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The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact
The New York Times bestselling authors of Switch and Made to Stick explore why certain brief experiences can jolt us and elevate us and change us—and how we can learn to create such extraordinary moments in our life and work.
What if a teacher could design a lesson that he knew his students would remember twenty years later? What if a doctor or nurse knew how to orchestrate moments that would bring more comfort to patients? What if you had a better sense of how to create memories that matter for your children?
Many of the defining moments in our lives are the result of accident or luck—but why would we leave our most meaningful, memorable moments to chance when we can create them?
This book features captivating stories of people who have created standout moments: The owners who transformed an utterly mediocre hotel into one of the best-loved properties in Los Angeles by conjuring moments of magic for guests. Relief workers who beat a deadly health practice in one village by causing the locals to “trip over the truth.” The scrappy team that turned around one of the worst elementary schools in the country by embracing an intervention that lasts less than an hour.
Readers discover how brief experiences can change lives, such as the experiment in which two strangers meet in a room, and forty-five minutes later, they leave as best friends. (What happens in that time?) Or the tale of the world’s youngest female billionaire, who credits her resilience to something her father asked the family at the dinner table. (What was that simple question?)
Filled with remarkable stories and practical insights, this book proves we all have the power to transform ordinary experiences into unforgettable ones.
What if a teacher could design a lesson that he knew his students would remember twenty years later? What if a doctor or nurse knew how to orchestrate moments that would bring more comfort to patients? What if you had a better sense of how to create memories that matter for your children?
Many of the defining moments in our lives are the result of accident or luck—but why would we leave our most meaningful, memorable moments to chance when we can create them?
This book features captivating stories of people who have created standout moments: The owners who transformed an utterly mediocre hotel into one of the best-loved properties in Los Angeles by conjuring moments of magic for guests. Relief workers who beat a deadly health practice in one village by causing the locals to “trip over the truth.” The scrappy team that turned around one of the worst elementary schools in the country by embracing an intervention that lasts less than an hour.
Readers discover how brief experiences can change lives, such as the experiment in which two strangers meet in a room, and forty-five minutes later, they leave as best friends. (What happens in that time?) Or the tale of the world’s youngest female billionaire, who credits her resilience to something her father asked the family at the dinner table. (What was that simple question?)
Filled with remarkable stories and practical insights, this book proves we all have the power to transform ordinary experiences into unforgettable ones.
Unknown Binding
First published October 3, 2017
4150 people are currently reading
43330 people want to read
About the author
Chip Heath
42 books1,477 followersChip Heath is the professor of Organizational Behavior in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.
He received his B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University and his Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford.
He co-wrote a book titled Switch How to Change Things When Change Is Hard with his brother Dan Heath.
He received his B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University and his Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford.
He co-wrote a book titled Switch How to Change Things When Change Is Hard with his brother Dan Heath.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,315 reviews
October 3, 2017
It is self-evident to say that not all books are created equal. That is the intuitive thesis behind the value of peer reviews, which I strongly support. The counter-intuitive conclusion, however, is that not all books are written with the same objectives in mind. I also believe, therefore, that reviews should be read and evaluated in context.
This is a book written by two brilliant brothers (Both are affiliated with prestigious business schools.) who have already demonstrated great success by any measure in the fields of teaching, consulting, and writing. It is no surprise, therefore, that this book is good.
Based on the price and the pre-launch publicity, however, this book is clearly seeking transformative status. It is competing among the best business books of the year. And that is the standard by which I have chosen my overall rating. If you are just looking for a good book by a reputable and successful author(s), this book will surely fit the bill.
Here’s my reasoning:
The book applies a formula that has become universal in the world of modern business management and the consulting that drives it: Every problem/opportunity can be solved/leveraged by analyzing the data, discerning the patterns, and applying them to future or potential data sets. It’s not a bad framework, per se, but I don’t personally feel it applies equally in all situations. Some problems/opportunities just don’t lend themselves to such a conscious and rational process. Defining moments, I believe, are one of them.
Secondly, the authors note early on, “Our lives are measured in moments, and defining moments are the ones that endure in our memories.” If you accept that premise then this is the book for you.
Personally, I do not. At least not the first part. I believe our lives are measured in the quality of our relationships, including the connection we establish to the world around us. (To be fair, connection is part of their formula, but its purpose is to create more defining moments, which is not how I use the term here.)
Which raises two questions that are foundational to the book: 1. Can you create defining moments? and 2. Do they really matter? The premise of the book is a resounding “yes” to both.
While I believe, after reading the book, that you can create an enhanced opportunity for defining moments, I’m not convinced it’s the best or safest investment of time and resources. After all, both time and resources are limited in every organization (and in every life). If you spend the same amount of time and effort building trust in your organization, would the ROI be better? I think so, and that is not to say that you can’t build trust through defining moments. It’s a matter of emphasis and line of approach.
I also question whether the WOW factor of defining moments is truly transformative. The moment is memorable, but is it the moment or the thing it represents—recognition, connection, trust—that is transformative? And, again, the process the author’s define, which I won’t articulate here here because they deserve the opportunity to lay it out in their own context, is built around some of these fundamentals. My point, again, is one of emphasis and the hierarchy of relative importance.
Some of the advice will sound familiar. On recognition, for example, the authors note, “One survey found that the top reason people leave their jobs is a lack of praise and recognition.” It’s a valid point, although in my own experience people typically leave because of other people (i.e. managers or leaders). It is true, however, that, “While recognition is a universal expectation, it’s not a universal practice.” And it’s certainly true that creative and spontaneous recognition is more valuable than most corporate recognition programs.
I also agree that, “Purpose trumps passion,” and that, “…purpose isn’t discovered, it’s cultivated.” And, “You can’t deliver a great patient experiences without first delivering a great employee experience.” All sound advice.
In the end, therefore, I’m glad I read the book. I personally found the value (the ROI of time and money spent) of the book to be so-so. (Admittedly, prices are set by the publisher, not the authors.) It doesn’t, in my mind, hit the mark of transformative.
But you should decide for yourself. This, after all, is a personal review.
This is a book written by two brilliant brothers (Both are affiliated with prestigious business schools.) who have already demonstrated great success by any measure in the fields of teaching, consulting, and writing. It is no surprise, therefore, that this book is good.
Based on the price and the pre-launch publicity, however, this book is clearly seeking transformative status. It is competing among the best business books of the year. And that is the standard by which I have chosen my overall rating. If you are just looking for a good book by a reputable and successful author(s), this book will surely fit the bill.
Here’s my reasoning:
The book applies a formula that has become universal in the world of modern business management and the consulting that drives it: Every problem/opportunity can be solved/leveraged by analyzing the data, discerning the patterns, and applying them to future or potential data sets. It’s not a bad framework, per se, but I don’t personally feel it applies equally in all situations. Some problems/opportunities just don’t lend themselves to such a conscious and rational process. Defining moments, I believe, are one of them.
Secondly, the authors note early on, “Our lives are measured in moments, and defining moments are the ones that endure in our memories.” If you accept that premise then this is the book for you.
Personally, I do not. At least not the first part. I believe our lives are measured in the quality of our relationships, including the connection we establish to the world around us. (To be fair, connection is part of their formula, but its purpose is to create more defining moments, which is not how I use the term here.)
Which raises two questions that are foundational to the book: 1. Can you create defining moments? and 2. Do they really matter? The premise of the book is a resounding “yes” to both.
