Using Music in Meetings

How and why do meeting professionals make sure the sounds of their meetings leave a lasting impression? How can music be incorporated into meetings?

I love this topic.  I’ve been to several business meetings that have used music. And I love it when meetings incorporate music. 

The most stirring experience I had at a business meeting involved music. I attended a 1 day conclave in New Delhi.  The organizer had a professional singer – open the meeting with a devotional song.  I have no idea what the lyrics were – but I found the music incredibly moving. It set the tone for the meeting and I was thinking – wow – it would be awesome if we did things like that in the USA.

I was recently in NYC for some meetings, and to give ourselves breaks – our host would play happy music and tell us all to dance with abandon.  This helped us to physically shake off any dullness that comes from being in an all day meeting, but it’s also fun and bonding. The idea you can just let yourself go completely with joyful abandon in front of a group  of business colleagues – is REALLY liberating.  And the music was good.

Philosophically speaking – I think the use of music can be bonding. It’s why religious meetings (Sunday services) include music.  Whether you go to a Catholic Church – or a Buddhist meditation – the format of the service is the same.  Introductions, announcements, orientation, communal singing, some sort of lecture or discussion on whatever the ethical concept to be explored is and then more communal singing and goodbyes.  The communal singing and the music chosen – always helps to set the stage for the ethical discussion to come.

If we were to transfer that to a business meeting, it would obviously have to be secular music and not sacred to accommodate the diversity of religious beliefs in the workplace, but it could help us all – think about whatever it is we are discussing – in more ethical terms. 

Ultimately – music and songs, help us think about the human experience and often – about love and our aspirations. It about inspiration.  If we framed our business meetings, with music – it could very well help us think about business – more effectively, ethically and humanistically.  

Here is my list of songs that I find particularly inspiring as a Humanist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKP17G_zwgeLJHzNgfp-HavRVKCevUrDL

Work that has meaning

Work doesn't have to be life altering - to be important.

Was at the local UPS store today talking with the guy who runs it. The death of Russ Solomon (of Tower Records) came up because I used to work for Tower Records and Russ Solomon and yes - I did meet Russ. He advocated for me when I moved to Hawaii and made sure I was taken care of when I moved. He was a very loyal employer.

This guy, at the UPS shop, had worked for a completely different record store. He was just as upset as I was at Russ' passing, even though he never worked for Russ.

We chatted about our experiences working in record stores. I am still friends with the people I used to work with and he is still friends with the people he used to work with. It's not just that these were our first real jobs. It was the ethos of the stores we worked out.

The reason he feels as strongly about Russ as I do is because of the work culture Russ created. The work we did was fun. The work collegiate and collaborative. We all loved different types of music and had different knowledge bases and that was the point. Our job was to help people discover good music and between all the staff - we could do that regardless of the genre of interest.

Our job ... was to help people live life more fully through good music. What better motivation in life is there.  

Don’t Give Up

The past few years have been really hard for me and my family. Medical problems, financial problems, emotional problems that come with having medical and financial problems.  And while we aren’t out of the wood yet, I am a firm believing in not giving up.

One of my favorite quotes is from Winston Churchill. “If you are going through hell, keep going.”  Don’t stop and don’t give up – keep on going until you get out of there.

That doesn’t mean we can do it alone or that we don’t need to take breaks. It just means that we need to not accept the status quo if the status quo sucks.  Keep working on trying to change it until things get better.  Baby steps if you have to.

This encouragement to keep at it doesn’t mean to keep doing the same things that aren’t working.  If something you are doing isn’t working, try something else.  Keep experimenting until you find a way through.

To motivate you on your way today – enjoy this version of Peter Gabrial’s Don’t Give Up sung by Pink with Herbie Hancock and John Legend

Post by P!nk Australia.

Humanist Songs

Jen Hancock’s Handy Humanism Musical Playlist

Music has the power to move us and contrary to popular belief, God does not have all the good music.

Because I get asked for this a lot, I created a playlist of some of my favorite Humanist music.

If you have any suggestions on songs I should add  - please share the links with me!