Fascinating! 1972 McDonald's Training Video
Seth Godin's wonderful blog recently passed along a McDonald's training video from 1972. Take a look.
As Godin points out, the first thing you'll notice is the slow pace of the video. It's about as quick as a Baby Einstein video. Truly, our attention spans have shortened.
The second thing you'll notice is: Why the heck is that customer wearing a hard hat as he orders his McDonald's lunch? Does he expect the employee to throw his order at him? Is he afraid a batch of burgers will fall from the sky, a la Captain Kangaroo, my own favorite video treat in 1972?
We'll never know.
But overall you'll notice how little the need for good customer service training has changed. I've often said every American kid should have to do a six-month-minimum "tour of duty" waiting tables, starting around age 18. Nothing's better for teaching young adults things like...
• Just as there are rules in your family, there are organizational rules employees have to follow. Family rules are the first training ground for getting along in the rest of the world.
• It's hard to please a lot of people, but when it's your job you have to keep trying.
• It's nice to be kind to the people who are serving you. That means being polite, patient, and a thoughtful tipper.
Did you have a job waiting tables or working a register? How did that job prepare you for other parts of adult life?