While I believe, after reading the book, that you can create an enhanced opportunity for defining moments, I’m not convinced it’s the best or safest investment of time and resources. After all, both time and resources are limited in every organization (and in every life). If you spend the same amount of time and effort building trust in your organization, would the ROI be better? I think so, and that is not to say that you can’t build trust through defining moments. It’s a matter of emphasis and line of approach.
I also question whether the WOW factor of defining moments is truly transformative. The moment is memorable, but is it the moment or the thing it represents—recognition, connection, trust—that is transformative? And, again, the process the author’s define, which I won’t articulate here here because they deserve the opportunity to lay it out in their own context, is built around some of these fundamentals. My point, again, is one of emphasis and the hierarchy of relative importance.
Some of the advice will sound familiar. On recognition, for example, the authors note, “One survey found that the top reason people leave their jobs is a lack of praise and recognition.” It’s a valid point, although in my own experience people typically leave because of other people (i.e. managers or leaders). It is true, however, that, “While recognition is a universal expectation, it’s not a universal practice.” And it’s certainly true that creative and spontaneous recognition is more valuable than most corporate recognition programs.
I also agree that, “Purpose trumps passion,” and that, “…purpose isn’t discovered, it’s cultivated.” And, “You can’t deliver a great patient experiences without first delivering a great employee experience.” All sound advice.
In the end, therefore, I’m glad I read the book. I personally found the value (the ROI of time and money spent) of the book to be so-so. (Admittedly, prices are set by the publisher, not the authors.) It doesn’t, in my mind, hit the mark of transformative.
But you should decide for yourself. This, after all, is a personal review.
March 26, 2018
review in progress:
This book explores ways to make more memorable moments. It suggests that if we pay attention and work creatively, we have the power to turn ordinary occasions into extraordinary ones. It begins by outlining the elements of a “defining moment” with the following characteristics which happen to spell the mnemonic, "EPIC".
The emphasis is on creating positive experiences, but of course memorable moments can also be "pits" in contrast to the hoped for "peaks." One example described in the book was a program used in some places by John Deere that provides extra attention to making the first day for new employees extra special—letting them know that they are valued and welcomed. That reminded me of an instance in my own employment life when I showed up for work on the first day of employment at a consulting firm. When showed to my new office I found there to be no chair behind the desk. That provided me an excuse to meet other employees while scrounging for a chair, and consequently I remember that first day better than any other of my first days. It was a memorable experience, but still that's probably not the best way to treat a new employee.
Most of the examples given in this book are common sense ways to show gratitude, appreciation, and acceptance. In most cases I felt positive about the examples. However, in several examples where employers used outside the office gatherings to instill group togetherness rubbed me the wrong way. I don't think I'd appreciate being pushed into an environment where I'm expected to play games with employees as if they were my best friends. Creativity has its merits, but be cautious regarding the potential of unintended consequences.
This book explores ways to make more memorable moments. It suggests that if we pay attention and work creatively, we have the power to turn ordinary occasions into extraordinary ones. It begins by outlining the elements of a “defining moment” with the following characteristics which happen to spell the mnemonic, "EPIC".
• Elevate: Create moments that rise above the everyday.Through the use of storytelling and science the book then proceeds to illustrate ways of instilling these elements into moments, both at the personal level and within the business environment.
• Pride: Help people feel proud of accomplishing milestones.
• Insight: Help people understand an important truth.
• Connection: Forge transformational alliances among people.
The emphasis is on creating positive experiences, but of course memorable moments can also be "pits" in contrast to the hoped for "peaks." One example described in the book was a program used in some places by John Deere that provides extra attention to making the first day for new employees extra special—letting them know that they are valued and welcomed. That reminded me of an instance in my own employment life when I showed up for work on the first day of employment at a consulting firm. When showed to my new office I found there to be no chair behind the desk. That provided me an excuse to meet other employees while scrounging for a chair, and consequently I remember that first day better than any other of my first days. It was a memorable experience, but still that's probably not the best way to treat a new employee.
Most of the examples given in this book are common sense ways to show gratitude, appreciation, and acceptance. In most cases I felt positive about the examples. However, in several examples where employers used outside the office gatherings to instill group togetherness rubbed me the wrong way. I don't think I'd appreciate being pushed into an environment where I'm expected to play games with employees as if they were my best friends. Creativity has its merits, but be cautious regarding the potential of unintended consequences.
July 30, 2017
Loved this. More to come on Modern Mrs Darcy.
December 2, 2024
This was SO good. Blew through it in record time and can't stop talking about it to people I know.
October 4, 2017
The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have An Extraordinary Impact written by acclaimed NYT bestselling author’s Chip Heath and his brother Dan Heath, is an engaging and exceptional book that combines the latest research from education, teaching, business, to technology with four basic principal concepts. These concepts shape and define our world, and can be applied to every aspect of our personal and professional lives.
The author’s note that our lives are measured in moments—“We all have defining moments in our lives.” Many believe these are the result of fate, luck, or intervention of a higher power. It was surprising to learn that we can increase these important moments, and do not have to wait around or be on stand-by wondering what will happen next. We can create experiences and situations that foster these breakthrough memorable moments that enrich our connections with others that can move us in an entirely new direction or career path.
The four noted elements defined in the book: Moments of Elevation, Moments of Insight, Moments of Pride, Moments of Connection-- were fully explained and how these were applied in this breakthrough ideology. It was interesting to note the ways people remember certain life experiences and forget others. The defining moments of our lives influence us in a multitude of ways and impact our understanding of the people, culture and natural world around us. Every culture has their own special and higher moments: celebrations and parties of all kinds, religious customs/rituals, and political civic events, etc. Research supported that with the combination of negative and positive information “Bad was stronger than Good” People tend to remember and obsess over negative experience/outcomes over more positive and happier times. One example was sport fans remembering losses over wins.
There were many interesting stories. The first was about improvement that led to insight and better education, relief workers that helped primitive isolated villagers with sanitation measures, a leadership conference that stressed that innovation started outside the office, workers were treated respectfully and encouraged to participate in a retreat. A new marketing strategy encouraged the vital importance of going beyond understanding and actually “feel” the customer’s needs. This is a brief review, there was much more to this remarkable book that truly has the power to change and influence a person’s life and work.
Chip Heath is a professor in Business Education at Stanford University, and has helped launch over 450 businesses. He lives in Los Gatos, CA. Dan Heath is a senior fellow at Duke University, he lives in Durham, N.C. **With thanks and appreciation to Simon & Schuster via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.
The author’s note that our lives are measured in moments—“We all have defining moments in our lives.” Many believe these are the result of fate, luck, or intervention of a higher power. It was surprising to learn that we can increase these important moments, and do not have to wait around or be on stand-by wondering what will happen next. We can create experiences and situations that foster these breakthrough memorable moments that enrich our connections with others that can move us in an entirely new direction or career path.
The four noted elements defined in the book: Moments of Elevation, Moments of Insight, Moments of Pride, Moments of Connection-- were fully explained and how these were applied in this breakthrough ideology. It was interesting to note the ways people remember certain life experiences and forget others. The defining moments of our lives influence us in a multitude of ways and impact our understanding of the people, culture and natural world around us. Every culture has their own special and higher moments: celebrations and parties of all kinds, religious customs/rituals, and political civic events, etc. Research supported that with the combination of negative and positive information “Bad was stronger than Good” People tend to remember and obsess over negative experience/outcomes over more positive and happier times. One example was sport fans remembering losses over wins.
