Staging is the process of selecting, designing, adapting to, or modifying the performance environment. Staging an interaction means framing the interaction with the set of performance cues that tell a user how to interact. For example, the exterior and antechamber of a building might offer cues that tell a user how to behave in the building’s main space. A well-designed gymnasium will have different staging than a well-designed church or library. The staging of the gymnasium should indicate the space’s purpose as a space for activity and exercise, while the library’s staging should indicate that a different kind of work — a quieter, more reflective kind of work — is occurring within.
One such example is a pre-planned cyclic routine like changing to gym wear before any workout sessions. When you threw on that fun graphic tee and cut-out leggings you might have experienced something the experts are calling ” enclothed cognition,” which refers to a sort of mental shift you experience when you wear certain clothes (Julie Ricevuto). This mental shift, helps you entrain and allow you to be a part of the flow. Additionally, while you go for a dynamic warm-up, it is a part of staging too. A good warm-up will reduce any joint soreness that may be experienced during the early stages of an exercise program. The experience of getting ready and preparing your body for your workout goal is set on how you stage to perform the activity.
Dr. Jonathan Fader, a sports psychologist for the New York Mets, says “When you put on new fitness gear, you begin to get into character like an actor putting on a costume for a performance,” says Fader. “As a result, you expect to have a better performance, making you more mentally prepared for the task.”