191. Silence is golden (Condition #39: Sound/Noise)

Before we dive in, let’s differentiate between sound and noise. Sound is audible vibrations in the air of any kind – pleasant or unpleasant. Noise is sound you don’t want. Think about all the ways that noise and sound can impact conversations and presentations. Zoom board meetings are a perfect microcosm. Just think about it: jittery internet connections, bad microphones, feedback, real-life background stuff that sneaks in, your Bluetooth headphones disconnect. Compare that to the luscious tone of my voice in this pre-recorded podcast with carefully crafted and selected music in the background. In other words, we’re dealing with medium, content, technical quality, AND aesthetics here. All of these apply in a physical setting, too. My friend told me about a board meeting in an old hotel where the HVAC system was too loud for participants to hear each other, but it was the only thing keeping the room tolerably warm. How to choose, right? Either you can’t hear each other, or you freeze to death. They chose to ask the hotel for blankets. Clever, right? But noise and sound matter in more subtle ways, too. Another friend of mine recently bailed on a meeting because the person next to her was loudly and incessantly snacking on popcorn. I bet you can also think of gatherings you’ve been to where just a touch of background music transformed the vibe for the better. And I haven’t even said anything about the science. For that, check out the Freakonomics Radio episode called Please Get Your Noise Out of My Ears. In the meantime, trust me: sound can be a superpower and noise can be kryptonite.