Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Whisper to Be Heard

A funny thing happened a few weeks ago.

While coaching our senior practice, I was holding my two-month old son on my chest for about half an hour between when my wife arrived and when one of our swim moms came to babysit him. Not thinking ahead, I had planned this 30-minute block to be a particularly teaching-intensive portion of practice. With my nearly sleeping infant son a mere inches from my voice box, I was forced to calmly and quietly give the swimmers verbal instructions. And the most amazing thing was that they really listened intently with a focus I have rarely seen.

Whispering isn't my style. Our pool sounds like most indoor pools during swim team practice - a cacophonous mixture of splashes and voices, and I typically yell or at the least speak very loudly just to make myself heard. Some of the swimmers pay close attention. Some don't. Most are casually listening, their other ear directed toward their private conversation with a teammate (perhaps this is an indictment of the weight they lend to my words). But this whispering thing was totally different. Ears perked up, they huddled around me, conversations stopped, and every eye and ear was on my next syllable. Maybe I'll give it a try more often...