Unapproachable Coach vs. Unapproachable Ref

[Judtech]

IMO a lot of it depends on the personality of both parties. There ARE some officials who are not approachable, and there are CERTAINLY coaches who are that way.
An evaluator once told a group of us that when he talks about "unapproachable officials" he is talking about officials with short fuses and/or offiicials who don't know how to respond w/out sounding arrogant. Of course, he also said both of those are VERY subjective.
It may suprise some, but I am pretty laid back. While I am very confident in my ability, if a coach ASKS a question, I am more than happy to answer. If I know that a coach has been a problem in the past, I try to crack a joke, usually at my expense, in the pregame. During the game, if a coach is getting really exercised, I try to wait for a dead ball where I am close and acknowledge that I am aware they have some type of concern, and it is easier to communicate when there isn't yelling involved. i.e. "Coach, if you have a question about something, feel free to ask. IF you yell, then I just think you are my wife yelling at me for something and tune it out!!" That usually works. But there are some coaches who just want to keep on. I just put it in my mind, I did my best to be approachable, and they weren't so just let it go and only communicate whenn I have to : First Horns, TO length, foul outs.