Sound Message Teams are groups of three to twelve Sound Messengers who uphold Sound Message skills, goals and protocol. SMTs monitor their own volume, tone and speed of spoken words and also monitor the vts of any group of two or more people. Sound Messengers can act singularly or in pairs, but three are recommended for complicated or potentially volatile situations. Three are better able to maintain accountability and the safety of everyone involved even when talking to only one or two people. Yes, there is potential for three people to purposefully misuse their Sound Message skills; they are at risk of losing their Sound Messenger status. I'm sure when we added writing to our languages one of the reasons was to prevent misuse of oral only decisions. It's time to circle back and do both completely. Written languages that do not have Sound Message guidelines are incomplete. Not all of their language is written down. Since the volume, tone and speed of our spoken words communicate a separate message from the words, they need to be defined and understood in writing.
John Werner has degrees in Engineering, Music and Organization Development. He practices Sound Messagesâ„¢ daily.
Have you asked someone to change the volume, tone, or speed of their words? What was the immediate result? Did you notice any change or improvement later? I learn from you, too; please share your thoughts in the comments section below.