What can we Learn from Music? An Okinawan Melody

Making Friends near Manza Beach on Okinawa Island...

Anytime I go home, I share some music with my dad.

Two years ago, we watched a live Foo Fighters show on high def and an hour special on the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He enjoyed both, though he probably wouldn't be able to pick them out of a police lineup today.

This year, I shared some Okinawan music with him. 

He was eating lunch, but immediately looked up and said, "Now that, I like. It's got a melody."

Ah, yes, the melody...

The melody was always king in the Hughes household. There was often music coming from the record player. I heard a lot of Burt Bacharach when I was growing up. And Herb Alpert (Casino Royale and A Taste of Honey always make me smile)... Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra... Tom Jones...

You always walked away humming.

While my brother got into hard rock and heavy metal, I never wandered far from the melody. For all my life, I've been drawn to tunesmiths - The Who, Neil Finn, Nirvana, Snow Patrol, Tom Petty, Bruce, Aerosmith, Green Day, Bad Company, The Eagles, Damien Rice, Bangles, Beatles, Beach Boys, Peter Gabriel, Def Leppard, Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Cheap Trick, Sigur Ros, Stone Temple Pilots, Third Eye Blind, Tom McRae, Tori Amos, U2...
I could keep going...

I can appreciate Metalica and rap and disco and country and jazz, but I can't love them.

None of those are ear candy. None of those have, as one critic said of UFO (Lights Out, Love to Love to Love You), "more hooks than a meat market".

Anyway, when I introduce music to my dad, I make sure it's got a melody.

Here's "Sanshin No Hana" from a popular Okinawan band called Begin.

There's a lot we can learn from music.
Here are some questions for you to think about:

• What's your hook - for you, your product, or your presentation?
• Is it as clear or catchy as a good song chorus?
• Does your audience walk away singing your song? 
• If not, why not?
• What can you do to strengthen your hook?

What's Your Core Message?

Where do you do your best thinking?

I do mine when I'm hiking.

Today, Angie and I covered about 5 miles in San Jose's Alum Rock Park. There was wildlife exhibit today, with birds and snakes on show.

We didn't linger at the exhibit, but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to schmooze with a true American Icon - Smokey Bear.

Last week, my colleague Ken and I led a presentation class. In the class, we strongly emphasize the importance of having a 'core message'. 
The core message is that one thing you want your audience to remember when they walk away.

Smokey has one of the strongest core messages that I know of. You probably can hear his booming voice reciting it right now, right?

"Only you can prevent wildfires" is a great core message - short, direct, and memorable.

Do you have a core message? If so, how does your core message compare to Smokeys?