Let’s face it. Guests today are tired, wired, and distracted. And, when you’re speaking at 150 words a minute and your guests’ minds are drifting at 450, how the heck do you hold your audience spellbound without an arsenal of wake-up strategies?

While consulting with Olive Garden, I decided to check out where guests were at on the server receptivity meter. I was surprised by what I found. After donning my black shoes, black socks, white shirt, and matching designer tie, Terry, the hostess, seated my first four-top. The man sporting his latest-greatest Bluetooth earpiece was working his Blackberry, his wife was on her neon green photo cell phone, little Johnny was playing “God of War II” on his Sony PSP, and his little sister was crawling under the table. I could have lit myself on fire, and no one would have listened. So, listen up.

1 GET YOURSELF TOGETHER
You’ve heard it before: Professional appearance alone makes you a better salesperson. Okay—the obvious—clean and pressed shirt, pants, matching socks, shiny shoes, minty-fresh breath, and not over-perfumed presence are just the price of appearance entry. But what about how you wear what you wear. Think of Brad Pitt. So, to break through the wall of guest resistance, you have to put it all together with just the right fit, feel, and style. Now at least you have a fighting chance.

2 ROLL OUT THE NONVERBAL RED CARPET
Another surefire way to start on the good foot is to invite guests warmly onto your stage. Sure, you want to smile and make eye contact. But go beyond. Help escort guests to the table, assist them with their jackets and belongings, and pull out their chairs. Then, rearrange the salt and pepper shakers and move the fresh flowers ever so gracefully. Guests take notice of a class act.

3 CAPITALIZE ON CUES
The underlying current of your guests’ wants and needs are revealed in a vast sea of cues—in the 20,000 gestures in their body language vocabulary. From beginning to end, you must read and respond with heightened sensitivity and precision. You have to field the thousands of gestures, tones, and expressions that say everything from, “Cut the crap and take my order,” to “What Red would you recommend with my bone-in Kobe beef filet with the veal demi?”

4 USE THE BOSS
Who’s this leader/buyer and why is he so important? He’s the guy who’s leaning in on your every word. He’s the dude who’s on your side—your assistant salesperson. He’s your go-to guy. He tells his buddies to shut up and give you the floor. Make sure to stand across from him when delivering your presentations of the wine list, menu, and dessert offerings. Humans are, after all, herd animals. Work it, and your guests will play follow the leader.

5 ENGAGE—DON’T DRONE
Sorry, but “Hi, my name is Johnny, and I’ll be your waiter tonight,” isn’t going to cut it. In fact, like a flight attendant rattling off exit row instructions, your guests are drifting fast into “it’s time to check my voice messages” mode. Penetrate guests’ armor with a vocal performance of perfectly modulated tone, timbre, and volume: “Welcome. In addition to our full bar service, we are featuring a Belvedere Apple-Tini prepared by the rock star of mixology, visiting bar chef Tony Abu Ganim from the Fine Living Network.” That’ll wake ‘em up.

6 HAVE A COMPELLING STAGE PRESENCE
Stage presence plays a big part as to whether guests tune in or just blow you off. What kind of stage presence do you have? Are you quiet and efficient or flamboyant and funny? How about suave and charming? Or are you the thoughtful and nurturing type? Perhaps you are a walking encyclopedia of truffle trivia. You might even be the dramatic and charismatic waiter who outsells everyone this side of the Mississippi. And, though not all of us are Jack Nicholsons or Meryl Streeps, our job is to fine-tune the one-ofa- kind way we present ourselves to the world. Develop your own unique lines, routines, and gestures. Your audience will take notice.

7 BE INTERESTING
Make sure you are locked and loaded with entertaining information. Deliver your presentation of the menu with panache. Know that the St-Emilion was Nixon’s favorite sipping wine while listening in on Watergate. If you’re interesting, you’ve got a fighting chance. If you’re a boring order taker, you’re destined to be painted invisible. Remember, the more interested you are the more interesting you become. So, start googling or look up cilantro in the New Barron’s Food Lover’s Companion.

Now, put it all together. When the average Gen Xer spends seven minutes in personal conversation and seven hours in front of a screen, whether gazing at an iPod, Xbox, TV, or computer, commanding attention requires a huge helping of skill and ingenuity. Your expressive voice, infectious smile, and impeccable appearance naturally play a part. But the jump-out-and-grab-me magnetism essential to hook today’s over-stimulated, engagement-resistant audience can only be achieved with compelling attention-getting strategies. So get busy.

Bob Brown, president of Bob Brown Service Solutions, www.bobbrownss.com, pioneered Marriott’s Service Excellence Program and has worked with clients such as Disney, Hilton, Morton’s of Chicago, Olive Garden, and Red Lobster. He has appeared on the “Food Network” and “Hospitality Television” and is author of The Little Brown Book of Restaurant Success and The Big Brown Book of Managers’ Success.

© Bob Brown Service Solutions 2007.