There were many interesting stories. The first was about improvement that led to insight and better education, relief workers that helped primitive isolated villagers with sanitation measures, a leadership conference that stressed that innovation started outside the office, workers were treated respectfully and encouraged to participate in a retreat. A new marketing strategy encouraged the vital importance of going beyond understanding and actually “feel” the customer’s needs. This is a brief review, there was much more to this remarkable book that truly has the power to change and influence a person’s life and work.
Chip Heath is a professor in Business Education at Stanford University, and has helped launch over 450 businesses. He lives in Los Gatos, CA. Dan Heath is a senior fellow at Duke University, he lives in Durham, N.C. **With thanks and appreciation to Simon & Schuster via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.
August 14, 2019
Highly readable but not very impactful. In the end, the authors seem to come around to just advising individuals to be authentically alive in the moment--which is basic wisdom. And so the rest of the book is about how if you are in a typical soul-crushing work environment, you should go to great lengths to help people get out of that setting (including physically getting out of the school, hospital, office, etc.) and rehumanize.
October 25, 2017
Three reasons to read this book:
1. The writing is stellar: jaunty diction, varied syntax, engaging organization.
2. The content is fascinating: delving into the mystery of what makes certain moments extraordinary.
3. The examples are applicable: to education, business, and life.
1. The writing is stellar: jaunty diction, varied syntax, engaging organization.
2. The content is fascinating: delving into the mystery of what makes certain moments extraordinary.
3. The examples are applicable: to education, business, and life.
October 23, 2017
كتب الأخوين (هيث) مميزة. وهذا أحدها وأحدثها.
تناقش كتبهم عادة أسئلة بسيطة وتكاد تكون بدهية، وتذهب في محاولة الإجابة إلى آفاق متعددة من المعارف والدراسات والأبحاث. وتسعى إلى الوصول إلى إجابات عملية تطبيقية تصلح للتفعيل في الحياة الشخصية الخاصة و الحياة المؤسساتية العامة.
لم يخرج هذا الكتاب- عن اللحظات الخالدة والمميزة والمؤثرة في الحياة -عن هذا الوصف. حاول الكاتبان أن يصلا إلى "الخلطة" التي تصنع مثل هذه اللحظات، متجاوزين الإيمان السائد بكونها مجرد بنات الحظ أو هدايا القدر .
يحوي الكتاب الكثير من القصص كعادة الكاتبين في كتبهما السابقة والتي أرى أن الاسهاب فيها يعمل كعامل تشتيت أكثر منه عامل إثارة وتشويق، لكنه يحوي كثيرا من الأفكار العميقة والدقيقة التي تستحق التفكر والتفعيل على المستوى الشخصي ابتداء.
أنصح به.
تناقش كتبهم عادة أسئلة بسيطة وتكاد تكون بدهية، وتذهب في محاولة الإجابة إلى آفاق متعددة من المعارف والدراسات والأبحاث. وتسعى إلى الوصول إلى إجابات عملية تطبيقية تصلح للتفعيل في الحياة الشخصية الخاصة و الحياة المؤسساتية العامة.
لم يخرج هذا الكتاب- عن اللحظات الخالدة والمميزة والمؤثرة في الحياة -عن هذا الوصف. حاول الكاتبان أن يصلا إلى "الخلطة" التي تصنع مثل هذه اللحظات، متجاوزين الإيمان السائد بكونها مجرد بنات الحظ أو هدايا القدر .
يحوي الكتاب الكثير من القصص كعادة الكاتبين في كتبهما السابقة والتي أرى أن الاسهاب فيها يعمل كعامل تشتيت أكثر منه عامل إثارة وتشويق، لكنه يحوي كثيرا من الأفكار العميقة والدقيقة التي تستحق التفكر والتفعيل على المستوى الشخصي ابتداء.
أنصح به.
March 23, 2020
Good book! I'm stuck between 3 and 4 stars out of 5 lol I think it was a very unique and well written book, but it was just boring at some moments. Also it was a bit too "corporate" relating to me, I prefer learning about self entrepreneurship than getting better morale inside of another company.
Our most memorable positive moments are dominated by four elements: elevation, insight, pride, and connection (EPIC)
Why does time fly when you're older? How can we make a memorable moment? How can companies make people feel more connected with their employers? How can we connect with other people? Does it take effort or is it natural?
Regrets of the dying:
1. I wish I had had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard
3. I wish I had had the courage to express my feelings
4. I wish I had had stayed in touch with my friends
5. I wish I had let myself be happier
It's worth a re-read one day
Our most memorable positive moments are dominated by four elements: elevation, insight, pride, and connection (EPIC)
Why does time fly when you're older? How can we make a memorable moment? How can companies make people feel more connected with their employers? How can we connect with other people? Does it take effort or is it natural?
Regrets of the dying:
1. I wish I had had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard
3. I wish I had had the courage to express my feelings
4. I wish I had had stayed in touch with my friends
5. I wish I had let myself be happier
It's worth a re-read one day
August 19, 2018
Great book - also (as a side effect) explains why time seems to fly and yet we don't remember where it went (namely not remembering the past year) - it's because we follow a script, make patterns because they are easy and follow them - nothing stands out, nothing is that special moment so all the days flow together. But if you can make something special, stand out from everything else it becomes a "moment" something that will be remembered
December 23, 2017
There are some really great ideas in here--it shows how to think about defining moments and make things memorable. I wish there was more in here about the individual life/family context, but there is a lot to learn in here for educators and for businesses. I especially loved the idea of the teachers making home visits at the end and asking connection questions without bringing forms. And the trial of humanity for the high school students. I will be thinking about how to apply this to my classroom
December 18, 2017
Chip Heath and Dan Heath turn their framework process to "moments" in their new book and walk you through a useful checklist of how to make moments in your personal and professional life more memorable. Peppered throughout the book are some great anecdotes - they really bring the concepts to life and provided some of my favorite parts of the book. Overall, proof of the strength of the book was that as I was reading The Power of Moments, I kept having to put it down so I could write down ideas inspired by different concepts.
Some insights:
* People’s most memorable experiences are clustered in their teens and twenties. Apparently, the reason why time seems to accelerate as we get older is because we are living a life that’s more routine and less novel. When you are doing something surprising, novel, scary, memorable, you find that time slows down. (Probably why vacation time seems slower than work time.) So make sure that you keep adding moments of surprise and doing things differently on a regular (or irregular!) basis to spice up life and slow time down. The most memorable periods of our lives are when we break the script.
* Mentoring someone. A good formula is high standards + assurance. Goal is to communicate “I know you’re capable of great things if you just put in the work.” You push them to stretch. Great mentors add two more elements: direction and support. “I have high expectations of you and I know you can meet them. So try this new challenge and if you fail, I’ll help you recover.” = mentorship in two sentences. A mentor’s push leads to a stretch, which creates a moment of self-insight.
* In studies, star employees tended to have a strong sense of meaning attached to their work. It’s the difference between Purpose and Passion. If people have high passion but low purpose, they will often be poor performers. But if they have high purpose and low passion, they can still be strong performers. Of course, high purpose and high passion = best results.
