How to Present Yourself at a High School Baseball Team Parent Meeting

If you are a high school baseball coach, holding a meeting between yourself and the parents before or during the season is a great way to keep an open line of communication. However, speaking in front of a room full of parents can be a little daunting. You want to establish that you are in charge of the team during games and practices while still being respectful to the authority of the parents.

Instructions

    • 1

      Schedule the meeting for after a game or a practice. Doing so will make it convenient for parents to come to the meeting when they might be in attendance to watch the game or pick up their child from practice anyway. Ask the players to give you some privacy during the meeting. You can hold the meeting in the stands, the dugout or a classroom at the high school.

    • 2

      Dress appropriately for the meeting. If the meeting is right after a practice or game, wearing practice clothes or a uniform is fine. However, if the meeting is scheduled at another time, wear clean clothes that you might wear to a casual dining restaurant to show respect for the parents. Keep the grungy, ratty T-shirts at home.

    • 3

      Introduce yourself, if it's the first meeting, and greet the parents. If you happen to know some of the parents already, say hello as they enter. If you are not familiar with the parents, ask their name and shake their hand as they enter the meeting.

    • 4

      Give parents the information they need to know. If this is a preseason meeting, you might be detailing the practice policy, game schedule, uniform policy and code of conduct you expect from the players. This ensures you are on the same page with the players and the parents. Also, print up a flier with these policies that the players must have signed by their parents if they cannot attend the meeting. You may also wish to disclose a little bit about your coaching style, but how much you share is up to you.

    • 5

      Ask if there are any questions.

    • 6

      Offer to speak to any parent individually if they desire. Sometimes parents have things they want to address in private with the coach. Offer to do this at the end of the meeting or to set up another time to talk. This will show that you are giving parents the respect of your time in a one-on-one situation.

    • 7

      Keep the tone of the entire meeting respectful and friendly. Sometimes high school baseball parents may have a different point of view on how something should be handled in terms of game management. If the conversation starts to get heated, take a deep breath, pause and address the parent respectfully. If the discussion continues to escalate, address the matter with the parent in private in a one-on-one situation after the meeting.