Architect the pacing in four beats

technique — attributed to Holly Peterson

Cocktail hour runs forty-five minutes, no theme, no signature drink, snacks salty and minimal. Dinner begins when the hum of cocktails crests, cued by a gesture rather than an announcement. Dessert is a pivot into a second act, not the closer. Tea, not coffee, sends people out on a glide path rather than a caffeine buzz. Each beat is timed. None of them is announced.

Holly wants her guests to leave on a glide path, not a caffeine buzz.

pacing, energy-arc