I love fireworks!

When I was a kid, standing in a muddy field in too-big Wellington boots, I’d be high on sugary treats and giddy with excitement about what was to come.

I loved the thrill of watching a lone rocket shoot into the sky whilst I held my breath, excitedly waiting to see what colours would erupt with a crackle and a bang.

And I loved the pregnant hush that inevitably followed while some poor dad ran to light the next fuse (normally singeing his eyebrows in the process). Why?

Because this PAUSE added to the anticipation and the excitement.

It allowed us to appreciate each and every firework in turn.

And then suddenly the next explosion would light up the sky while we ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’. Another pause followed. Another explosion. And so it went on until it came to an end all-too-soon.

I was pretty excited to go to a firework display last week. And boy, this one was BIG.

The fireworks were loud. They were bright. And they were relentless.

Over and over the sky flashed with bigger and bigger rockets and more and more deafening bangs. It was impressive, sure, but afterwards I couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed.

Why? Because for nearly half an hour there had been no pause. No hush. No anticipation.

Just constant blinding light and thundering noise. In this instance, more didn’t turn out to be more. After a few minutes I’d become numb to it all.

There had been no time to process what I’d seen before the next sensory overload hit. It was just too much. It all became a blur. Just too much noise.

I think this definitely happens in business too.

Is Your Business Too Noisy?

I see too many businesses overwhelming their audiences with too much ‘noise’. Too much information, all at the same time. And because of this, they fail to make any real impact with their target customers.

Do you:

• cram your website full of text and pictures without a glimpse of white space?
• talk non-stop during pitches and presentations, not giving your clients time to absorb your information or ask questions?
• bombard your audience with endless messages and information, not letting the really critical points shine through?

If this sounds like you, try taking a pause.

Embrace some quiet.

Learn to love space.

Be selective.

Allow your key messages room to breathe, and your customers space to think.

I promise you’ll get your customers ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ and your ‘big bangs’ will be just that.