Before we talk about anything technical it’s important to note your motivations when working with this technology. We are here to support people, i.e. the people on stage and the people in the crowds. So much of that can get lost in what we’re doing. We can get so focused on the fact that we’re the sound guys, and forget that it’s about supporting everybody else.
It is about the people
I try and constantly maintain the attitude of “How can I help?”
Sound is one of the most important elements to the Sunday morning experience. Without it, people can’t participate. Yet the guys behind the board are often the most overlooked and under appreciated members of the Sunday morning team. One of the best qualities you can have that will make you stand out head and shoulders over any other technician is having a great attitude regardless of whether you’ve been thanked for your work.
It was Zig Ziglar who said:
“It is your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude.”
That quote is most applicable when running sound for your church. The best compliment a sound guy gets is when no one even notices you are there.
More than anyone else we must protect our hearts from entitlement, pride, and claiming our identity in what we do. We must learn to tune our hearts to being good and faithful servants.
The best sound technician is not the one that knows the most about sound, or can mix like the pro; it’s the one who with humble heart shows up consistently to serve.
[Soundboard image via kfisto via Compfight cc]
This is an excerpt from Church Audio Training 101. Get the rest of this amazing course (video content included) from ChurchMag Press and learn audio essentials from an industry pro by clicking HERE.
Doreen P. says
I remember one time I heard someone preaching say that the sound tech had the ‘lug nut anointing’. Someone buys a beautiful, brand new, shiny Mercedes…NO ONE notices the lug nut! BUT if the lug nut, and then the tire, come off that Mercedes, and it crashes, because of the lug nut, EVERYONE blames the lug nut! Bottom line, you don’t want to be noticed. If no one notices you, you are doing it right. (And you’re only gonna be noticed when something is wrong.)
Eric Dye says
Amen!