Musical roller-coaster!
'My kind of music' reveals a lot about who we really are, in a way that that goes beyond vanity. Does sound affects us in more ways than we know?
A] 4 ways sound affects us:
Do open-plan offices reduce productivity; does noise repel customers? Why are marching bands popular in schools/ colleges before sports meets? Why are we calmed by the sounds of waves lapping or birds chirping? Why does silence make people uncomfortable after some time? Don't we instinctively choose music to turn-on a date or drown out irksome people. Can sound be used by individuals and businesses to create a more conducive environment? A fascinating TED talk by @juliantreasure explores the many ways sounds enhances productivity and destroys calm. What I find particularly interesting is that we often work with irritating sounds, masking them with louder music, but our senses detect the conflict even when we don't recognise it.What's your favourite mood-altering music?
B] 'How to lead'
Lets play a small game: Imagine yourself conducting an orchestra, before you watch this video.
Itay Talgam shares footage of 6 great orchestra conductors and how they lead with non-verbal signals - with amusing, and more often spectacular results. This amusing and thought provoking talk is a surprising exploration of leadership styles.The 'business' question it left me with: Do we treat employees as instruments or partners in growth?
These talks also brought home vividly that we can't mask what makes us all human - the ability to laugh and to choose, being happy.