* What makes a relationship strong? When you perceive that your partners are responsive to you. In three ways: (1) Understanding: My partner knows how I see myself and what is important to me. (2) Validation: My partner respects who I am and what I want. (3) Caring: My partner takes active and supportive steps in helping me meet my needs.
There are four elements to creating memorable moments:
ELEVATION
Defining moments rise above the every day (but it takes work!). Need to create memorable delight, boost sensory pleasures - if appropriate, add an element of surprise (Surprise can warp our perceptions of time.)
To elevate a moment, do at least two of these:
* Boost sensory appeal - make it look and feel different: wear different clothes, have music, present something with white gloves.
* Raise the stakes - add an element of productive pleasure - a game, a deadline, a public commitment
* Break the script - defying people’s expectations of how an experience will unfold. But if you are doing this with people who experience one of your services/products regularly, need to introduce a bit of randomness. It’s strategic surprise.
INSIGHT
Defining moments rewire our understanding of ourselves or the world. And while they can be serendipitous, we can also engineer them, or at the very least, lay the groundwork.
Moments of insight deliver realizations and transformations. They can be small and/or serendipitous. But you can also create them.
* Cause others to 'trip over the truth.’ [Story about taking Indian villagers around their village seeing to all the places where people defecated and causing them to realize that flies are landing in the shit and then on the food which they then eat. Causes them to be disgusted with what’s happening and then start solving the problem themselves. A lecture would not have caused the same reactions. Or the story about a Microsoft leader forcing engineers to use a product to build an app and realizing how bad it was so coming up with a plan to solve it.] Recipe for ‘trip over the truth’ is (1) a clear insight, (2) compressed in time, and (3) discovered by the audience itself. Don’t share the ‘aha’ moment yourself - let the audience discover it.
PRIDE
Defining moments capture us at our best—moments of achievement, moments of courage. Need to plan for a series of milestone moments that build on each other en route to a larger goal.
CONNECTION
Defining moments are social: weddings, graduations, baptisms, vacations, work triumphs, bar and bat mitzvahs, speeches, sporting events. These moments are strengthened because we share them with others.
I received an advance copy of The Power of Moments from the publishers but my opinions about the book are my own.
Recommended for people who like to understand psychology, want to motivate people better, or just want to create more memorable moments in their lives.
Some insights:
* People’s most memorable experiences are clustered in their teens and twenties. Apparently, the reason why time seems to accelerate as we get older is because we are living a life that’s more routine and less novel. When you are doing something surprising, novel, scary, memorable, you find that time slows down. (Probably why vacation time seems slower than work time.) So make sure that you keep adding moments of surprise and doing things differently on a regular (or irregular!) basis to spice up life and slow time down. The most memorable periods of our lives are when we break the script.
* Mentoring someone. A good formula is high standards + assurance. Goal is to communicate “I know you’re capable of great things if you just put in the work.” You push them to stretch. Great mentors add two more elements: direction and support. “I have high expectations of you and I know you can meet them. So try this new challenge and if you fail, I’ll help you recover.” = mentorship in two sentences. A mentor’s push leads to a stretch, which creates a moment of self-insight.
* In studies, star employees tended to have a strong sense of meaning attached to their work. It’s the difference between Purpose and Passion. If people have high passion but low purpose, they will often be poor performers. But if they have high purpose and low passion, they can still be strong performers. Of course, high purpose and high passion = best results.
* What makes a relationship strong? When you perceive that your partners are responsive to you. In three ways: (1) Understanding: My partner knows how I see myself and what is important to me. (2) Validation: My partner respects who I am and what I want. (3) Caring: My partner takes active and supportive steps in helping me meet my needs.
There are four elements to creating memorable moments:
ELEVATION
Defining moments rise above the every day (but it takes work!). Need to create memorable delight, boost sensory pleasures - if appropriate, add an element of surprise (Surprise can warp our perceptions of time.)
To elevate a moment, do at least two of these:
* Boost sensory appeal - make it look and feel different: wear different clothes, have music, present something with white gloves.
* Raise the stakes - add an element of productive pleasure - a game, a deadline, a public commitment
* Break the script - defying people’s expectations of how an experience will unfold. But if you are doing this with people who experience one of your services/products regularly, need to introduce a bit of randomness. It’s strategic surprise.
INSIGHT
Defining moments rewire our understanding of ourselves or the world. And while they can be serendipitous, we can also engineer them, or at the very least, lay the groundwork.
Moments of insight deliver realizations and transformations. They can be small and/or serendipitous. But you can also create them.
* Cause others to 'trip over the truth.’ [Story about taking Indian villagers around their village seeing to all the places where people defecated and causing them to realize that flies are landing in the shit and then on the food which they then eat. Causes them to be disgusted with what’s happening and then start solving the problem themselves. A lecture would not have caused the same reactions. Or the story about a Microsoft leader forcing engineers to use a product to build an app and realizing how bad it was so coming up with a plan to solve it.] Recipe for ‘trip over the truth’ is (1) a clear insight, (2) compressed in time, and (3) discovered by the audience itself. Don’t share the ‘aha’ moment yourself - let the audience discover it.
PRIDE
Defining moments capture us at our best—moments of achievement, moments of courage. Need to plan for a series of milestone moments that build on each other en route to a larger goal.
CONNECTION
Defining moments are social: weddings, graduations, baptisms, vacations, work triumphs, bar and bat mitzvahs, speeches, sporting events. These moments are strengthened because we share them with others.
I received an advance copy of The Power of Moments from the publishers but my opinions about the book are my own.
Recommended for people who like to understand psychology, want to motivate people better, or just want to create more memorable moments in their lives.
October 29, 2017
نمر كثيرا بلحظات مؤثرة. لحظات قليلة قد تنسينا جميع الألم الذي مررنا به، أو تنسينا جميع المتعة التي عايشناها.
لحظات قد تغير حياتنا. قد تظهر لنا الحياة بشكل مختلف، قد تكون منعطفا هاما يؤثر في كل ما بعده.
يتحدث الكتاب عن تلك اللحظات، والسر خلفها
وكيف بالإمكان خلقها (قدر الإمكان) لنغير من حياتنا وحياة الآخرين، ونزيد من سعادتهم والتأثير عليهم
أنا معجب جدا بالمؤلفين، وقرأت الكتب الثلاثة السابقة لهم
جميع كتبهم كانت رائعة، وجميعها ركزت على موضوع معين، وعرضته بطريقة مبدعة
لحظات قد تغير حياتنا. قد تظهر لنا الحياة بشكل مختلف، قد تكون منعطفا هاما يؤثر في كل ما بعده.
يتحدث الكتاب عن تلك اللحظات، والسر خلفها
وكيف بالإمكان خلقها (قدر الإمكان) لنغير من حياتنا وحياة الآخرين، ونزيد من سعادتهم والتأثير عليهم
أنا معجب جدا بالمؤلفين، وقرأت الكتب الثلاثة السابقة لهم
جميع كتبهم كانت رائعة، وجميعها ركزت على موضوع معين، وعرضته بطريقة مبدعة
March 25, 2021
Really insightful book full of short little stories that help drill in the point. Read this as a book club for work, and have enjoyed the conversations it’s inspired & the way it’s made me think about “moments” with coworkers and volunteers. (Very easy to apply to life outside work as well — double bonus!)
May 28, 2025
For readers seeking to understand and create meaningful, impactful experiences in both their personal and professional lives through actionable insights from psychology and real-world examples.
