Triangles vs. Violins: How to Be Heard

For a moment, think about an orchestra and all its different instruments, then consider this question…

Which can be heard, the violin section or the triangle? *

Obviously, the answer is ‘both’ – but without question, those strings are louder, right?

Not only louder, but there are more of them, often 20-40 violins in a full symphony orchestra versus the single, tiny, bent piece of metal that is the humble triangle.

And yet…

And yet, even in the face of that enormous wall of sound, that wee triangle can still be heard – not because it’s louder, but because its sound is unique, distinctive, and unmistakable.

You may see your brand, your message – you – as small in the face of overwhelming odds and competing messages.

Maybe you feel like you have to keep yelling louder and louder to be heard.

Maybe.

Or perhaps the solution is simply to blend in less,

to remember that you and your story are unique, distinctive, and unmistakable.

Maybe it’s time to turn up the volume on you.

– Matthew Porter


Matthew Porter writes about Decoding Success, Creative Leadership, Marketing, and Productivity.

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*When it comes to hearing a triangle at work, for my money, you can’t beat John Williams’ score for E.T.

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