Jiàoliàn de gǔlì ràng tā chóngxīn zhǎo huí le zìxìn.
The coach's encouragement helped him regain his confidence.
Tips
usage
鼓励 is almost always positive. Common patterns: 鼓励某人做某事 (encourage someone to do something), 受到鼓励 (receive encouragement), 互相鼓励 (encourage each other).
usage
Compare with 激励 (jīlì, to motivate/inspire - stronger), 鼓舞 (gǔwǔ, to inspire/uplift - more about morale), and 表扬 (biǎoyáng, to praise - more about commending).