Timing

The other evening I was watching a piece on public television about comedy. There was a section on Bob Newhart where the commentator talked about Newhart’s strength being timing, a raised eyebrow, a shrug of the shoulders, a frown, a well-timed word or one liner. His sense of timing is what made him funny. I started thinking that as coaches we need to develop our sense and awareness of timing, not to be funny but to be better coaches. There is no doubt that learning what not say and what not to do may be as important as preaching a sermon to our athletes. Sometimes a well-timed look, a pause between words, or a shrug of the shoulders can convey all that needs to be conveyed. We can be better coaches if we are better communicators, if we improve our emotional intelligence so work on your timing, be more like Bob Newhart.