The Experience Economy, With a New Preface by the Authors by B. Joseph Pine II & James H. Gilmore

Author:B. Joseph Pine II & James H. Gilmore [Pine II, B. Joseph]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781633697980
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
Published: 2019-10-23T16:00:00+00:00

7

Performing to Form

Linda leads the new offering development team for a U.S. automobile manufacturer.1 She arrives at her office and reviews her schedule for the day: “Let’s see. There’s my usual talk at the Executive Briefing Center for a group of supply partners at 10 a.m., a 1:30 on the fall strategy cycle, and then the 4 p.m. call at that local dealership. Not a bad day, but I’m going to have to get right at finishing my prep. It’ll take some work . . .”

Linda boots up her laptop and opens the PowerPoint file for her morning presentation. Scanning through the slides, she realizes that the graph on one slide is out of date. She texts her assistant, who is working from home today, to get the new data and revises the slide. She then goes over in her mind what she’ll say to reflect the latest information, jotting a few notes on a pad. Soon, another slide causes her to pause, as she remembers a snag in her performance last time. Linda stands up, faces the closed door, and explores what she will say—and do—at that point in the presentation.  After a few dry runs she figures out the problem: there’s too much going on. The slide’s so busy that she has to keep looking back at the screen, she talks too fast to get through it, and her mannerisms are all over the place.

To rectify the problem, Linda sits down and removes all unessential information from the slide. She makes some more notes on what she’ll say to cover the streamlined points and then stands up again and talks from the notes. Going over them again and again, she finally hits on the cadence and gestures that will bring home her crucial points. Satisfied with her performance, Linda takes one more run at it—this time without notes. Then she opens up her Word file and updates her script, including descriptions of the mannerisms to use.

Just then she hears a knock on the door. It’s Paul, one of her managers—again. Linda closes her notebook and flips down her laptop screen to show Paul that he has her undivided attention. She doesn’t really want to hear about the latest problems with the market research study, but she acts as if she’s hearing his woes for the very first time. The details of their discussion remain confidential, but suffice it to say that Linda thinks fast on her feet to defuse the latest installment of the saga. As Paul and Linda shake hands to close their session, she briefly holds his right arm with her left in order to show that she appreciates him and his sincere desire to bring the problem to a resolution.

Linda then turns her attention back to the final preparations for her presentation to the group of suppliers, and finally she heads down to the Executive Briefing Center. Shortly before arriving, she stops at the restroom to ensure that her outfit is neat, her hair just so, and nothing from breakfast remains in her teeth.

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