Casey Voice Tone
When my six-year-old cousin Casey was playing her first year of girls softball she got a hit and ended up on third base. When the next batter came up and hit the ball, Casey made no effort to run toward home plate. She just stood on base, as if nothing had happened. Seeing this, the coach desperately tried to get her to run for home plate, so she would score. He began yelling, “Go home, Casey! Go home!” He repeated this message several times, each time louder, but Casey remained on third base. Suddenly Casey ran sobbing from her position on third base to her mother in the stands. After getting her calmed down, Casey’s Mom asked her why she was so upset. Her daughter’s reply was, “The coach told me to go home!” By the tone of his voice, she hadn’t understood that he meant ‘run to home plate.’ Tone of voice and the way things are worded are critical to assure being properly understood by others.
