Are You Optimizing Your Brand Resonators?

In classical singing we often talk about creating resonance. Resonance is what makes a voice carry. Leveraging vocal resonators is what enables classical singers to project their voices over the orchestra without the aid of a microphone. Leveraging personal brand resonators buoys your business to rise over the noise of the marketplace.

In singing, optimizing resonance is done by creating sympathetic vibrations in different parts of the body to enhance the sound coming from the tiny vocal folds in the throat. Because each person has unique physiology, these resonators also play a significant role in the distinct quality of sound each singer is able to make. It is part of the vocal finger print. If you have a broad face and a big nose, your sound will be different than if you had a thin face with fine features. However, in order to create this synthesized and original sound, you have to keep the system open and allow the vibrations to travel freely throughout the body. If the system is not open and supported, the singer cannot take advantage of all the resonators and the result is a compromised tone.

In personal branding, each of us has a unique voice as well. Our brand voice is made of up the composite of all the different aspects of our personalities, strengths and interests. Those are our “resonating chambers.” It is when we breathe life into the different aspects of who we are that we are able to create a robust brand identity. Unfortunately, however, we are not always able or willing to open up and assimilate all the parts of who we are, and therefore, our brand gets choked off. What we are left with is a simplified and watered-down version of what could otherwise be something very exciting.

I know I often preach that branding is about narrowing, but do not mistake narrowing for pinching. Narrowing your brand scope means clearing away those things that are not most relevant to your brand identity. It does NOT mean stripping away essential elements of who you are. Narrow does NOT mean shallow either. In fact, I would contend great brands are narrow and deep. Like full-bodied wines, they have complex notes and long legs. Just like beautiful singers! And like beautiful singers, they use all of who they are to bring depth and meaning to their performances.

Women entrepreneurs often feel the need to strip away parts of their personal brands to be perceived as professional. While in the corporate world it may be more appropriate to express your brand in ways that align with the culture of the company, as an entrepreneur you have much more freedom to be and express who you are in your own business. In fact, you are much more likely to draw ideal clients to you by MAXIMIZING your unique attributes rather than toning them down. You CAN be perky and professional at the same time. If being professional is an important value to you, you WILL be professional. The key is to express your authentic personal brand through the filter of professionalism which in turn creates a polished, and at the same time, compelling impression.

Next time you catch yourself pulling away from authentic pieces of yourself, think about Barbara Streisand. If she had changed her nose, we probably would have been denied some of the most beautiful singing ever. Her nose is one of her best resonating chambers! You mustn’t shy away from your brand anatomy. It is those quirky elements that make you special and memorable. So open up, feel the vibration and let us hear you sing!

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