Is your office like a karaoke bar?

He took a midnight train going aaaannnywheeeere....

Image by Jan Mehlich, used under Creative Commons licensing

In my experience, the people who attend karaoke bars are as diverse as their reasons for doing so. Scarcely can you find a more eclectic mix of individuals and histories in such an ordinary place. While Ottawa’s karaoke scene is perhaps less vibrant than some, it is still represents a lively collection of various local businesses, each with their own little community of karaoke regulars.

I don’t have the same level of karaoke street cred as some of my friends, but nonetheless I think that karaoke is a great way to wrap up a fun Friday (or Monday!) night, and can often be seen doing precisely that.

Karaoke offers an interesting social atmosphere. When last I hit a karaoke bar a few weeks ago, it occurred to me that some of the observations one could make about karaoke can also be made about many workplaces, and therein lies a series of points to ponder.

The people having fun offer the most value to the group. It is certainly more enjoyable to listen to someone with a great set of pipes than it is to listen to a tone-deaf drunkard, but at the end of the day those who contribute the most are those who are happy, energized, and enthusiastic about what they’re doing. Maybe they’re the most talented person in the room, but that often isn’t the case. And the cool thing about enthusiasm is it often leads these people to improve their performance skills even as they are motivating others to get involved and contribute their own unique talents. Think about it: how does your level of enjoyment correlate with your personal level of perceived impact?

The community matters. Karaoke isn’t just about getting up on a stage and singing whatever you want to sing – that’s what your shower is for. It’s always kind of awkward when someone gets up and mumbles a monotonous rendition of some unknown song. But if you can get up and sing a song that makes the rest of the audience feel engaged, sing along, or stand up and dance – then you’re providing entertainment not only for yourself, but for your peers as well. And these are the performers that have the most fun and have the most to contribute: the individuals who see themselves as part of a team, even if their performance depends on them alone.

Passion breeds passion. I wasn’t always a fan of karaoke. Singing is not exactly my forté, and it took a while for me to be able to loosen up and realize that karaoke is less about being good at singing than it is about enjoying singing (these are not the same thing). But more than overcoming my personal qualms and insecurities, what really keeps me going back is that I love to be around people having fun. Some people take it seriously, and others don’t, both can have a lot of fun – karaoke is really what you make of it, and the enthusiasm of others has made me pretty enthusiastic myself.

Flexible structure facilitates enjoyment. One of the most important tasks of the karaoke host is to ensure that different participants are granted their fair share of time on stage, and make it easy for people to assess when they will be performing and where they stand in the queue. This way you can avoid people being in the bathroom when it’s their turn to hit the stage. Like many things, a little bit of structure allows people to concentrate on picking a really fun song or being really creative. Obviously the structure should be flexible enough to allow collaborative performances and unexpected interludes, but people are more likely to exceed expectations with their performance if the basic environment functions in an effective and relatively predictable manner.

People will form preconceptions based on your appearance, but your reputation is mostly defined by your performance. You didn’t think this post was going to be all warm fuzzies, did you? It’s an (unfortunate or interesting) fact that people expect certain things from you based on how your appearance interacts with their opinions and perception. There is really no reason for me to be surprised when a woman in her forties sings “Let the bodies hit the floor”, but I’m somewhat embarrassed to say that it did surprise me. And at the end of the day, the surprise becomes half the fun. The great thing is that karaoke offers an excellent environment to play with expectations and explore the ways people react to atypical identity performance. (I could really write a whole post about this point alone.) So when I perform this song, some people interpret it as a joke, while others interpret it as my making a social argument. And in fact, both can be true but neither needs to be.

The superstars and the odd ducks both contribute value. Everyone loves to hear a talented person sing. But the thing about karaoke – like the workplace – is that talent can manifest in many different ways. Some of the best performers aren’t particularly good vocalists, but if they engage the audience and put on a good show, everyone has fun. And even an awkward, tone-deaf mumbler contributes to the environment in an important way: he or she humanizes the experience and shows those who may be feeling shy that you don’t have to be a superstar to have fun. And today’s awkward mumbler could be next week’s comedic sensation. If Happy Feet taught us anything, it’s that performances can be vastly different but equally entertaining and equally demonstrative of talent. One of my karaoke compatriots will frequently death growl girl-power pop songs by the likes of Britney Spears and Lady Gaga, and people’s reactions are always intriguing. Some promptly get up and leave the bar; others fidget uncomfortably; some laugh with good-natured surprise; others cheer enthusiastically. But one thing no one can argue with is that his performances really liven things up – and that makes him a valuable performer. And you know what? The same things apply in the office; so don’t dismiss someone’s contribution because they don’t fall within your radar of acceptable expectations. Try expanding your scope.

Your efforts outside the spotlight make a huge impact. One might think that karaoke is all about the performer on the stage. Au contraire! The involvement of the audience members is essential. Karaoke would be a colossally boring activity if the scant minutes one spends on the stage were the most enjoyable, and what about those who don’t want to sing? The more the audience is engaged – singing along, dancing, applauding, cajoling – the more fun everyone has, audience members and performers alike. A great performer is nice to have, but a great community is beyond compare. And the wonderful thing is that each individual audience member can contribute to that atmosphere, by choosing to applaud or by getting up to dance. Change starts with individuals!