Professionals vs Amateurs: The Difference

I don’t mention it often in these weekly articles but outside of speaking and coaching, I am a member of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, and for the past several weeks we have been rehearsing and preparing for our first major recording project since before the pandemic. It may come as a surprise that in addition to practicing our music, the directors asked we do one more thing before the intensive week-long recording sessions:

Bring your quilts.

That’s right… for the recording sessions we were each asked to bring our quilts and other blankets from home.

Were they planning a giant sleepover?

Though at first it may seem absurd, the true reason behind why quilts are an INTEGRAL part of creating an award winning album provides a powerful insight into influence and success. Let’s dig in.

The home of the Tabernacle Choir is of course the historic Salt Lake Tabernacle. A brilliant feat of pioneer engineering completed in 1867, it harnessed the science of bridge building techniques to create its unique domed shape. With that curved roof, they soon discovered, came a remarkable set of acoustical qualities that allowed for early congregations to easily hear speakers without the modern amplification we use today. Add the mighty organ with its 11,000 pipes, and the Salt Lake Tabernacle is known world wide as a thrilling venue for music.

The problem is, the acoustics are almost…too good. When the hall is filled with an audience, their bodies naturally absorb the sound and create a much more balanced and enjoyable listening experience. But when the hall is empty? The sound ricochets off the walls and long wooden benches, and becomes quite unpleasant. Even unbearable.

And when you are trying to do a world class recording project with over 400 musicians and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of highly sensitive recording equipment, an extremely live and echo-y room is the last thing you want.

That’s when they discovered an ingenious low tech solution: quilts.

If the quilts covered all the benches, then they simulated the sound-absorbing qualities that a REAL audience has without the coughing, sneezing, and other distracting noise that people make. The sound engineers found quilts balanced the sound, and created an environment ideal for recording Grammy Award winning albums.

And so, that’s why they asked us to each bring a quilt to the recording project. To see the Tabernacle draped with quilts and blankets of all shapes and sizes is a memorable sight indeed.

But what does this have to do with influence and success?

When it comes to preparing to achieve something, I’ve noticed one simple trait that separates the professionals from the amateurs.

While amateurs practice, successful people simulate.

Great speakers don’t just rehearse the lines — they rehearse the lighting, the pacing, the pressure, and the energy of the real thing. They think about how the room will feel. They wear the same shoes they’ll wear on stage and time their speech with exactness.

Outside of speaking and presenting, truly great athletes do the same thing. They scrimmage, drill, and play against each other… testing their limits in as real of a setting as possible.

In business, corporate training programs simulate real-world conversations, daily environments, and encourage people to practice over and over again.

In substitute of the real thing, successful people bring “quilts”.

Because they know that when the real moment comes, success depends less on raw talent and more on how well they’ve recreated the environment they’re stepping into.

Successful people know that more often than not, success comes not from doing something right, but rather from doing it enough that they can’t get it wrong.

Here’s the action item for you:

Think about the next big moment that matters. Is it a conversation you need to have? A presentation you have to make? An athletic race you want to dominate?

Then ask yourself — how can I simulate the environment with such integrity now, so I can more easily succeed then?

• If you’re giving a presentation — can you rehearse it in THE room itself?
• If you’re preparing for a hard conversation — can you script out how it might start?
• If you’re getting ready to launch a product — can you walk through the full journey from the customer’s point of view?

Don’t just practice. Simulate.

Because just like the Tabernacle Choir covering historic benches in a patchwork of quilts, your small, thoughtful preparation might be the very thing that makes your performance extraordinary.

And if you ever forget?

Just bring a quilt.

Christian

CHRISTIAN HANSEN has gone behind the scenes in some of the biggest organizations in the world to find out the reasons why some people get chosen and why others don’t. As the #1 bestselling and LinkedIn Top Ten ranked author of “The Influence Mindset: The Art & Science of Getting People to Choose You” Christian helps teams and organizations who want to stand out and be the obvious choice. With degrees from Brigham Young University and The London School of Economics, he’s helped thousands of individuals position and sell themselves. A fan of international communication, history, and choral music, he currently lives in Utah with his wife. Reach him at: TheChristianHansen.com