Demos and Julia Child: What Can We Learn from Cooking Shows?

Julia Child brought French cooking dishes and methods into American households in the last century (1963-1973 or thereabouts) in her entertaining and educational cooking shows (see this link for an example). We can take away several clever ideas from cooking shows that can be applied to the wonderful world of demos.

 

Go find a recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon and DON’T look at the picture(s) – here’s one (no peeking!). Instead, read through the recipe ingredients and instructions and try to decide if the recipe looks interesting. 

 

Only then look at the picture of the completed dish. Which approach is more compelling: The finished product or the preparation process? (Hint: It’s the finished product!)

 

Flip the Script, Literally!

 

Cooking shows start by showing the completed dish, plated and ready to be served, beautifully delicious. They show us the result of the recipe, the “what,” and then they invite us to learn “how” it is done. The balance of the show takes us back to a logical beginning and guides us through the steps to complete preparation and plating of that appealing, delicious dish.

 

We can apply the same idea to demos by using Great Demo! Illustrations (the “Wow!” screens) to whet your audience’s appetite. This is the idea behind “Do the Last Thing First!” If the end result looks intriguing, then your prospect gets engaged and may want to see “how” that terrific end result can be generated.

 

Bon appétit!