February 7, 2022
I feel ready to run a business now
First I should mention that I came into this book with the intention of learning how to make my partner’s upcoming birthday vacation as incredible as possible. We recently watched an episode of “The World According to Jeff Goldblum” where a neurologist explained that life itself feels longer when you have significant moments, so this book felt like a great place to expand on creating those moments.
I will say that it felt very business-oriented; there were examples and sections dedicated to explaining how managers and corporations can/have used defining moments to increase employee and customer satisfaction, which resulted in increased profit. However the structure of a defining moment is the same in your personal life, and there are many resources referenced in the text that I’m planning to follow up on with not just my spouse, but people I’m interested in getting closer to as well.
The part that had the strongest impact was when the authors said we must “raise the stakes”, “break the script”, and build determination to see Defining Moments through – the exact example they used was of people saying they should go see the Northern Lights, then never following through! I said just a few months ago that I want to go see the Northern Lights for my birthday in September! This motivated me to begin the itinerary for the trip, which I’ll be sharing with my travel friends for discussion later in the week
I recommend this for anyone who feels like their life is flying by, monotonous, or just want to make life more interesting
First I should mention that I came into this book with the intention of learning how to make my partner’s upcoming birthday vacation as incredible as possible. We recently watched an episode of “The World According to Jeff Goldblum” where a neurologist explained that life itself feels longer when you have significant moments, so this book felt like a great place to expand on creating those moments.
I will say that it felt very business-oriented; there were examples and sections dedicated to explaining how managers and corporations can/have used defining moments to increase employee and customer satisfaction, which resulted in increased profit. However the structure of a defining moment is the same in your personal life, and there are many resources referenced in the text that I’m planning to follow up on with not just my spouse, but people I’m interested in getting closer to as well.
The part that had the strongest impact was when the authors said we must “raise the stakes”, “break the script”, and build determination to see Defining Moments through – the exact example they used was of people saying they should go see the Northern Lights, then never following through! I said just a few months ago that I want to go see the Northern Lights for my birthday in September! This motivated me to begin the itinerary for the trip, which I’ll be sharing with my travel friends for discussion later in the week
I recommend this for anyone who feels like their life is flying by, monotonous, or just want to make life more interesting
October 27, 2018
Do you have one of those moments in your life that had a disproportionate impact on your life? This book about how to create those moments for yourself and others. The Heath brothers, authors of Decisive, have done it again—what an absolute pleasure. Especially the first two chapters on elevating experiences and creating moments of insight were absolutely excellent.
As the other Heath books, the structure is straight-forward. It dissects these moments into three broad categories: (1) Elevation of an experience where you build peaks, or break the script, (2) Insight, where you allow people to trip over the truth or help them stretch to gain knowledge, (3) Pride, by recognizing others and setting up work through small milestones that can be celebrated, (4) Connection by deepening ties through experience and developing a shared meaning with a group.
(1) Elevation. How do you elevate an experience? There’s a hotel somewhere in LA that has stunning reviews. It costs about the same as the Ritz Carlton and Marriott, yet it’s not a fancy building with a marble lobby or anything remotely resembling those hotels. What they do have that those hotels don’t, is a Popsicle Phone. By the pool, there’s a red telephone. If you lift the dial, you can order your popsicle to the pool—for free—from the hotel staff. People cannot stop talking about how incredible this is. It elevates an already great vacation experience with a simple, cheap gesture from the hotel found nowhere else. This hotel obsesses over creating small moments for their guests.
Intuitively, they know about the peak-end principle: People tend to forget the duration of an event and remember the worst or best moment, as well as the ending. In this case, you remember the Popsicle Phone, and how they lead you out the door and wished you a pleasant journey home—but not the average beds.
A highly interesting airline satisfaction study showed that, based on revenue, it’s 9x as valuable to focus on raising people’s average experience (5/10) to an amazing experience (9/10), than it is to focus on raising negative experiences (2/10) to an average experience (5/10). People develop much more loyalty to you if you can give them, even inconsistently, an elevated experience. How many restaurants do you keep coming back to because you’ve had one or two truly excellent experiences? How influenced are you by the Halo effect on subsequent visits?
This chapter reminds me of a story from my dad I’ll never forget. He once came home from a business trip and told me how he’d stayed at the same hotel as the last time he went. When he came to the hotel after a long day of travel, they’d had cold Coca Cola waiting for him in the room. They knew, because he’s ordered it at the restaurant at the last visit, that it was his favourite drink. I don’t doubt he’d go out of his way to come back here. That’s so simple to do.
In this chapter they described the “pit-to-peak” methodology. How can you turn a “pit” moment, into a peak? Kids hate MRI machines. In fact, they hate it so much that 80% of them have to be sedated. One engineer who built MRIs saw this on a visit to a hospital, how afraid the kids were of this machine and its rumbling, he decided he wanted to transform the experience. How could he turn this shit experience, into a peak experience? He transformed them into canoes and pirate ships and told the kids a story about how they had to lay perfectly still and explained the sounds with stories. The kids loved it so much that some asked: “When can we do this again?” Sedation rates went down to 27%. Whenever you lose trust, how can you boomerang back with more trust?
(2) Insight. In this chapter, the authors explain how people come to moments of insight. They call the first chapter ‘tripping over the truth’ which comes with a phenomenal story. In villages in Africa, an organization wanted to teach the importance of hygiene. They’d tried multiple times to introduce toilets, but it just didn’t stick. It wasn’t clear what the advantage was. An organization tried something new, to get the villagers to ‘trip over the truth’. They’d come to the village and ask: “Where do you shit?” and get them to point it out, walking around the village. Slowly, a crowd gathered, and the volunteer would keep asking questions: “Do you shit here too? How many people shit here?”. The volunteer would end up in a public square of the town with most of the village gathered there and draw a map of the village in the dirt. With yellow chalk, he asked the villagers to put it where they shit. More chalk, more shit. After he’d ask: “What about when it rains, where do you shit? If you’re feeling ill, where do you shit?”, soon, the entire village drawn in the sand was covered with chalk. The villagers were flustered. The volunteer would ask for a glass of water. “Would you drink this?”, they’d nod. He’d take a hair and dip it in some shit nearby, and put it in the glass. “Would you drink this?”, no of course not. “How many legs does a fly have?” Six, “Do you think it carries more shit than a hair?”, crowd nods, terrified. “Do you eat the food a fly lands on?” At this point, the villagers start asking: “How do we fix this? It’s disgusting? What’s going on?” At this point, the villagers are so primed for the problem that they would adopt a solution in an instant. What shit-walk can you do, to motivate the importance of a problem? It’s much more effective to highlight the importance of the problem to motivate, than offer the solution to a problem that someone may not see as clearly as you.
Another chapter under Insight is “stretch for insight”. This especially applies to mentors, where you should set high standards + provide assurance + direction + support to help them stretch, to acquire insight. This may put them in difficult situations, but with the above, you not only put them in situations just at their capability—you also assure them that they can get through it.
(3) Pride. What moments of pride do you create for those around you? Do you (1) recognize when they’ve done something fantastic, do you (2) set up milestones to celebrate, and do you (3) practise courage to do something amazing to make it part of the routine, and celebrate the act of courage? 80% of supervisors say they express plenty of appreciation, but only 20% of employees agree with them. These small acts can have a massive impact.
