There’s something in the air – and I’m hoping it’s authenticity and respect

Speedy Keen died of heart failure just 17 days before his 57^th birthday. One Life, Live It. He once shared a flat with Pete Townshend of The Who. He also acted as a driver for the band. He wrote the only song The Who have ever performed at a live concert that was written by someone outside of the band. He was a session musician for Rod Stewart and The Mission. However, possibly he will be best remembered for writing (and performing) the song Something in the Air for the group Thunderclap Newman, released in 1969. 

Now none of the above is unlikely to make any sense to anyone under the age of 50 years old. For me, the 70s happily coincided with my mid-teens and the beginning of my journey of finding my ‘self’. Something in the Air was one of the first 45s I ever bought. Let me come back to the song in a moment, but first, a slight diversion. For younger readers, back in the 1970s, the only way you could hear music was by buying a small vinyl record, a 45 or an LP. 45s had an A and a B side and were usually released as the most popular songs from a group’s album. CDs were still a decade away, streaming was something associated with a heavy head cold, and Alexa wasn’t even a twinkle in Amazon’s eye. 

OK, what has this to do with the price of eggs, you might be asking yourself? Well I was whizzing through the brilliant resource that is the BBC Worklife web site (and if you haven’t found this resource yet, have a look here) and came across a wonderful article on Japan in 2020 which focussed on communication and situational awareness. And I also learnt a new descriptive phrase – kuuki o yomu – ‘空気を読む’ – which is pronounced kuki wo yomu. The phrase means ‘reading the air’, which when I saw it, immediately made me think of Speedy Keen’s song. Once I had thought about it, I couldn’t then get the tune out of my mind – listen to it here and you will see what I mean (and it’s so good to share). 

Kuuki o yomu is an important part of Japanese culture and a key part of how people there behave in social situations. People are expected to think about the situation and the people around them, before acting or speaking. Sounds simple, but actually, understanding the unspoken rules that govern social life requires one to have a fairly comprehensive understanding of the environment in which you find yourself. I recall, when I was having to make regular trips to Abu Dhabi, that I spent a great deal of time being taught what ‘unwritten but important’ rules might apply while I was there. I found those lessons to be so important, both when I was in the formal management meetings, and the social settings. 

It was a culture I was unfamiliar with and so the ‘normal’ social cues I used in everyday life back in the UK only had a limited use. However, what the lessons did provide me with was a little cultural knowledge that at least allowed me to better navigate situations. In Abu Dhabi, like many places around the world, respect is an important element in all interactions. In cultures such as Japan or Abu Dhabi, kuuki o yomu, ‘reading the air’, is a critical skill, as communication is not always about what is said, but what might be implied or inferred.   

I have for many years asked my students to learn to listen not just to what is said, but also what is not being said. In the therapeutic encounter hearing what is not said is as critical as those words spoken aloud. As are non-verbal forms of communication. I once worked for a boss who rubbed the side of his nose every time he lied. He didn’t know he was doing this; it was an unconscious outward manifestation of his inner conflict and perhaps anxiety. Some folk have described this as an involuntary emotional leakage, which actually is a good way of describing such behaviour. So, whilst the words my boss used were often very convincing, the non-verbal cue revealed he may well have been communicating something very different. Thus, understanding non-verbal communication is an important skill when it comes to ‘reading the air’.

It is also a skill many compassionate leaders have. What such people use in every interpersonal interaction is attentive listening and observational skills. Not only will the compassionate leader be demonstrating they are interested in what the other person is saying, but that other person is likely to be able to see the respect demonstrated in the words used and the non-verbal cues involved in attentive listening. Both these behaviours can provide a degree of psychological security in others that makes effective and authentic communication possible. 

For me (and for many I hold dear), authenticity is all. Whatever the situation, or context, being authentic trumps everything else. And perhaps that’s the rub. Being able, and skilled in ‘reading the air’ might appear to be somewhat Machiavellian to many people. However, I believe it’s possible to be both authentic and respectful at the same time. Speedy Keen’s song was all about there being something the air; that something was revolution and change. As we enter the second day of finding ourselves once more outside of the European Union, I hope we can find it in ourselves to be both authentic and respectful to all those we meet as we start on this new journey.