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During Prospect’s long history of working with professional and amateur members of the sports community (e.g. draft-eligible athletes, as well as both professional and amateur coaches), Michael Langlois developed a number of informal guides and handbooks for use by his clients. In most cases, these guides were originally intended to serve as brief reminders of some of the core themes and ideas which Prospect had presented in its public talks, seminars, and in private, one-on-one coaching sessions.
A few years ago, Prospect began offering these book to all members of the public. Since then, Prospect’s publications have received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Even those who have not yet had the opportunity to work in-person with Michael have indicated that they benefited greatly from the substantive advice offered in these works.
In keeping with the technology of the times, Michael developed, in the summer of 2013, a new eBook called, “A Guide to Effective Communication for Youth Soccer Coaches” and "You Can Be an Inspirational Youth Hockey Coach" in September of 2014.
Michael has also written an eBook about his lifelong hockey passion, entitled, “The Maple Leafs of My Youth: what being a Leaf fan means to me”. The well-received eBook is also highlighted at Michael’s hockey blog Vintage Leaf Memories.
While Michael is in the process of finalizing other new eBooks that will be offered here, we have continued to make available three of Michael’s books published previously.
Testimonial - Slide
"Too often youth coaches get caught up in the Xs and Os of the game and forget that they are dealing with children and the parents of children. Effective communication skills are necessary to be an effective coach and team leader. This book on communication provides many important tips and ideas that will help youth coaches communicate better with their players and the parents. I recommend this to all youth coaches."
Hal Tearse Hal Tearse, Coach-in-Chief, Minnesota Hockey
"I enjoyed A Guide to Better Communication for Minor Hockey Coaches. I have already used the 'what motivates you' section and it has paid off. We have distributed the book to each of our youth coaches. I'm sure they will benefit."
"Thanks to Michael for writing this wonderful book. As a manager of the team, it provided me with some outstanding tools to use when communicating with parents. Practical advice such as 'The 24 Hour Rule' and the reminder that, 'Hearing is an sense. Listening is a skill.' have already helped me in a few instances. The checklists were fabulous, especially the 'Your Relationship with Your Players'. It provided a concise list of elements that must be communicated to the player to be sure we are setting proper expectations and providing a positive tone... This book is a must read for all coaches and managers at all levels of hockey. In fact, most of the advice is useful to the coaching and managing for any sport."
"I read Michael's book with interest. I have been coaching for 15 years and Coach Mentor of Newmarket Hockey for the past three years. We are challenged to find good resource material for our coaches; Michael's guide should prove valuable in giving our coaches insights into good communication practices. I hope to ensure that every coach reads this book."
"A Guide to Better Communication for Minor Hockey Coaches was very useful. I would love for the coaches in my youth organization to read it. If it were my choice I’d make it mandatory reading."
"I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Communication is a topic seldom discussed and taught in our coaching programs. The messages are simple, clear and very valuable. I think communication is one of the keys to developing relationships with the kids we are coaching and Michael clearly lays out some of the important aspects of communication. All coaches should make the time to read this book"
"I found the Chapters on dealing with Parents very helpful."
"Five of our members have read your books for youth coaches and found them to be a great resource. They are good for our coaches as they are straight to the point and provide usable information they can apply immediately in their practices and games. Thank you very much for providing them to us. Thanks again!”
"I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to read the book. I think it is a tool that all coaches can use regardless of sport. I particularly enjoyed the comments in Chapter Five: Communicating and Interacting with Parents. It was an easy read and so simply laid out."
"This book will be a valuable addition to our coaching library and I'm sure be of great inspiration to our parent/coach volunteers."
He is fantastic to work with – engaging, reliable and knowledgeable. I highly recommend Michael for any communications, media, issues management and any similarly related work.
Brandy Tanenbaum, CRM Program Coordinator, Sunnybrook RBC Canada First Office for Injury Prevention
I personally feel like I've gained more practical knowledge from a single day of public speaking training with Michael than I have in all of my communications studies in university.
Benoit Huot Paralympic Olympic Swimmer, Gold Medalist
Personally I have been truly enriched by Michael's knowledge, experience and insight.
The late Pat Quinn Former NHL Coach, Head Coach of 2002 Olympic Gold Medal team
…This isn't about learning how to perform or ‘spin’, it’s about learning how to communicate one’s message on a wide level. I still use Michael’s techniques on regular basis.
Andy Nulman President, CMO at Just For Laughs
"I found Michael’s book to be quite interesting and collected a few more valuable pieces of information regarding the NHL prospect process." Brian is the father of Kyle Beach of the Western Hockey League Everett Silvertips, drafted in the first round (11th overall) of the 2008 NHL draft by the Chicago Blackhawks.
Brian Beach Brian Beach - Kelowna, British Columbia July, 2008
"I remember reading Michael’s book and finding many useful tips for future pro/college prospects. At the time I would have loved to have this prior to the 12 months leading up to the draft and also Blake’s NCAA commitment." Jim is the father of Blake Wheeler, who was drafted 5th overall in the first round of the 2004 NHL draft. Blake recently signed his first professional contract with the Boston Bruins.
"I had the opportunity to read your Guide today and would like to make a few comments. I spent 17 years in Major Junior hockey with the Sudbury Wolves and occupied many different chairs during these years – Director of Farm System, Director of Operations, General Manager, Coach/General Manager, President, Co-Owner and Governor. During these years, I worked with many young athletes both on and off the ice. I also assisted with school decisions, draft preparation, contract negotiations at the NHL level as well as at other professional levels. I attended the interview sessions with young prospects as a resource and friend, often at the request of the parents. Reading your Guide certainly made me reflect back to many of these experiences and helped me realize how important such a Guide is for these young athletes. I believe it should be mandatory reading for prospective drafts, as well as those players looking at colleges and universities and, for that matter, for those who may enter the world of work. This Guide will certainly provide solid assistance and advice that can be very significant in their careers and lives. I plan to pass my copy on so that others can benefit from reading it. I thank you and congratulate you for providing this Guide." Former General Manager and Head Coach of the Major Junior “A” Ontario Hockey League, Sudbury Wolves Hockey Club
"I really enjoyed reading Michael's book. I have started recommending it to our young players already."
"This book is a must read for players --and their families-- that are considering Junior, College and even Professional opportunities."
"Michael's book offers young athletes a realistic look into the world of sports media and helps prepare them to work through challenging situations in a positive way."