(4) Connection. A fascinating study introduced in this chapter looked at what’s more important, passion or purpose. Passion is individual, purpose is shared by a team. People with high passion, high purpose, perform in the 80th percentile. People with high passion, low purpose, perform in the 20th. People with low passion, high purpose perform in the 64th percentile. If you lead a team of people, this should make you stop and think. Are you leverage the massive leverage a clear purpose has? If you ask on your team what the purpose of their work is, do they all know? Have you ever seen people with high purpose, but low passion, have output (I have)? When a story was read for life-guards about the importance of their job, they signed up for 45% more volunteer hours than when told a story about how the skills they were learning would help them in their career.
In this chapter is also introduced the idea of “Responsiveness” and how it deepens relationships. There are three facets to this: (1) Mutual understanding, (2) Validation, and (3) Caring. A heart-breaking story in this sub-chapter tells us about a school in bad shape. For parent-teacher conferences, only 11% of parents attended. There was no investment from the parents, because they felt no investment from the school. There was little investment from the school, because they felt no investment from the parents. A vicious cycle. Under new management, the school went to each home and asked them questions that leverage these principles of responsiveness: What future do you see for your child? How do you think the school should approve? This is hardly new, but a good mental model for how to phrase the questions of importance. Parent-teacher conference attendance went up to 73%.
When you create shared meaning through responsiveness, you develop a purpose. This is as close as you get to a panacea when it comes to productivity. It’s also important to note that this chapter focuses a lot on how ties are deepened through adversity. If you go through something with a group of people, you’ll feel closer to them. The harder it is, the deeper the ties with them will be.
Read this book and start creating these moments for the people you care about. Set yourself up to create these moments, too. Break the script, elevate, turn pits into peaks, create shared meaning, and always think about what the Popsicle Hotline is for whatever you’re doing. This book equips you with a fantastic vocabulary for talking about these moments you’ve always known were there, but have never quite dissected.
As the other Heath books, the structure is straight-forward. It dissects these moments into three broad categories: (1) Elevation of an experience where you build peaks, or break the script, (2) Insight, where you allow people to trip over the truth or help them stretch to gain knowledge, (3) Pride, by recognizing others and setting up work through small milestones that can be celebrated, (4) Connection by deepening ties through experience and developing a shared meaning with a group.
(1) Elevation. How do you elevate an experience? There’s a hotel somewhere in LA that has stunning reviews. It costs about the same as the Ritz Carlton and Marriott, yet it’s not a fancy building with a marble lobby or anything remotely resembling those hotels. What they do have that those hotels don’t, is a Popsicle Phone. By the pool, there’s a red telephone. If you lift the dial, you can order your popsicle to the pool—for free—from the hotel staff. People cannot stop talking about how incredible this is. It elevates an already great vacation experience with a simple, cheap gesture from the hotel found nowhere else. This hotel obsesses over creating small moments for their guests.
Intuitively, they know about the peak-end principle: People tend to forget the duration of an event and remember the worst or best moment, as well as the ending. In this case, you remember the Popsicle Phone, and how they lead you out the door and wished you a pleasant journey home—but not the average beds.
A highly interesting airline satisfaction study showed that, based on revenue, it’s 9x as valuable to focus on raising people’s average experience (5/10) to an amazing experience (9/10), than it is to focus on raising negative experiences (2/10) to an average experience (5/10). People develop much more loyalty to you if you can give them, even inconsistently, an elevated experience. How many restaurants do you keep coming back to because you’ve had one or two truly excellent experiences? How influenced are you by the Halo effect on subsequent visits?
This chapter reminds me of a story from my dad I’ll never forget. He once came home from a business trip and told me how he’d stayed at the same hotel as the last time he went. When he came to the hotel after a long day of travel, they’d had cold Coca Cola waiting for him in the room. They knew, because he’s ordered it at the restaurant at the last visit, that it was his favourite drink. I don’t doubt he’d go out of his way to come back here. That’s so simple to do.
In this chapter they described the “pit-to-peak” methodology. How can you turn a “pit” moment, into a peak? Kids hate MRI machines. In fact, they hate it so much that 80% of them have to be sedated. One engineer who built MRIs saw this on a visit to a hospital, how afraid the kids were of this machine and its rumbling, he decided he wanted to transform the experience. How could he turn this shit experience, into a peak experience? He transformed them into canoes and pirate ships and told the kids a story about how they had to lay perfectly still and explained the sounds with stories. The kids loved it so much that some asked: “When can we do this again?” Sedation rates went down to 27%. Whenever you lose trust, how can you boomerang back with more trust?
(2) Insight. In this chapter, the authors explain how people come to moments of insight. They call the first chapter ‘tripping over the truth’ which comes with a phenomenal story. In villages in Africa, an organization wanted to teach the importance of hygiene. They’d tried multiple times to introduce toilets, but it just didn’t stick. It wasn’t clear what the advantage was. An organization tried something new, to get the villagers to ‘trip over the truth’. They’d come to the village and ask: “Where do you shit?” and get them to point it out, walking around the village. Slowly, a crowd gathered, and the volunteer would keep asking questions: “Do you shit here too? How many people shit here?”. The volunteer would end up in a public square of the town with most of the village gathered there and draw a map of the village in the dirt. With yellow chalk, he asked the villagers to put it where they shit. More chalk, more shit. After he’d ask: “What about when it rains, where do you shit? If you’re feeling ill, where do you shit?”, soon, the entire village drawn in the sand was covered with chalk. The villagers were flustered. The volunteer would ask for a glass of water. “Would you drink this?”, they’d nod. He’d take a hair and dip it in some shit nearby, and put it in the glass. “Would you drink this?”, no of course not. “How many legs does a fly have?” Six, “Do you think it carries more shit than a hair?”, crowd nods, terrified. “Do you eat the food a fly lands on?” At this point, the villagers start asking: “How do we fix this? It’s disgusting? What’s going on?” At this point, the villagers are so primed for the problem that they would adopt a solution in an instant. What shit-walk can you do, to motivate the importance of a problem? It’s much more effective to highlight the importance of the problem to motivate, than offer the solution to a problem that someone may not see as clearly as you.
Another chapter under Insight is “stretch for insight”. This especially applies to mentors, where you should set high standards + provide assurance + direction + support to help them stretch, to acquire insight. This may put them in difficult situations, but with the above, you not only put them in situations just at their capability—you also assure them that they can get through it.
(3) Pride. What moments of pride do you create for those around you? Do you (1) recognize when they’ve done something fantastic, do you (2) set up milestones to celebrate, and do you (3) practise courage to do something amazing to make it part of the routine, and celebrate the act of courage? 80% of supervisors say they express plenty of appreciation, but only 20% of employees agree with them. These small acts can have a massive impact.
(4) Connection. A fascinating study introduced in this chapter looked at what’s more important, passion or purpose. Passion is individual, purpose is shared by a team. People with high passion, high purpose, perform in the 80th percentile. People with high passion, low purpose, perform in the 20th. People with low passion, high purpose perform in the 64th percentile. If you lead a team of people, this should make you stop and think. Are you leverage the massive leverage a clear purpose has? If you ask on your team what the purpose of their work is, do they all know? Have you ever seen people with high purpose, but low passion, have output (I have)? When a story was read for life-guards about the importance of their job, they signed up for 45% more volunteer hours than when told a story about how the skills they were learning would help them in their career.
