The Importance of Being Personal

"The key to this business is personal relationships."
                                                         -from the movie Jerry Maguire

Success in the choral field depends to a great extent on our ability to harness and direct the passion and enthusiasm of large numbers of people. In order to accomplish this, we must be careful to avoid one of the most common pitfalls of efficiency-minded leaders: treating people as things. As we look at projections of choral rosters, it's easy to think, "I need 4 more tenors", "I just need one more Bass 2", etc. But this kind of thinking can often get in the way of our ability to see people as unique individuals.

As Stephen Covey points out, efficiency is not the same as effectiveness. It may be efficient to paint in broad strokes when dealing with individuals, but our long-term effectiveness is vastly improved when we invest the time in personalizing our communication, and pay attention to the unique traits of the people with whom we work.

Here are three areas where personal attention is key:

1. PERSONALIZED E-MAILS. A mass e-mail may suffice when you need to quickly send out hard data to a large number of people. But in the beginning stages, and especially when recruiting, personal e-mails are absolutely key. We're constantly amazed at the number of choral directors who rely on mass e-mails to generate interest in their ensembles and projects. In situations like this, blanket communication simply doesn't work; the recipient doesn't feel any obligation to respond when you haven't taken the time to stoke their personal interest. At the very least, you should be cutting and pasting the same basic message, and personalizing it to the individual or organization whom you're  addressing.

During the recruitment stage, keep track of whom you've contacted, and follow up if they haven't responded. Even when people tell you "no", it never hurts to respond with a personal e-mail. That connection may end up bearing fruit later on down the road.

2. SEATING CHARTS. A good seating chart is one of the most powerful tools of the successful choral conductor. Most choir directors can at least recognize the theoretical importance of a planned seating chart (although some directors, absurdly, never even grasp the concept). Even those who do, however, often fail to utilize this tool to their advantage. How many times have you walked into a choral rehearsal and heard, "sopranos are over there, altos are over there"? Lumping people together without any rhyme or reason is tantamount to telling them that you really don't care where they go.

We've had several experiences where choristers walk into our rehearsal, and are pleasantly surprised to discover that we've actually had the foresight to assign them a specific seat. Choristers sometimes even have the reaction of "whoah" - suddenly they take the situation more seriously than if they were just sitting as one of an unspecified number of voices. It's almost like planning a wedding reception; you really have to consider people's unique characteristics, and anticipate how they're going to interact with the individuals around them. You're putting in the extra time on the front end, so that your people can have a positive experience later on. This kind of planning demonstrates great personal care, and lets each chorister know that you've carefully considered their individual needs.

3. INDIVIDUALIZED MUSIC.  While laying a stack of music on the piano or nearby table and having choristers grab one on their way into rehearsal may make things easier to manage at the onset, this method doesn't communicate the individual importance of each chorister. Giving singers a specific number and a folder labeled with their name on the inside communicates your expectation for the participation of that particular individual. The chorister then has personal responsibility for that music; losing an unnumbered piece of music may not be a big deal to you as a chorister- but losing your assigned music carries the consequence of direct accountability.

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Personal attention is time-consuming, but it yields tremendous benefits. Your choristers know that this approach requires a considerable effort- which is one of the reasons why the approach is so effective in the long run. Your commitment to each individual singer speaks to your integrity and personal investment in them, not only as an ensemble, but as people. More often than not, they will return the favor by investing in your organization, your musical vision, and in you.