About 30% of my practice involves coaching executives who are doing stand-up communications, either live or on Video/TV.
The biggest learning challenge is not to get people to speak. It's getting them to be silent. And to do it at the right moment.
Organizations--especially businesses--can breed a "you must know everything or else you know nothing" mentality and culture. The result? People showing up with reams of data and the business story equivalent of War and Peace.
Yet engagement, by definition, is a joint activity. Trying to dazzle your audience with everything you know disengages them, makes you the center of attention, and makes you responsible for everything that happens (or doesn't). Think about that.
Where Can You Use the Zeigarnik Effect?
Kevin Eikenberry has a post on that phenomenon that will get you thinking about "leaving them wanting more."
The principle really is important to all of us who need to communicate and influence. The next time you plan your presentation or speech, lay out the facts and then ask (sometimes rhetorically),
"What would you do next?
Or do this:
"We're going to take a 5 minute break and I'll show you how we plan to deal with _______."
TV shows do it all the time. They know about the Zeigarnik Effect. And they know it keeps us engaged.
Would you like a couple of online examples to get the juices flowing?
John Moore at Brand Autopsy will have you returning to his blog. Once you read the post, consider yourself "Zeigarnikked." (My apologies to Bluma Zeigarnik. Now I have to figure out the conjugations of his surname).
And I am looking forward to seeing the answer to Liz Strauss' compelling question.
Thought for today: Don't hog the stage--engage.
Life is so much more interesting, if you let the other guy talk and listen to what he is saying. It can be really amazing!
PS. Liz Strauss is looking forward to the same thing. :)
Posted by: Liz Strauss | March 05, 2007 at 01:55 PM
Eager to see the "one thing,"Liz.
Posted by: Steve Roesler | March 05, 2007 at 09:49 PM