Before Clarity, There is Resonance

Clarity matters.

(I hope you were sitting down for that.)

It matters everywhere. It’s necessary for good communication, good decisions, good work.

But in marketing (where we, er, often take things too far) it’s become sort of a Platonic ideal of an ideal.

Define the value proposition!
Tighten the copy!
All you have to do to live the life you’ve dreamt of is get really clear about what you want!

The thing is, clarity is only half the story, and its trumpeted arrival is often premature. When we’re uncomfortable sitting with that in-between state, clarity is what we reach for. It’s a coping strategy, a way to quiet the nervous system by naming something quickly and neatly.

We’re all aware that Western civilization has an attention-span problem. We’ve also got its ugly-little-twin problem: an inability to sit still and observe. To listen calmly for what’s resonating and to give all the impressions and information time to coalesce. Excellent branding and marketing require accurate diagnoses, and those are nigh on impossible to come by superficially. Because your clients don’t want clarity; they want relief. They want the sense that something they’ve been carrying has finally been seen and heard, even if it isn’t fully formed yet.

Give the people what they want

Resonance is what brings that relief. It has to sit still, with a clear mind and an open heart, and listen for what’s already there. It can’t be rushed because rushing muddies the signal. (Am I suggesting that marketing requires soul? Absolutely not. But good marketing does.)

When clarity comes before resonance, the end result is, with apologies to Mr Shakespeare, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. The language you end up with may be technically correct and easy to understand, but it will also be emotionally thin and easy to forget. And people will nod at the right places and say the right things because at this point in end-stage capitalism we’re extremely well-trained. We know exactly how to respond to the messages we’re fed.

But that’s not resonance. Resonance can be felt physically, and anyone who says otherwise is foolish. You know it when a sentence lands and your body relaxes; when someone says, “Yes! That’s it!” before they even know why; when the words feel inevitable, not clever.

A simple diagnostic

If you’re unsure about whether something is resonant, ask:

·       Does this create relief, or pressure?

·       Does this feel discovered, or decided?

·       Does this invite attention, or demand it?

·       Does this describe something specific, or could it be anything for anyone?

Noise generalizes.
Resonance narrows.

What this has to do with my work

This way of listening to emotional signal, narrative pattern, and language-before-language is the foundation of everything I do. Whether I’m working with a founder, a creative leader, or a team, the work begins upstream of words. Before positioning. Before messaging. And way before clarity.

Once I’ve identified the resonance, everything else organizes around it.

One final thought

The next time you find yourself, or your team, struggling to identify the right language, pull back. Stop and listen. The answer’s already there, and it’s trying to get your attention.