The Art of Persuasion and the Happiest Place on Earth

Just to clarify, I'm not writing about my favorite Jane Austen movie...but the ability to motivate people. I'm also not talking about the Temple or the Home...the other two Happiest places on Earth. I'm blogging about the communication skill and Disneyland.

What does the Art of Persuasion and Disneyland have in common? At first glance, not much. However, the more I think about it, Disneyland has mastered the art of persuasion. I think Business School has influenced me too much sometimes. As I enjoyed the thrilling rides and sore feet (not so much), I couldn't help but analyze the amazing organization that Disneyland has become over the years. From the moment, you walk in, everything is about crowd control and details. It's so blatantly subtle, it's magical.

Disneyland has established rules and employees everywhere to ensure that tourists are moving in the right direction. Fast passes allow Disneyland to control the amount of people entering a line. You have to keep your arms and hands inside at all times. You are warned that you will get wet or motion sick and yet people still stand for hours, waiting just for that opportunity. As I thought about it, the Happiest place on earth has more rules and regulations than a contract, but people don't complain. They've set up the rules to be informational, entertaining, fair and consistent. By this, Disney has persuaded its visitors to be willing to wait for hours without yelling at or beating other individuals just to soar over California or drop from the top of a Tower. Now...I started to compare that to people driving on the freeway...maybe Disney magic could be used to help the communte every morning.

I could go on forever about this. I find analyzing businesses fascinating, especially from an operational standpoint...but I think I'll just post some pictures instead.