Desire and suspense in a factory tour

A factory tour is an opportunity to win visitors over. But within a few minutes their thoughts start to wander: to the noise of the machines, to their shopping list. How do you grab their attention and hold on to it? In this article you can read how to use desire and suspense, two often underused emotions, to create a tour that people remember.

Grabbing attention: the AIDA model

A widely quoted study claims that the average human attention span has shrunk to eight seconds, shorter than that of a goldfish. That claim is, incidentally, also strongly disputed (see the sources). What is certain: attention does not come by itself. How do you make sure visitors don't just listen, but are truly captivated?

That is where the AIDA model helps: Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. In this article we focus on desire and suspense. Without those two, you run the risk of your message getting lost in the noise of the factory.

Building interest with desire and suspense

Giving a good presentation is quite a task, especially in a dynamic environment such as a factory. Psychologists such as Daniel Kahneman show that our brain responds to emotions such as desire and suspense. Start with desire: spark curiosity with insights your visitors do not yet know. Talk about an innovative production process or give a surprising product demonstration.

Desire alone is not enough: add suspense. Ask thought-provoking questions or make a joke. "What happens if this machine stops, and how do we solve it?" Techniques like these hold attention. They only work if the environment cooperates. Noisy machines, a coughing colleague or wandering thoughts: distraction is the biggest enemy of a good tour.

Creating desire with good equipment

Imagine your visitors becoming completely absorbed in your story, without interruption. With a Sennheiser tour guide system, every visitor hears the guide clearly through headphones while still taking in their surroundings. It feels as if the guide is talking to each visitor one-to-one. The guide does not have to raise their voice and the audience is less likely to drift off.

Your product is only as good as your tour. A bad experience caused by unreliable equipment or poor sound links negative emotions to your brand. Conversely, a tour full of desire and suspense makes your product irresistible. Many of our customers see their commercial opportunities grow by taking potential customers on a captivating factory tour.

Action: seize your opportunities

Desire and suspense are the key to a tour that sticks. But words alone are not enough: time for action. Test our equipment beforehand and experience for yourself what it does for your presentation. Also read four reasons to use a tour guide system on a factory tour.

Sources

• Microsoft: Attention Spans report (pdf)
• TIME: summary of the study
• Critical notes on the eight-second myth (pdf)
• Wikipedia: Thinking, Fast and Slow
• Harvard Gazette: Daniel Kahneman on influencing others
• Scientific American: excerpt from Thinking, Fast and Slow