Dealing with Critiscism

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Last time I started a conversation on introversion and how those of use who are introverts can feel somewhat marginalized by the Church. Today, I want to tackle a topic that is perhaps even closer to home: Dealing with criticism. I know I struggle with it, and based on the conversations I have with other technical leaders, I’m not alone.

My thinking has been challenged on this topic in a few ways over the last few months. First, I read the book, Introverts in the Church: Finding our Place in an Extroverted Culture by Adam S. McHugh. I’ve also been talking about it with a good friend of mine with whom I meet fairly regularly. And he gave me another book to read (which I have yet to start…).

There were two quotes in McHugh’s book that really got me thinking. Perhaps this will ring true for you as well. 

“Facing the disappointment of others seems to take a greater toll on introverts because we habitually internalize everything and can be conflict avoidant. [sic]”

Habitually internalizing everything? Me? Yup. All the time. I think a lot of it goes back to the fact that we’re largely artists, and when you create something and it’s criticized, it stings. We talked about that a few weeks ago. Our ideas, projects, mixes, videos, lighting designs, everything we do in fact, become our friends because we spend so much time with them; even if it’s only in our heads. When someone doesn’t approve of or appreciate our friends, we feel hurt. 

As someone who has been in creative fields for years, I’ve learned to toughen up and not take every “suggestion” so personally. But still, I admit to reading way more into things than I should. And there is a problem with that. If we internalize too much for too long, we can end up bitter and angry. 

McHugh talks about Moses (who I believe was an introvert) and what happened to him when he simply mumbled to himself instead of dealing with the problem. 

“Moses allowed the complaints of others to fester in his soul, eating away like acid at his sense of call and joy in serving God.”

Ouch. Man, do I not want to end up like that! But look at what happens; we start internalizing everything, not working it out with people because we are afraid of conflict. Then that internalized grumbling begins to fester and destroy our souls. We end up being the grumpy old tech that no one really wants to talk to or have anything to do with. 

I don’t want that for me, and I don’t want that for you. It’s hard work to deal with this stuff, though. It’s going to mean having hard conversations with people. We may have to do some ground work with those people up front as well. If we’re feeling bitter towards others who are extroverted, we may need to help them understand a process that enables us to walk through resolving conflict. That may be hard for them, and it will certainly be hard for you. 

But I think it’s worth it. The church is facing some serious giants right now, and we need all hands on deck. We can’t allow our introversion to disqualify us from what God has called us to do. Even if we have to stretch. 

I encourage you to pick up the book. It’s a good read with lots of practical advice for introverts by an introvert. My fellow technical artist, you have so much to offer, it just looks different than what others contribute. Go forth and make a difference!

 

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Introverts Are People, Too

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I love to read. When someone suggest a book to me, I either put it my list of book recommendations or buy it right then and there for my Kindle. Earlier this year, someone (and I wish I could remember who) suggested I read a book called Introverts in the Church: Finding our Place in an Extroverted Culture by Adam S. McHugh. As an introvert, I thought this would be interesting. I was wrong; it was challenging, enlightening and thought provoking. I learned a lot and for the last few months have been wrestling with many things he said. 

I don’t really do book reviews here, but I’m going to pull out a few quotes and share them with you.  One of the things he talks about in the first part of the book is the tendency for the church to equate spirituality with extroversion. That may sound odd at first, but think about this for a moment. 

"Whereas in some church traditions you enter a sanctuary in a spirit of quiet reverence, in evangelical churches you walk into what feels like a nonalcoholic cocktail party. There is a chatty, mingling informality to evangelicalism, where words flow like wine. To participate in the evangelical church is to join the conversation. Introverts, however, spare our words in unfamiliar contexts and often prefer to observe on the fringe rather than engage in the center. Our spirituality may be grounded in Scripture, yet is quieter, slower and more contemplative. In an upfront, talkative, active evangelical culture, we can be viewed as self-absorbed or standoffish, and we can feel like outsiders even when we have faithfully attended a church for years."

If you are an introvert, and you feel like you are somehow less spiritual because you don’t chat everyone up every week, perhaps you can relate. After reading this book, I’ve actually begun to notice some things that the Church does that make perfect sense to extroverts, but can be really uncomfortable for us introverts. Like greeting times. Or silly games at staff parties. This is not to say that we shouldn’t engage, but too much of that will take its toll on us. So we need space to recharge. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s hard for extroverts to understand what we’re doing. To wit: 

"One of the big mistakes Extraverts make is to assume that if someone is not engaged with another person, that individual is simply not busy."

You’ve had this happen; you’re sitting in your office, mulling over an idea, process or thinking about a way to do something differently. You’re making good progress when all of the sudden, someone bursts into your office and starts talking. They figure that since you’re not talking to anyone, you’re not doing anything. I’ve talked before about our tendency to think everyone is just like us, and the extrovert can’t imagine sitting alone, thinking about something for very long. But for us introverts, this is golden time. 

Now at this point, you may be thinking that we introverts need to rise up and defend our right to be unmolested in our thinking time, and perhaps we should start an introverted church where we don’t have small groups, greeting times or pot luck dinners. Hold on a second.

McHugh does a good job in this book of legitimizing our natural bent as introverts, while reminding us that we do need to get out there and interact. With people. There is good reason for this, and he says it better than I can.

"I cannot escape the fact that growth invariably involves the messiness of genuine human contact and the struggles of intimacy."

