[Acoustic Sensor] – Communications
In the previous 3 parts of this series, we covered brakes in cars (boundaries), GPS (technology for the sake of technology), and harmonic balancer (absorb tension and influence vibrations). Today, in part 4 of this series, I am going to use acoustic sensors in cars as an analogy and metaphor for communications.
For those who do not have time to read the full article and prefer bullet points:
- Acoustic sensors in cars monitor sounds in wheel wells to observe sound pattern changes and notify the driver of road and weather condition changes
- Similarly, within people, teamwork, and relationships, unbiased listening to observe any changes and respond accordingly to help communicate and come to a better understanding
- Similar to listening to a complex piece of music arrangements, listen to chord progressions and the silence in between to better understand the intention of the composer and the feelings behind them to better enjoy the journey
- Listen with an open mind and communicate without bias or judgment to clearly understand the issue or topic
Now let’s get into these a bit deeper. What I am covering here is nothing new. There have been plenty of articles and yet some still struggle with it. So I attempt to provide another analogy or two to help gain a better perspective.
There are so many types and uses for acoustic sensors in modern cars, Today the acoustic sensor I am referring to is the ones used in luxury performance cars front wheel wells. They are used to measure and analyze the sound in the front wheel well to detect when it’s raining and alert and take into consideration how fast the car is going and alert the driver to adjust their driving speed/style. Some even turn on the windshield wipers and adjust the dynamic suspensions, based on the road conditions.
Being able to listen to your team members and listen beyond the surface noise and analyze patterns then apply your experience, knowledge, and intuition able to identify potential hazards that can impact the team member’s productivity, recommend adjustment and assist where there is a potential need. This ability is something that can be learned and can be improved with practice. There are certain personality types and people who have honed and nurtured these abilities are more adept than others.
Take music for example. Most modern, pop, hip-hop, country popular music, in the recent 20 years, are made up mostly in 4/4 time signature and typical contains 4 chords (1, 4, 5, and 6). These songs have high production value and mostly sound similar and familiar. The reason for this is because there are a few record label executives who think that majority of the music listening population just wants something catchy and familiar that they can have in the background. While that might be true, and music is another of the topics I will delve into in the future, I will get back to focus on the listening analogy. In comparison to those modern 4 chords songs, if you listen to a piece of music that a composer/songwriter, has created a piece of music that has varying time signatures and they have spent hours and days on arrangements, a variety of chord progressions, to convey certain emotions, message and journey. Every note and chord and every silence in between those chords are there for a specific reason. The more you listen to them to more you find those little details and get a better understanding of the intent, message, and journey. The more you listen to different types of more complex music the more you start appreciating them and the more you improve your ability to recognize complex patterns.
The next time you are working with team members or talking to a client, try to listen to the complexities and observe their patterns and acoustic variances to be able to identify potential risks and solutions. Listen beyond what is being said. Listen to the silence in between. Ask questions to go deeper and beyond the surface and mostly ask why. Communicate regularly to be able to listen and notice patterns. Try to notice which part is going well, and which part needs some help and who is working on which part. Reach out without any judgment. Listen and fully focus on what the other person saying and going through. Then offer some guidance and help the project stay on track. On the flip side, if you, as a teammate, coworker, or client, are not communicating clearly then even if the other person is listening well, they will not be able to understand what the true intent is. We all have to be able to use the correct quality microphone to capture the sounds clearly, use the correct headphones/speakers to playback the sounds clearly. To communicate and listen without any distractions and interference and any filter or bias. We are all going through our own daily struggles and sometimes they can become noisier than others.
In essence, and not in any specific order, make sure you have or identify the appropriate technology, some harmonic balancing to reduce the excess noise and of course, when you are in this listening mode, music, team members, clients, or others, you need to make sure you are focused and not biased in any way to be able to capture things accurately, what is being said and what is not being said, and provide the appropriate support and solution.