Verbal Musicality in the Workplace

After spending years of my life studying classical music and jazz and eventually transitioning into public relations, there is a parallel I can now draw between inspired creativity in music and in the workplace. One of the most rewarding aspects of being a PR practitioner is identifying creative story ideas that we can then bring to the media. However, how do you get to the point where you can improvise words (story angles) as Mile Davis does notes on the trumpet?

I think the key is to make sure that you first understand the “fundamentals” of your client in the same manner that musicians must first master the fundamentals of playing their instruments. You can’t write a symphony without first knowing all the notes as well as some basic musical theory. When I studied jazz, we had to begin by learning scale progressions, from which we could later improvise. By the same token, when we begin work with a new client, the first thing we try to do is get to know as much about the company as possible. It’s from these often casual conversations that we are able later piece together interesting story ideas. If you know, and understand your clients like a musician knows the scales of an instrument, you can pick the right notes/words to create your own “symphony!”

Sammy