (focusing on rules and regulations) and relational frames (focusing on relational aspects) on perceptions of referee competence. We conducted an experiment ( N = 97) in which soccer referees used either procedural or relational frames to communicate about different types of in-game situations (yellow card and offside) to players. Results demonstrate that spectator perceptions of impartiality and confidence did not differ depending on the type of frame used. However, relational (vs. procedural) frames did increase spectator perceptions of respectfulness and communication skills. Soccer referees are recommended to use relational over procedural frames when communicating to players during a match.

Highlights

Referees are crucial for the success of most sporting events
The Dutch soccer referee handbook argues that communication is an important referee competence, and that referees are evaluated on different aspects of communication like verbal and non-verbal communication, but does not specify what type of communication referees should use to be optimally effective (Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond, 2020, p. 42)
Players praised referees who take the time to communicate and empathize with them (Deal et al, 2018). This perspective aligns more with the ritual model of communication (Hallahan et al, 2007), in which communication is defined as a process in which everyone involved in the communication activity contributes to the success of the communicative exchange

Summary

Introduction

Referees are crucial for the success of most sporting events. Across various sports, referees indicate that having good communication skills is an important competence in on-field officiating (Kittel et al, 2019; Morris & O’Connor, 2017; Slack et al, 2013). In the transmission perspective, fairness would mostly entail the referee explaining to players and coaches how and why they evaluated the on-field situation according to the rules of the game Under this perspective, the referee’s verbal communication would emphasize the game’s rules and procedures. Players praised referees who take the time to communicate and empathize with them (Deal et al, 2018) This perspective aligns more with the ritual model of communication (Hallahan et al, 2007), in which communication is defined as a process in which everyone involved in the communication activity contributes to the success of the communicative exchange. This allowed us to investigate whether and how these two communication styles impacted different dimensions of referee competence

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