Drowning in Noise: How to Identify Signals from Distractions
A recent Axios article,The War for Attention, highlights an interesting tension in our society: we communicate more than we ever have, and we feel less heard. There are so many people and organizations vying for our collective attention it can feel like we are dogs at a whistlers’ convention.There is so much noise–how much of it is actual signal. Noise distracts, isn’t constructive, and creates confusion or sideways energy. Signal is clear, productive, and helps us move work or life forward.
So, in a world where tension between noise and signal exists, two questions come to mind:
How do we pay attention to signal and block out noise?
1.Be ruthless with your inputs. There are so many ways we can receive messages. What are the sources of information and entertainment that have the best content or most thoughtful messaging? Give priority to those and lay off of the rest.
“In this era of nonstop noise, every person must be a skillful communicator. Yet most struggle at it. ”
2.Be clear about what’s important to you.
“If you don’t stand for anything, you’ll fall for everything,” the old saying goes. When we are clear about what we value, we can intentionally curate sources of signal that help us learn, grow, and enjoy those things that are important to us. Otherwise, we are just scrolling our lives away.
3.Don’t be afraid of silence. You don’t have to fill every minute of downtime with our screens. It's ok just to sit and be.If you have a moment between appointments–don’t scroll through Facebook. Sit and think about what you want to do that evening or how you might engage that next big project. Or just sit and be. Silence is powerful–resist the urge to fill it.
How do we make sure our messaging is signal and not more noise?
1.Message clarity. People remember sentences, not paragraphs. Take the time to be precise in your core message. Mark Twain is rumored to have written, “I would have written a shorter letter but didn’t have enough time.”Take the time to get your message super-clear and as succinct as possible.
2.Other- centered value. Connect with your “why” with your audience’s values. As Simon Sine k says–“people don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” Clarity about your “why” and connecting with others around it will gain more traction.
3.Strategic repetition. Once you are sick of sharing your message, vision, whatever, then people are just starting to hear it. Therefore you have to say it more than once and place your messages in places that ensure that the people you want to hear your message hear it. Otherwise, you are throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall hoping something sticks. (aka noise!) How about you? What are ways you have found to tune out noise and capture signal? Where have you found success in making sure your messages are signal and not just noise