DJ lesson: reading and adjusting to a crowd is a masterclass in self and situational…

The interaction between a DJ and their crowd is a masterclass in awareness. You need to have strong self awareness, while also possessing a firm grip on situational awareness to ensure the audience is buying what you are selling.

I was never the best technical DJ in the world, but my ability to read and adjust to the crowd was the skill that propelled my career. I realized very quickly my job was to engage the audience, keep them in the venue longer and motivate them to spend more money. The tools I used to accomplish this task was music, a microphone and MY energy. I realized that my energy was a key component to how the crowd interacted with the venue and my music. If I was excited about the next track, I could push the crowd through it even if they were unsure. On the other hand, if I dropped something that I wasn’t confident in and it showed, I could lose people and thus some crowd energy.

How did that help me later?

I’ll never forget my first meeting in a big boardroom presenting to a very important person. In those moments I would draw on my past experiences. I treated that boardroom just like a giant dance floor. I knew my audience and knew my objective. Some of the tools changed. Music was replaced with a PowerPoint presentation, there was no microphone, but I still had my energy. It didn’t mean that I was fist pumping through the presentation. It means that I was aware of the energy I was projecting and I was monitoring how it was being received. Using my skills from DJing, I would adjust my level and pace to meet the audience where they were comfortable.

Self awareness and situational awareness are so important in the corporate world. There are countless examples of my experiences from DJing helping me succeed because of these skills.

#LessonsFromADJ

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