Ambiance or Ambience

Ambiance and ambience are both correct spellings of the same word. Ambience is the more popular of the two.

When you look at a building, do you talk about the character of the building? Do you talk about  the mood of the place, or do you talk about how well the bricklayer laid the bricks?

I was talking to a girl explaining how to create a ‘presence’. I had to teach her how to be noticed. I must teach her a procedure which had nothing to do with logic. I cannot teach this with words and logic. I cannot give a formula. I must create an environment where she realizes how to create ‘presence’. I have to switch something on within her without the aid of words and logic. These things cannot be taught with words and logic. I have to teach you how to create ‘aura’ without using logic on my part or your part. Serina used the word ‘Ambiance’. We set about creating an ‘ambiance’ for Serina. She was thankful that I was interested. She was pleased that I accepted her as a fellow of the human race. It was this acceptance that gave her the inner ability to create ‘ambiance’. It was not my logical words — it was the consistent and considered attention, my total focus, and my attention to her every action that led her to ‘glow’. She was perhaps adored for maybe the first time since she was a small child. I cannot teach such things using words and logic. I had to create an atmosphere where Serina could ‘glow’. This atmosphere allowed her to glow and radiate warmth and affection. In a harsh environment, she would act tough. In a caring environment, she could shine in a manner that emanated warmth and affection.

Ambiance may not be the correct word. Aura may be the correct word, but it did not matter. We had our understanding of the word. Some definitions are closer to: “a feeling or mood associated with a particular place, person, or thing.”

I started this chapter whilst I was sitting in Starbucks at Bali Airport. I am flying from Perth to Melbourne to collect a bus recently purchased. The cheapest ticket was via Bali. I’ll have a one day holiday in Bali on the way to Melbourne. It was $500 to go via Bali and $1000 to go direct!

Starbucks always has ambience. They create ambience so much better than other cafés. There is no simple logic to the way they achieve this. There is no set of rules that generates ambience.

Here are some comments about the ambience of a person:

• Ambiance affects a person by infusing and steering their experience …
• Ambiance in photography refers to the overall atmosphere, mood, and feeling conveyed by a scene.
• I have antique motorcycle engines and tanks sitting on stands to admire.
• Atmosphere and ambiance affect us subconsciously.
• To capture emotions created and diffused in social settings, the term emotional ambience is suggested. Emotional ambience focuses on the collective emotional process in an interaction situation, enhancing our understanding of how common sentiments are cultivated among actors during interaction rituals. [5]
• the concept of emotional energy, which can be described as the fuel for the development of group solidarity in human communication (Collins 1981)  [5

‘Good vibe’ is often used as a slang version of ambience.

Here are some comments about the ambience of a location:

• Studies show that ambient lighting and music can have a major influence on a person’s mood.
• The following five components can endorse the ambiance of your hospitality space: scent, lighting, interior design, music / soundscapes and taste. When these elements are blended together it has the power to transform a space …
• “features of the space are probably affecting … the emotions and thoughts you are experiencing …” [2]
• “Space is a pervasive yet ignored mechanism for regulating one’s emotions …” [2]
• The right scent gently wafting through a retail environment is proven to encourage shoppers to linger longer, invoke a stronger connection with your brand, positively affect purchasing behaviors and so much more.
• In what ways do ambiances and atmospheres play a part in the unfolding of social life in a variety of settings?

When articles are written giving advice to restaurant owners, they tend to the human aspect of the attitude of staff. Comments such as:

Restaurant ambience is about the style and character of the restaurant’s atmosphere. Creating the perfect ambience is about incorporating lighting, decor, color scheme, textures and more into a restaurant to match the intended vibe. The lighting of a room can bring so much change to an indoor environment. [1]

The article started with the entirely correct statement:

“The environment and setting of a restaurant can help set the mood, allow customers to relax and unwind so they can truly enjoy themselves. Restaurant ambience shapes the customers experience and pairs with the type of cuisine being served.” [1]

This is entirely correct but is is totally destroyed if the staff don’t act with decorum. If the customer is treated with indifference, there will be zero ambiance, zero repeat business, and zero recommendations to friends.

I only gave one rule to my phone reception staff: “When the customer puts the phone down, they have to say to themselves: ‘I enjoyed that. I’m glad I rang them.’ ” There is no one set way to deal with people on the telephone. You can be formal and efficient. You can be abrupt and exact. You can be joyful and fun. The first two generate respect. The latter generates happiness. It is similar reasoning with the welcome at a restaurant. The welcome can be formal, rigid, and precise or it can we warm and friendly. Both welcomes work. Irrespective, the customer must feel at ease and be clear on rules and procedures.

Here is a TED talk on ‘Unreasonable Hospitality’. In the middle of the talk, Will Guidara states:

“The principle that guided us as we took ordinary transactions and turned them into extraordinary experiences.”

Will Guidara continued:

“Our reason for being is to make people feel seen. It’s to make them feel welcome. It’s to give them a sense of belonging. … I wasn’t in the business of serving dinner. I was in the business of serving them memories.

And more from Will

‘Being present’ means caring so much about the thing you’re doing or the person you are with, that you stop caring about all the other things you need to do. It is essential in delivering ‘unreasonable hospitality’. … So often, we have such long to-do lists that we aren’t able to slow down enough to actually listen to the people around us, to the things they are saying and all the things they are not saying.”

For business people, the link is here.

I sometimes say that individuals should run their lives as a business. Will Guidara’s talk has a lesson for all. Will Guidara stepped away from the norm.

My Speedway trainer, Jerry, said: “Don’t follow the person in front. You will come second. Race your own race.” This advice is applicable to the way you run the business of living your life.