FIRST IN LAST OUT
LEARNING FROM DISNEY HOUSEKEEPING | Todd Elliott
Easter is coming , and for some crazy reason , you and your spouse decided it would be a good idea to host the family Easter dinner . Don ’ t you know you have some huge Easter preparation going on ?
One of the things I love about having people over is that it causes a flurry of activity to clean up , pick up and organize your house . For many of us , the mess in our homes becomes invisible to us and we let things pile up . Having people over means that they are going to see the mess that we ’ ve been living with for who knows how long .
On the other hand , one thing I don ’ t love about having people over is that it takes so much work to get the house ready and presentable . But it must be done . And it must be done before anyone arrives . I don ’ t want people walking in while I ’ m still cleaning up . I want to be relaxed so that I can enjoy the people I ’ ve invited over .
For the guests , there is a certain expectation that they will be taken care of and that any needs they have during their visit to our house will be taken care of and met . They are anticipating an enjoyable , relaxing time .
SETTING THE STAGE My friend Marty O ’ Connor taught me years ago that this principle applies to what we do as technical artists . One of the key factors in being prepared is that we have the table set , so to speak . When our counterparts on the stage arrive , everything should be ready for them to dig into the task at hand .
The musicians , vocalists , and speakers who have a task to perform on our stage , have many things going on in their heads and hearts as they prepare to lead our congregation . Our job as technical artists is to have everything set for them so that they can concentrate on the part they need to play . This means that line check has already happened , that the lights are aimed before they walk in , the graphics are correct and ready . The goal should be to have everything prepared before they walk in the door , much like the dinner party . If a guitar player has to go digging around looking for a music stand , she isn ’ t able to focus on what she does best , play guitar .
I ’ m not suggesting that musicians should be above helping out and getting a music stand from time to time , but when you boil it all down , making sure the stage is ready to go when people walk in is my job . It ’ s the production team ’ s job to have everything prepared and waiting for people to walk up and do their thing .
As technical artists , our thing is to take care of the technical details of our services . Our pastors and worship leaders should be able to walk in and only worry about what they have prepared , not their stuff plus whether or not the graphics will be ready .
TAKING IT UP A NOTCH What if you spent some time figuring out how people like things to be ready for them ? To learn what each person ’ s preferences are ? The drummer only likes to use one tom , not three , so our team takes the time to make it so . The senior pastor always likes a small table for water to the right of the podium , it ’ s there .
For those people who have ever stayed at a Disney resort , you know that the service is amazing . A friend was telling me that after housekeeping cleaned their room , his son ’ s stuffed animal was moved around and posed in some fun way : brushing its teeth , looking out the window , watching TV . Was the room clean ? Sure . But the experience was taken to another level by spending a few extra minutes to show some thoughtfulness .
Are you and your team ready to go when people arrive on stage ?
What do you need to change to make sure the table is set and ready to go ?
How can you go out of your way to create an unforgettable experience for your worship team ?
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Todd Elliott Todd is a writer , speaker , technical artist in the local church and founder of FILO , which stands for First In , Last Out . FILO was born out of his own need as a technical artist in the local church to be in community with other church tech people , to learn new ways of doing things and to be inspired that what he did mattered . The more FILO-type people he met , the more convinced he was that these are things we all need . That ’ s why FILO exists : to equip , encourage and inspire technical artists in the local church to become the best version of ourselves . Formerly the Technical Arts Director at Willow Creek Community Church , he started FILO in 2015 to help other technical artists become more effective so that the local church can be more effective .
FILO ’ s flagship event happens yearly : Our next FILO Conference will be May 6 + 7 , 2025 in Chicagoland , IL . Register now for best pricing options !
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98 March 2025 Subscribe for Free ...