Flow

There is a term in sports psychology called ‘flow’. It refers to the state of mind when an athlete is completely absorbed in what they are doing. They experience a heightened level of awareness and perform better as a result. For these athletes, their emotions are in harmony with their performance. They are completely engaged. Musicians and other performers get this too. Some nights, they are just ‘on’.

A few years ago, I was working at Reinvent in Las Vegas. A massive event, it spans over half a dozen resorts on the strip. For as incredible an event as it is, many miles of walking, hours waiting for shuttle buses and waiting in long lines are an unavoidable part of the attendee experience. I came across an AWS user sitting on the floor waiting in line for a breakout session. I asked him why he attended the conference instead of just watching online for free and he said that there were too many distractions at home and that the only way he was going to really learn the material was by being in the room. That conversation stuck with me because he was talking about flow.

With so many channels of communication vying for our attention, we are more susceptible to distraction than ever before.

I think flow can be established in audiences by providing an experience with minimal distraction. It’s easy to get this wrong, and it takes some thought and effort to get it right. The environment and the presentation need to be crafted to allow the audience to get emotionally involved and to stay in that place. Careful attention to design, content, and transitions are essential. It takes some extra effort, but I believe it is well worth it.