When working alone, most of us listen to some kind of music to focus. So why don't we do this in a team setting?
According to research, 57.7% of people listen to music while working. And according to our cursory LinkedIn poll, 70% of respondents reported listening to music to focus.
Yet most meetings happen without any kind of background noise. Sat in an enclosed meeting room, or on a video call with earphones in.
What if this is holding us back?
Sound is an underused tool for shaping our working environments. We obsess over slide decks, follow-ups and deadlines - but often overlook the role of mood, attention and connection in creative problem-solving.
At Big Echo, we’ve been experimenting with sound as a way to help teams think and feel differently when working together.
From Four Individuals to One Team
For a recent client session, I composed a three-hour ambient soundscape tailored to the natural flow of the workshop, built using psychoacoustic principles - the science of how sound affects the brain and body.
Each section of the soundscape guided the room through a different mental state:
- Grounding and calm when vulnerability was needed
- Openness and lightness to spark ideation
- Flow and focus to sustain creative energy
The soundscape enabled a group of individuals with different goals to become a cohesive, focused unit.
Afterwards, participants told me the sound encouraged them to think creatively, and helped them feel at ease in a group setting. The shared audio experience helped them move from isolated thinking to genuine co-creation.
“The soundscape helped to create a comfortable and welcoming setting from the start, it's such a good idea!”
Why Sound Works
On an individual level, sound shapes emotion and energy. Listening to fast-paced dance music can energise us, and listening to lilting classical music can relax us.
But music also connects us and helps us see similarities over differences. It transcends borders, and cultivates empathy and shared humanity.
Our audio backdrop - not quite dance but not classical either - helped the team stay focussed and alert, in a calm, clear-headed way.
Sometimes innovation isn’t about adding new tools or processes. It’s about rethinking the atmosphere we create for collaboration.
Your next team session could feel completely different with the right sensory approach. Try our free soundscape for yourself.
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