I’ve been copying what I saw John Maxwell do when I went to see him in Sydney. Before his program began he rocked out from backstage and walked straight up to the front row, introducing himself to the first person he encountered.

I spend the last ten or so minutes before the program begins introducing myself to people and speaking to them. This Sunday at 5:10pm we had twenty or so people. Creating compelling content and value throughout the program enables people to respond by arriving promptly. First time guests generally come on time as well, and we want them to make that a long term habit.

Anyway, this week a first time guest made a comment to me: “What’s the show tonight?” and “$5 for a meal and entertainment is a pretty good deal!”. That was her perception and what brought her along.

I watched television while I was in the hospital recently, waiting while my wife was in the operating theater. It’s interesting to see the level of sense stimulation. It’s very high. I haven’t lived in a house with a television for over ten years now, so things have changed without me being immersed in them and changing along with them.

A talking head for an hour is pretty low stimulation, and can easily provoke a disconnect in the audience. If the goal is to reach out to and engage the general public then “message complexity”, or the sensory stimulation level of a message, needs to be increased. You need to communicate the same thing in a number of interesting and interactive ways in order to engage and involve people.

Giving people things to look at, things to hear, things to touch, and things to do, all contribute to getting and keeping their attention.