Use Sound for Better Meetings

In your next meeting, replace silence with an intentional soundscape - ambient sounds designed to support focus, empathy, and creative flow.

This play works well if:

• Your meetings go round in circles
• People don't really hear each other
• You need your team to adopt a fresh perspective

How to Play

If possible, don't give your team advance warning - it only gives people an opportunity to decide in advance they're not going to like it!

Step 1

Before the meeting, line up the soundscape you're going to use.

You can use Big Echo's free bespoke soundscape below, which is specifically designed to encourage feelings of focus, empathy and creativity.

Alternatively there are many others available on streaming platforms or YouTube if you search "ambience for focus."

Try to choose a soundscape that has no advertisements, so the flow isn't interrupted. The free Big Echo soundscape, below, has no ads.

Step 2

At the start of the meeting, ask participants how many of them use music to focus when they're working alone.

From our LinkedIn research, 85% of people use music or podcasts to focus when working.

Explain that for this meeting, we're going to be trying something new - music for focus - as music has been shown to improve creativity and teamwork.

Step 3

If your meeting is in person, simply play the soundscape from your laptop or phone speaker.

If your meeting is remote, you can play the soundscape on your computer and then share your computer audio:

• Zoom instructions
• Microsoft Teams instructions
• Google Meet instructions - for Google Meet you just share your screen as normal and audio will be shared, too

Why it works

Sound is an underused tool in collaboration - yet it has amazing power to influence energy, focus, and empathy more deeply than a slide deck ever could.

Psychoacoustic research shows that certain frequencies can reduce stress, synchronise attention, and build emotional connection between group members.

In workshops, we’ve seen how this helps teams move from scattered energy to shared focus - creating a reflective, collaborative atmosphere where ideas flow more easily.

Use it to

• Break habitual meeting routines
• Encourage deeper listening and empathy
• Improve creativity and concentration in group settings

The Big Echo Soundscape

Originally designed for a client workshop, this soundscape is now available for anyone to use.

The ambient sounds use psychoacoustic theory to blend specific frequencies and subtle textures to encourage:

• Calm focus
• Empathy and harmony
• Creativity and open-mindedness