Why Would I Move to the Back of the Plane?

Last week I was on a smaller airplane headed to a client event. By “smaller,” I mean two seats on each side of the aisle and about 20 rows. The flight was only an hour long, so I could squish my six-foot-tall frame into the seats for that length of time.

Most of the passengers boarded the plane, but they delayed departure waiting for a few passengers coming in from a connecting flight. No problem. I’d want them to do the same thing for me.

When the final passengers boarded and the airplane door closed, the lone flight attendant came on the speaker and announced, “Before we can leave, I need a hero from row two to move to the back of the plane. Who will volunteer?”

I watched with interest from row three, feeling grateful they didn’t call out my row. What do you expect everyone on row two was doing at this point? I noticed they were doing anything but make eye contact with the flight attendant. No one jumped up to volunteer to move to the back of the plane.

Why? I could relate. I was settled in with my computer bag nestled under the seat in front of me, my headphones on, my water bottle out, and my iPad open to a book I was going to read. If they’d asked me to move the back of the plane, I wouldn’t have wanted to pack up everything and make the move. Plus, the first rows of the plane mean the fastest exit upon arrival. And the back of the plane is usually closer to the smelly restroom.

“Come on,” the flight attended prompted. “We can’t leave until someone from row two moves to the back.”

Still no eye contact from row two. People in the back of the plane started shouting, “Just move to the back already.”

I caught the flight attendant’s eye and said, “Why do you need someone to move to the back of the plane?”

?“Weight distribution,” he said, looking at me like I was the stupidest passenger on the plane. “We’re too heavy at the front for this size of plane.”

?Almost immediately, someone from row two stood up and said, “I’ll move back.”

?What’s the difference? It could have been that waiting finally wore someone down. But I suspect that if the flight attendant had explained why someone needed to move to the back of the plane at the outset, they would have gotten a volunteer sooner. The announcement “someone needs to move to the back” came across as a random inconvenience. Understanding the why behind the request makes it seem completely reasonable.

?In addition, the broad announcement to the entire plane didn’t seem necessary. The flight attendant could have walked to row two – which was all of six feet away from where he stood to make the announcement – and said, “Hey, friends on row two. We’ve got a weight imbalance issue on the plane. Would one of you be willing to move to a seat toward the back of the plane?” The immediate proximity would have almost forced people to make eye contact. And with the clear reason why in play, someone would likely have volunteered immediately.

?When you need someone to take steps that seem inconvenient – follow a new process, work different hours, make a difficult phone call, deal with a challenging employee or customer – take the two steps the flight attended didn’t take. First, don’t make a broad request for “somebody” to take the difficult step. Ask people individually. Second, be sure to explain why the change needs to happen. Don’t assume people will understand the why, which is what I think the flight attendant was doing. Just tell them why up front.

?The small airliner got off the ground and safely arrived at our destination, where one passenger got off the plane later than he had anticipated. But knowing why he had moved to the back probably made that minor inconvenience more tolerable. When people understand why and are asked personally, they’ll often live with some inconvenience.

?Mark Carpenter helps people who want to improve the impact of their messages by improving their ability to convey powerful experiences as stories. He is a consultant, facilitator, coach, and co-author of the best-selling book "Master Storytelling: How to Turn Your Experiences Into Stories that Teach, Lead, and Inspire." www.master-storytelling.com