One of the characteristics of a great leader–no matter whether that leader is a person, a brand, or a company – is the ability to stay “tuned-in” to the needs of their audience. Are they still “with” you? Do they get where you’re going? Do they have confidence in the direction?
Out of college, my first job was at Walt Disney World in Orlando. I was a tour guide at the “Listen To The Land” boat ride in Epcot’s Land Pavilion.
I led Guests on a 20-minute journey through farming methods of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
It was one of the easiest “leading” jobs I’ve ever had. I didn’t have to worry about the pace, the process, or the “pulse” of the Guests on my boat. Disney already figured that out. The boats moved along a track at a pre-chosen speed, through carefully crafted scenes. I simply had to re-recite my 20-minute spiel “with a smile in my voice” in pace with the different show scenes.
Unfortunately, most audiences are not as captive.
As leaders, we need to constantly check-up on our followers. While you push forward, you also have to look back. The mountain guide a mile ahead and out of view of his pack, is worthless. A meeting lead sticking to the agenda with a confused team, has stopped adding value.
Pace, Process & Pulse
To avoid losing your audience, regularly check your pace, the process, and the pulse.
- Pace
Are we going to fast? Is the group feeling rushed? Can they keep up? Or are we dragging, too slow? Are you losing their interest through boredom?
Process
Are you taking them along an appropriate path? Are they in shape for a rocky climb, or do you need to take the paved path? Are we using the right tools?
Pulse
How are they feeling? Have they tuned out? They may be keeping up with pace and process, but may be frustrated.
A responsible guide checks on her group. She asks questions to ensure folks are still confidently following. She makes necessary adjustments, being mindful of the end point.
Remembering “Pace, Process, and Pulse” in your box of leadership tools can help you shift from good to great.
This article was inspired by a chapter in Ingrid Bens’ book Advanced Facilitation Strategies.
The Land Boat Ride For people who have been on the boat ride (at least in the early 90s)… the three things they remember are…
- hydroponic gardening (plants grown without soil),
- the 1-piece babyblue polyester overalls (i.e. farmer of the future) costume, and
- the theme song: “Let’s Listen to the Land.” (It is the 2nd most haunting song after “It’s a Small World” and sticks in your brain – forever).
Paul, this is an excellent post for professional speakers. I’m going to post the link to my speaker groups on LinkedIn.
Not only is this a great post for professional speakers, the same rules apply to sales and marketing as well. You never want to lose prospective or current customers because your message was not tailored to the 3 Ps.
Tessa Carroll
http://www.blogs.vbpoutsourcing.com
Elaine – Thanks for passing on the article. I did pinch the inspiration from a book about facilitation.
Tessa
Thanks for your comment! You are totally right. What inspired me by the idea of Pace, Process, Pulse is it something (use Starbucks for example)…
That HR could play attention to while leading a training session.
That Howard Schultz should pay attention to when making executive decisions.
That the store manager should think about in relation to the barista-to-customer experience.
That the product team should consider when introducing new products.
Furthermore…
My brother, the teacher, can use it. The pastor at your church can use it. Heck, the guy dressed as an elf monitoring the line to sit on Santa’s lap at the mall can use it.
It’s universal!
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Great post Paul,
Another interesting version of the three ‘P’s
The third one is most difficult when you’re trying to lead people in an online situation such as a webinar. It’s very hard to read the webinar room and often people are trying to multitask while watching. If you have any ideas on that I would be really interested to discuss them
This is good advice that should be applied on both the micro (in the moment) and macro (long-range campaign) levels. Does my audience understand what I’m saying right here and now? And, can my audience/customers connect the dots that tie current messages to my overall mission?
For the importance of checking in with your audience/customers at the long-range level, I like this recent blog post from Brains On Fire.
http://brainsonfire.com/blog/index.php/2009/11/20/people-are-just-amazing/