In this chapter is also introduced the idea of “Responsiveness” and how it deepens relationships. There are three facets to this: (1) Mutual understanding, (2) Validation, and (3) Caring. A heart-breaking story in this sub-chapter tells us about a school in bad shape. For parent-teacher conferences, only 11% of parents attended. There was no investment from the parents, because they felt no investment from the school. There was little investment from the school, because they felt no investment from the parents. A vicious cycle. Under new management, the school went to each home and asked them questions that leverage these principles of responsiveness: What future do you see for your child? How do you think the school should approve? This is hardly new, but a good mental model for how to phrase the questions of importance. Parent-teacher conference attendance went up to 73%.
When you create shared meaning through responsiveness, you develop a purpose. This is as close as you get to a panacea when it comes to productivity. It’s also important to note that this chapter focuses a lot on how ties are deepened through adversity. If you go through something with a group of people, you’ll feel closer to them. The harder it is, the deeper the ties with them will be.
Read this book and start creating these moments for the people you care about. Set yourself up to create these moments, too. Break the script, elevate, turn pits into peaks, create shared meaning, and always think about what the Popsicle Hotline is for whatever you’re doing. This book equips you with a fantastic vocabulary for talking about these moments you’ve always known were there, but have never quite dissected.
November 29, 2017
I am not a huge fan of the Heath brothers and their books Made to Stick, Switch and Decisive. They are derived from the Malcolm Gladwell school of analysis. That is, let's gather up other people's stories, pretend there is a pattern and discover the 'lesson.'
This book replicates this method. However it has one key argument: make great moments. Do not wait for them. It offers strategies about how to create these peak life moments and how to render them resonant, potent and powerful. As always with the Heaths, there is one big idea that is interesting. It probably didn't need a book to carry it.
However for managers and leaders, chapters seven, eight and nine show the value of appreciation, gratitude and kindness to and for staff in a workplace. Work can be dull, boring and banal. The creation of these peak moments provides a way to enliven a workplace and create a space for learning and - maybe - joy.
This book replicates this method. However it has one key argument: make great moments. Do not wait for them. It offers strategies about how to create these peak life moments and how to render them resonant, potent and powerful. As always with the Heaths, there is one big idea that is interesting. It probably didn't need a book to carry it.
However for managers and leaders, chapters seven, eight and nine show the value of appreciation, gratitude and kindness to and for staff in a workplace. Work can be dull, boring and banal. The creation of these peak moments provides a way to enliven a workplace and create a space for learning and - maybe - joy.
July 22, 2018
Example of how to write a book based on nothing
October 1, 2021
I have already applied directly at work and in life - would highly recommend
September 30, 2017
The Power of Moments is a guide to having more stand-out moments in your life and how those can change you. We all experience moments that catapult us in a direction, but do they have as much of an effect if we aren't paying attention to them?
"This book features captivating stories of people who have created standout moments: The owners who transformed an utterly mediocre hotel into one of the best-loved properties in Los Angeles by conjuring moments of magic for guests. Relief workers who beat a deadly health practice in one village by causing the locals to trip over the truth. The scrappy team that turned around one of the worst elementary schools in the country by embracing an intervention that lasts less than an hour."
Chip and Dan Heath have filled this book with moving stories from people who've taken chances. Who've done big and small things to change the course of their life. Some of the stories are big stories that I would think to myself could never happen for me, but then I would read a story that resonated in me and I would wonder what moment could change the course of my life. Am I missing these moments? Am I closed off to them?
This book made me question choices in my life. Do I take enough risks? What transformation would I need to make for risks to seem less scary? Are big opportunities really just chance?
"We all have defining moments in our lives -- meaningful experiences that stand out in our memory. Many of them owe a great deal to chance: A lucky encounter with someone who becomes the love of your life. A new teacher who spots a talent you didn't know you had. A sudden loss that upends the certainties of your life. A realization that you don't want to spend one more day in your job. These moments seem to be the product of fate or luck or maybe a higher power's interventions. We can't control them."
The Power of Moments helps readers decide what defining moments are and how to create life-changing defining moments.
"In the book, we have two goals: First, we want to examine defining moments and identify the traits they have in common. What, specifically, makes a particular experience memorable and meaningful? Our research shows that defining moments share a set of common elements. Second, we want to show you how you can create defining moments by making use of those elements. Why would you want to create them? To enrich your experiences. To connect with others. To make memories. To launch your life or your career or your team in a new direction."
I won't lie, this book is a little heavy and takes a while to read. I kept finding myself going back and rereading a section that resonated with me. So, if you are looking for a quick read this is not it. But, if you are looking for ways to make your life more defined and are open to new ideas, this book is for you!
"This book features captivating stories of people who have created standout moments: The owners who transformed an utterly mediocre hotel into one of the best-loved properties in Los Angeles by conjuring moments of magic for guests. Relief workers who beat a deadly health practice in one village by causing the locals to trip over the truth. The scrappy team that turned around one of the worst elementary schools in the country by embracing an intervention that lasts less than an hour."
Chip and Dan Heath have filled this book with moving stories from people who've taken chances. Who've done big and small things to change the course of their life. Some of the stories are big stories that I would think to myself could never happen for me, but then I would read a story that resonated in me and I would wonder what moment could change the course of my life. Am I missing these moments? Am I closed off to them?
This book made me question choices in my life. Do I take enough risks? What transformation would I need to make for risks to seem less scary? Are big opportunities really just chance?
"We all have defining moments in our lives -- meaningful experiences that stand out in our memory. Many of them owe a great deal to chance: A lucky encounter with someone who becomes the love of your life. A new teacher who spots a talent you didn't know you had. A sudden loss that upends the certainties of your life. A realization that you don't want to spend one more day in your job. These moments seem to be the product of fate or luck or maybe a higher power's interventions. We can't control them."
The Power of Moments helps readers decide what defining moments are and how to create life-changing defining moments.
"In the book, we have two goals: First, we want to examine defining moments and identify the traits they have in common. What, specifically, makes a particular experience memorable and meaningful? Our research shows that defining moments share a set of common elements. Second, we want to show you how you can create defining moments by making use of those elements. Why would you want to create them? To enrich your experiences. To connect with others. To make memories. To launch your life or your career or your team in a new direction."
I won't lie, this book is a little heavy and takes a while to read. I kept finding myself going back and rereading a section that resonated with me. So, if you are looking for a quick read this is not it. But, if you are looking for ways to make your life more defined and are open to new ideas, this book is for you!
September 22, 2017
CERTAIN BRIEF EXPERIENCES CAN JOLT US
In THE POWER OF MOMENTS, Chip and Dan Heath suggest an intriguing possibility: We can actually create special moments—we don’t just have to wait for them to happen to us. Instead, “We can be the author of them.”
To create these moments, we have to first understand what makes historical events stand out as special. Chip and Dan cite research that explains which memories really stand out. When we look back at some event, we forget about the duration, and instead recall just 2 main things: The best or worst moment, and the ending.
Knowing what our mind recalls suggests a strategy—we focus on creating a few memorable highlights. Well, just how do we go about making great moments for ourselves? The authors have boiled it down to 4 key things. We can actually synthesize great experiences if we include one or more of these aspects:
1) ELEVATION: Moments that rise above the commonplace
2) INSIGHT: Some new understanding
3) PRIDE: Moments of achievement
4) CONNECTION: Social engagements.
