KATE SOUTHCOMBE
Telling it how it is: Does the truth have to hurt? Delivering the right message is more important than a blunt one.
Teachers Matter
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radio show got me thinking recently. The host discussed the NZ Rugby Association’s decision to monitor the Small Black games because of the enormous score differences between some teams. There is a recommendation to cap the maximum score at Small Black games so children don’t feel upset about losing 100 – nil. This news item turned into a general debate on whether we should tell people the truth. Should we tell them the facts about their ability or indeed anything that we feel they should know, even if the facts might upset them? Or do we sugar
coat it and disguise it, or even hide it, as the rugby association appear to be doing? The radio show held a phone-in survey, and of course, the consensus (actually it was about five callers to this one radio show!) is that we as a nation want to know the truth regardless, just gives us the hard facts and be done with it. Does the truth have to be harsh facts? And is it really about being sugar-coated and PC, or being hard and truthful? I felt that the DJ and his callers missed the point: We are training these small rugby players; we are honing their skills; and the score is a
small part of the process. However the score also plays a vital role in developing team moral and individual optimism. A team of small children defeated by a goal score of 100 – nil may find it hard to see beyond the score. Depending on how sensitively the result is handled, the news can impact these players’ attitudes and ambition for the next game. The sports coach needs to decide what outcome to focus on and in doing so he determines what will guide these young players down the path to greatness, rather than the path of apathy. Maybe “match fixing” isn’t ideal, but the intention is
