The OffBeat #5: Trading Fours
Inspiration from jazz improv
The name “The OffBeat” stems from my history as a jazz drummer.
The job of the drummer is to keep the beat for the band. And sometimes, the most impactful part of that beat is the offbeat, the in-between notes that make the rhythm more unexpected — and the groove better.
This newsletter is about taking a cue from that concept and mining inspiration from culture, commerce, and psychology to find offbeat ideas that help us live better and work better.
Today’s prompt: using the practice of “trading fours” on the jazz bandstand to inspire more productive conversation in the workplace.
Here’s a good explanation of trading fours:
“[T]rading fours involves the following: the lead player (saxophonist for example) improvises four bars, then a different player (pianist for example) improvises four bars. The lead player does another four bars and the 2nd player another four, etc.. All of this is done over the form of the piece, so you could do several choruses of fours. The shape of this is in the form of a musical conversation, so the two players usually react musically to the phrases in the four bars the other player has just played.”
At the heart of trading fours is active listening. One person gives space to the other, ingests their partner’s musical communication, then in turn is given space to react in a way that gestures to what they just heard. It’s meant to be an additive back-and-forth — the interchange is made richer and more textured as each bar builds on the prior — rather than two players just alternating disconnectedly doing their thing.
Productive work conversations function the same way. Rather than talking at or over each other, you’re truly talking to each other; you’re giving each other ample space to be heard, then your responses acknowledge what you listened to. And the more you get to know someone — their personality quirks, their communication style, their favorite turns of phrase — the stronger conversational rapport you build, just like with bandmates.
If you work with, manage, or are managed by someone who you have yet to establish a strong “trading fours” vibe with, keep the metaphor in mind for your next conversation and see if it helps create a connection.
Have a great week,
Allison