Certain ideas, stories, and music resonate with us. They move us. They make us feel good when we hear or read them.
Why?
Because they VALIDATE our thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
Resonance is validation. Something inside us stands up and says “YES! I know what you are talking about!” “That same thing happened to me!” or “I feel exactly the same way!” We see ourselves in stories, ideas, and music, connecting with others who think and feel the same way.
Resonance helps us realize that we are not alone.
Someone else out there understands what we’re going through.
This type of resonance is vitally important in musical performance because we are trying to move audiences. Just as open strings will start to vibrate on their own accord if they are in tune with the notes already in the air, we seek to stimulate in the audience the same joy and inspiration that we feel as we perform.
The biggest thrill of a performer? Getting 3,000 people to resonate with you. You feel that energetic connection, a charged atmosphere in the room.
But resonance isn’t a one-way journey. If someone resonates with you, they give you energy back.
Try this:
- On a real piano, lift the lid to expose the strings. Pick a good sounding low string that is in tune. Get ready to dampen it with a finger.
- Hold down the damper pedal (the one on the right by your foot) and play that low piano key loudly. You will hear the other strings come alive.
- With your finger, quickly dampen the string you played for a few seconds until it stops vibrating, and then release your finger again.
- Very lightly, touch the string one more time. It will have started to vibrate again, fed by the resonance of the other strings.
What we give to the audience comes back to us, and creates even greater resonance.
Why is resonance important in business? Because it helps get your message, product across to people with the greatest power. It inspires them to action because they FEEL something resonating inside of them that is begging to be acted upon, shared, or expressed.
We are ALL trying to move people to action.
But that action can take many forms. It can mean a sale, sign up, or vote, but it can also mean stimulating something on the inside: the resonant experience of well-being.
So next time you present, watch what energy comes back.
Is it good feedback? Allow yourself to resonate even more dynamically, and take your audience to an even deeper level of experience.
Does it feel awful, boring, or indifferent? Time to change from the inside out.
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