Using emotional intelligence in coaching high-performance athletes: a randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Emotional intelligence is an important and popular concept within coaching. This randomised controlled trial investigated the short-term impact of coaching using emotional intelligence on three factors related to performance in athletes: anxiety, self-efficacy and team identification. Twenty high-performance netball players were divided into coaching and control groups. The coaching group completed the Bar-On EQ-i to produce emotional intelligence profiles that formed the basis of the solution-focused coaching session. Coaching improved self-efficacy and anxiety but not team identification. There was no change in the control group. Self-efficacy and anxiety are directly linked to scales on the EQ-i whereas team identification is not directly linked. The findings indicate that solution-focused coaching using emotional intelligence is effective, but only when a direct link is identified between a particular component of emotional intelligence and a particular outcome.

Keywords:

• emotional intelligence
• coaching
• randomised controlled trial

Notes on contributors

Anna Barlow is an occupational psychology consultant and currently working towards chartered status. She is a trainer in one of the most popular Emotional Intelligence assessments and frequently conducts developmental conversations with clients based on their results on the Emotional Intelligence tool.

Dr Adrian Banks is a chartered occupational psychologist and cognitive scientist. He is a lecturer at the University of Surrey where he investigates the psychology of reasoning and decision-making. His current research investigates the interaction of intuitive and analytic thinking and the cognitive basis of expertise.