Little League Communication

The other day I was watching two teams competing in the little league World Series tournament. For me, without question, one of the most charming aspects of little league play is the imperfection. Missed throws. Grounders between the legs. Running the bases in the wrong direction. At that level, I see all the misplays representing pure effort without the needed skill to give each the precision we are used to seeing when professionals are on the field. Yes, it can be comical but far more than that I enjoy the budding intensity that punctuates the effort of each of these young player. Will any of them ever make it to the pros or even want to? Who knows? But for now, their play is a gift to us all.

By definition, little league represents an organized entity designed to provide structure for children wishing to learn baseball and take advantage of what many view as a fun physical outlet. It is also universally recognized as a structure where imperfection is the rule of thumb. No one is expecting any of those kids to be Willie Mays or Warren Spahn (names from the past). Their imperfect play provides little league play with an element of fun that helps differentiate it from the minor and major leagues.

This brings me to communication. No matter a communicator's age or level of experience, imperfection rules the day. Unlike the little league players who are expected to improve as they play in higher leagues, this is not the case in the communication arena. Just as young children do not always phrase things as well as they should, neither do adults. Unfortunately, adult communicators are usually expected to communicate with the same precision as professional baseball players play baseball. This is unfair. Yes, generally, adults communicate more effectively than children, But this is not to say the two do not make a ton of errors. When it comes to communicating, perhaps we all would be better served if we interacted each other as if we were all little leaguers.