Working with people in sport and fitness

What you will study

This module will allow you to engage and develop your knowledge and understanding of key personal skills in sport and fitness alongside developing a range of cognitive and professional skills that will underpin your future study.

The module consists of six study topics, each covering different personal skills required in sport and fitness settings:

Study Topic 1: Learning in sport and fitness settings
You'll look at how careers in sport and fitness develop, and how we learn to become effective practitioners in sport and fitness work roles. There's a particular focus on how we can reflect on our performance and the role of setbacks in the learning process.

Study Topic 2: Getting the message across: interpersonal communication
You'll assess different channels of communication used in sport and fitness roles – verbal, non-verbal and written – and the characteristics of effective communication. You'll look at how you can use communication to develop effective relationships and influence other people.

Study Topic 3: Effective teamwork in sport and fitness
You'll study what is meant by the term 'team' in sport and fitness contexts; the stages teams go through during their development; the differences between successful and unsuccessful teams and the role that team culture plays in their functioning.

Study Topic 4: Insights into leadership in sport and fitness
You'll examine examples of effective and ineffective leadership in sport and fitness and the impact of different styles of leaders in the people. You'll study how theories can contribute to your understanding of leadership and the value of good followers to the leader.

Study Topic 5: Motivation in sport and fitness settings
You'll assess a range of factors that influence individuals' motivation in sport and fitness settings and in their working roles; how theories can account for their motivation; and which techniques can be employed to influence people's motivation.

Study Topic 6: Developing physical skills for sport and fitness
You'll look at different types of physical skills – and how participants in sport and fitness settings learn them. You'll explore the roles of the environment, feedback and technology in the learning of physical skills.

You will learn

This module will enable you to:

• demonstrate an ability to apply a range of motivational techniques and adapt to individual/group needs and motives
• demonstrate an awareness of the need to communicate in different ways to meet the needs of groups and individuals
• apply insights gained from working practice of training, instructional or coaching roles and relate this to instructional frameworks
• describe the characteristics of effective leadership and team working
• analyse case studies and draw out relevant information to inform your own learning.

Vocational relevance

This module is relevant to those with a work-related interest in sport and fitness who want to develop their career in this area.

Entry

There are no formal entry requirements to study this module.

However, it would be beneficial for you to have a paid or voluntary role in sport and fitness or be familiar with sport and fitness settings as an active participant.

If you're not sure you're ready, talk to an adviser.

Outside the UK

Synchronous tutorials and communications could be difficult to deliver to students outside UK due to time differences. If you can't attend the synchronous tutorials or make synchronous communications, you'll have to use asynchronous alternative methods, such as watching recorded tutorials and emailing questions.

Preparatory work

If you want to get a flavour of one of the study topics (Study Topic 2: Getting the message across: interpersonal communication) or get a head start with this module, complete our free badged open course Communication and working relationships in sport and fitness. The quiz questions are very similar to part of the module assessment.

Study materials

What's included

• Access to the module study materials via the module website
• Printed reader

Computing requirements

• Primary device – A desktop or laptop computer. It's possible to access some materials on a mobile phone, tablet or Chromebook; however, they will not be suitable as your primary device.
• Peripheral device – Headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone for online tutorials.
• Our OU Study app operates on supported versions of Android and iOS.
• Operating systems – Windows 11 or latest supported macOS. Microsoft will no longer support Windows 10 as of 14 October 2025.
• Internet access – Broadband or mobile connection.
• Browser – Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are recommended. Mozilla Firefox and Safari may be suitable.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

You'll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module. They'll help by:

• marking your assignments and offering detailed feedback to help you improve
• providing individual guidance, whether that's for general study skills or specific module content
• guiding you to additional learning resources
• facilitating online discussions between your fellow students in the dedicated module and tutor group forums.

Online tutorials run throughout the module. Where possible, we'll make recordings available. While they're not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate.

Assessment

You can find the assessment details for this module in the facts box.

If you have a disability

The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone. The Accessibility Statement below outlines what studying this module involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.