It takes a certain kind of arrogance to keep people waiting.
Michael Jackson made the Super Bowl audience wait two full minutes from the moment he took the stage before he began.
In rehearsals, the director tried to talk him out of it.
But Jackson was adamant.
The pause, he believed, would build anticipation.
The tension between immediacy and delay is an interesting one – especially now, in an age of rapid-fire feeds and abundant social media.
People want creators to get on with it.
Get to the point so we can keep scrolling.
And yet, at the same time, we kind of like being strung along.
We like the tension of cliffhangers.
So, how do you earn the right to make people wait?
I think it comes down to three things:
1. Trust
I’ll tolerate a delay from a seasoned performer, but not from someone I don’t know.
The difference is trust.
For a delay to generate anticipation rather than annoyance, we have to believe there will be a payoff.
2. Quality
The payoff has to be worth it.
You’re asking me to pay with time and attention. The longer you make me wait, the greater the return needs to be.
When you delay, you raise the stakes.
3. Progress
Jackson took the stage – and then made people wait.
He signalled that something was happening. That a performance was coming.
If he’d stayed offstage, the same two-minute delay would have felt irritating.
People need momentum.
They need signs that things are moving forward.
So, can you make people wait?
Yes.
Should you?
That depends not on whether you think you’re worth it, but whether they do.
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