In this episode I speak with Dr Kieran File. Kieran is Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics at University of Warwick. Kieran’s main interest is in language use in high performance sporting contexts.

Kieran is also director of Reactive Sports Media which offers research informed media training and advice for professional sports players, sporting body executives and broadcast interviewers about how they can use language to achieve a variety of goals when speaking in the media.

Kieran has written a fascinating book entitled “How Language Shapes Relationships in Professional Sports Teams” which examines the role that coach and athlete language plays in shaping relationships. The book looks at how every day, authentic language patterns used by coaches, captains and players influence these relationships and how they can mediate factors such as power and threat and teamwork.