We really can’t grow as people, or as disciples unless we get out there and interact with other people. I am learning that the best way to do that is different for me than it is for extroverts, but it still involves being around other people. 

I have cultivated a small but trusted group of people in whom I can confide, and who challenge me to grow. I typically meet with or talk with them one on one, and find my best times of growth come after a talk with them when I have time to process what we discussed. 

I’ve learned that I’m an internal processor, and when someone confronts me, challenges me or rebukes me, I need time to go off, think about it, mull it over and later, come back with a response. That’s OK. In fact, things go a lot better for me when I take that time (even telling the other person that’s what I’m doing). 

There is a lot more in this book, and next time I’ll touch on a very specific topic that I think affects a lot of us introverted technical artists; internalizing criticism. Stay tuned.

You can find the book on Amazon here: Dead Tree Version   |   Kindle Version

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CTW Review: Elite Core PM16 Personal Mixers

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Back in the day, Aviom introduced the personal mixer. And they pretty much ruled the market for about 10 years, if for no other reason that there weren’t many options. But in 2013, the market is rife with personal mixing options. From the elaborate to the simple, console manufacturers and third parties are all getting into the game. 

We first saw the Elite Core system at WFX in 2011. At that time, we were immediately impressed with the sound quality. They also appeared to be built quite well. In the intervening months, we’ve seen them at plenty of trade shows and conferences. But it wasn’t until recently that I actually got a full system in my hands to work with. 

We had a Women’s retreat a few weeks back, and one thing I learned the past few years is that in the small room that they have the main sessions, stage wash is a real issue. We have ended up with 5-6 wedges on a small stage, in a small room, and the monitors are always on the edge of overpowering the mains. I thought it would be a perfect time to evaluate the Elite Core PM16s. 

One of the great things about personal monitoring systems is that the connection between FOH and the stage is a single Cat5e cable. That was a real benefit for our load in/out. I put the POE switch they sell with the system on stage and ran my PM16s back to that. 

Parts is Parts 

Like most personal monitoring systems, the Elite Core system consists of three basic parts; an input module, a distribution module and the personal mixer. The input module, cleverly named IM-16, is a simple affair. It accepts 16 analog inputs on TRS jacks. They thoughtfully included Through jacks as well, so you can use the inserts on your console if you don’t have direct outs. 

There is a single RJ45 on the back which connects to the switch. While you might be able to use any POE 100Base-T switch, their DM-8 is certified to work well with the rest of the system. It’s a little more expensive than an off-the-shelf D-Link or Linksys model, but not enough that it’s worth skipping it. The DM-8 also has several bright indicators that help you quickly diagnose cabling and connection issues. Plus, you get a set of rack ears, which again, cleans up the install.

Finally, there is the PM16 mixer. In contrast to the Aviom model of push the button, turn the single knob, the folks at Elite Core put 32 knobs on the surface; 16 volume and 16 pan. There is also a signal present LED over each channel, which makes it easy to troubleshoot audio routing issues. They run on Power Over Etherent (POE), so you don’t need wall-warts or power cords to each mixer. 

In addition to the volume & panning, you have a built-in ambient mic with it’s own control, and a single-knob compressor. They also included a 3-band graphic EQ, which is nice for a little tone shaping on the final mix. Finally, a master volume knob controls the level for both the headphone and stereo line outputs (stereo line out on a pair of TRS plugs). 

Another nice feature is the 6-segment LED meter that gives you an idea of how hard you’re driving the system. In my testing with my UE-7 custom IEMs, I was running most of the volumes in the 9-12 O’clock position, with the master at 10 O’clock. That lit up the meters to about −10dB on the really loud parts, which meant I still had plenty of room to get it loud. 

Sound Quality (Finally!) 

One of the most frequent criticisms of the Aviom system is that it just doesn’t sound that good. When I’ve used them, they seem to somehow suck all the dynamic range out of the sound, and leave it thin and lifeless. I’m happy to report that the PM16s sound really good. 

I played with a bunch of tracks from a night of worship we did some months back, and quickly found that I could dial up a great sounding mix with plenty of punch in almost no time. I built some stereo stems, and found the stereo separation to be quite broad. The EQ doesn’t have a ton of boost/cut capability but it is enough to tame the sizzle of the high end, or boost the bass a little of your IEMs need it. Pushing up the mids helps the vocals stand out a little bit without making the whole mix louder. And the compressor is a nice way to help glue the whole mix together a bit.

One of the things I like about the system is how solid it is. The cases of the PM16s are heavy gauge steel with roll bars protecting the knobs. When your musicians walk off stage forgetting they are still plugged in (and they will), these should survive the fall without any issue. 

The Cost 

The input module is rackmountable, and even the switch is pretty rugged. Perhaps the best news in this whole review is the pricing. The MSRP for the PM16 is $644 (MAP $479). The IM-16 input module is $944 (MAP $699) and the DM-8 switch is $524 ($389 MAP). Another $20 gets you the mic stand adapters, and they make the best headphone extensions in the business for about $35. 

The bottom line is that these are rugged, well-made pieces of gear that sound great. If you’re looking for a basic 16-channel personal mixing system, you really need to consider these.

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Church Tech Weekly Episode 150: Dreamkillers.com

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This week we start out talking about how to prepare for big events. Then the conversation morphs into how we can take care of ourselves and our team during those events, and pretty much all year long.

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