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A presenter remains out of focus at the edge of a stage while an audience listens, takes notes, and exchanges thoughtful reactions in warm and blue light
004Field Note

Stop watching the stage.

A working note from

Read time: 3 minutes

Opening idea

When everyone responsible for an experience is watching the stage, everyone is looking in the same direction.

The work may be happening on the stage. The evidence is happening in the audience.

01 / Core

THE PRINCIPLE

Do not measure an experience only by what was presented. Watch what the presentation changes in people.

Jeff Kirk
01Presentput the idea in the room
02Noticewatch for the shift
03Followsee what travels onward

Applause, polish, and perfect execution describe the moment. They do not necessarily tell you which idea entered someone’s life or which conversation will continue after the room empties.

The audience offers quieter evidence: a phone set down, a person leaning forward, notes beginning halfway through a sentence, or a discussion that refuses to end at the door.

02 / Practice

WHERE I’VE SEEN IT

For the first several years of my career, I watched the stage because that was where everything visible could go right or wrong.

The visible reactionThe obvious measure is the room’s immediate reaction: Did the presentation land? Did people applaud? Did the event earn a strong score while it was still in front of them?
The lasting evidenceThe more useful evidence often appears later. People leave in small groups still talking, repeat one story weeks afterward, or use an idea months later to think about a problem differently.

A standing ovation is worth enjoying. An idea that follows someone home may be worth more.

03 / Prompt

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER

At the next meeting, presentation, or experience, spend a few minutes looking away from the person presenting.

Ask instead: Where did attention change, and what caused the change?

Do not look only for approval. Look for evidence that someone has begun doing something with the idea.

Carry it into the next decision

  1. 01Turn around.
  2. 02Watch for the shift.
  3. 03Look for what travels.

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04

FROM THE OBSERVATIONS

A dark theater viewed from the stage with a blue spotlight over the audience

I Stopped Watching the Stage

Read the full Observation about why audience behavior, later conversations, and carried ideas can reveal more than applause or survey scores.

Read the full Observation
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05 / FOLLOW THE IDEA

Keep going.

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