Chip and Dan spend a lot of time explaining each of the 4 keys, and tell lots of funny stories about how companies did something to create a special moment.
I found the chapter on creating elevating moments especially interesting. The authors provide a recipe on creating such a moment:
(1) Boost the sensory appeal;
(2) Raise the stakes; or
(3) Break the script—do something radically difference.
I found THE POWER OF MOMENTS to be a fun read, with lots of practical ideas. I enjoyed the anecdotes that illustrate the principles. Don’t miss the story of how the Ritz Carlton took photos of the forgotten toy “vacationing” around the hotel. Each chapter concludes with a summary called the “Whirlwind review.” I found this summary to be a good recap of the points in each chapter.
Advance Review Copy courtesy of the publisher.
In THE POWER OF MOMENTS, Chip and Dan Heath suggest an intriguing possibility: We can actually create special moments—we don’t just have to wait for them to happen to us. Instead, “We can be the author of them.”
To create these moments, we have to first understand what makes historical events stand out as special. Chip and Dan cite research that explains which memories really stand out. When we look back at some event, we forget about the duration, and instead recall just 2 main things: The best or worst moment, and the ending.
Knowing what our mind recalls suggests a strategy—we focus on creating a few memorable highlights. Well, just how do we go about making great moments for ourselves? The authors have boiled it down to 4 key things. We can actually synthesize great experiences if we include one or more of these aspects:
1) ELEVATION: Moments that rise above the commonplace
2) INSIGHT: Some new understanding
3) PRIDE: Moments of achievement
4) CONNECTION: Social engagements.
Chip and Dan spend a lot of time explaining each of the 4 keys, and tell lots of funny stories about how companies did something to create a special moment.
I found the chapter on creating elevating moments especially interesting. The authors provide a recipe on creating such a moment:
(1) Boost the sensory appeal;
(2) Raise the stakes; or
(3) Break the script—do something radically difference.
I found THE POWER OF MOMENTS to be a fun read, with lots of practical ideas. I enjoyed the anecdotes that illustrate the principles. Don’t miss the story of how the Ritz Carlton took photos of the forgotten toy “vacationing” around the hotel. Each chapter concludes with a summary called the “Whirlwind review.” I found this summary to be a good recap of the points in each chapter.
Advance Review Copy courtesy of the publisher.
December 1, 2021
While I liked most of what the authors had to say, I struggle with how these concepts can, and are, misapplied. As a 30 year educator, 25 of those years in high schools, I have seen how teachers, students and families try to make EVERYTHING a special moment, and when it isn't there is great disappointment as if the event, idea, gesture was meaningless. I have also seen how one person trying to make a moment puts undo pressure on others. The perfect "promposal" with all sorts of things to make that a "moment" means someone else feels robbed and as if they aren't special because their date just asked "do you want to go to prom?" Teachers unhealthily compete with each other to make each lesson, classroom decoration, etc., better, more special than the last, etc. It's not that I think we shouldn't try for these moments, but how do we do that in a meaningful and balanced way?
November 27, 2018
Since I couldn’t put this book down, I have to rate it a 5. Lots of fun stats, informative, thought provoking...Makes me want to strive more everyday to create “moments” in the lives of people around me and especially my kids.
April 16, 2018
obsessed with this subject! power of moments is an awesome way to think of making life fun and memorable and impactful. loved it from the popsicle hotline story, the milestone goals. will be re-reading this one to get even more out of it.
December 23, 2024
"This is a book about the power of moments and the wisdom of shaping them..."
The Power of Moments was a decent look into the topic. The book is my fourth from the authors, and I've generally enjoyed their writing. The quote above appears near the start of the book.
Authors Chip and Dan Heath are brothers. Chip Heath is the Thrive Foundation of Youth Professor of Organizational Behavior in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.
Dan Heath is a Senior Fellow at Duke University’s CASE center, which supports social entrepreneurs.
Chip and Dan Heath:
The Heath brothers write with an engaging and lively style that shouldn't struggle to hold the finicky reader's attention. I am very particular about how readable my books are, and thankfully this one passed muster.
The authors drop this quote near the start of the book:
The aim of the book is talked about in this short blurb:
********************
I enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone interested.
5 stars.
The Power of Moments was a decent look into the topic. The book is my fourth from the authors, and I've generally enjoyed their writing. The quote above appears near the start of the book.
Authors Chip and Dan Heath are brothers. Chip Heath is the Thrive Foundation of Youth Professor of Organizational Behavior in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.
Dan Heath is a Senior Fellow at Duke University’s CASE center, which supports social entrepreneurs.
Chip and Dan Heath:
The Heath brothers write with an engaging and lively style that shouldn't struggle to hold the finicky reader's attention. I am very particular about how readable my books are, and thankfully this one passed muster.
The authors drop this quote near the start of the book:
"We all have defining moments in our lives—meaningful experiences that stand out in our memory. Many of them owe a great deal to chance: A lucky encounter with someone who becomes the love of your life. A new teacher who spots a talent you didn’t know you had. A sudden loss that upends the certainties of your life. A realization that you don’t want to spend one more day in your job. These moments seem to be the product of fate or luck or maybe a higher power’s interventions. We can’t control them.
But is that true? Must our defining moments just happen to us?"
The aim of the book is talked about in this short blurb:
"In this book, we have two goals: First, we want to examine defining moments and identify the traits they have in common. What, specifically, makes a particular experience memorable and meaningful? Our research shows that defining moments share a set of common elements.
Second, we want to show you how you can create defining moments by making use of those elements. Why would you want to create them? To enrich your life. To connect with others. To make memories. To improve the experience of customers or patients or employees.
Our lives are measured in moments, and defining moments are the ones that endure in our memories. In the pages ahead, we’ll show you how to make more of them."
********************
I enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone interested.
5 stars.
May 31, 2020
“The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact” (2017) é o terceiro livro que leio dos irmãos Heath depois de “Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die” (2006) e “Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard” (2010). Direi que este “Power of Moments” se aproxima bastante de “Made to Stick” pela estrutura, mas em termos de objetivos congrega os dois anteriores. Em “Made to Stick” tínhamos o modo como podíamos desenhar experiências que permanecessem na memória das pessoas. Em “Switch” tínhamos o modo como poderíamos contornar as dificuldades que se colocam à mudança. Em “Power of Moments” juntam-se ambos e temos então a discussão sobre o modo como o design de experiências pode contribuir para a transformação de pessoas. Percebe-se que é o mais ambicioso dos três, mas apesar de algumas boas ideias dificilmente entrega o que promete, principalmente pela dimensão da ambição. Ainda assim vale a leitura para quem trabalha na área.
O resto da resenha está no blog, com links e imagens:
https://virtual-illusion.blogspot.com...
O resto da resenha está no blog, com links e imagens:
https://virtual-illusion.blogspot.com...
February 6, 2025
4.5 ✨️
i love books with practical examples instead of endless theory and this book was full of it. i listened to it as an audiobook but definitely buying paperpack for my home library and future re-read :)
i love books with practical examples instead of endless theory and this book was full of it. i listened to it as an audiobook but definitely buying paperpack for my home library and future re-read :)
March 16, 2021
Very insightful book!
I found quite simple, yet, powerful suggestions on how to add meaning to your life, how to celebrate, and even more importantly, create moments in your life.
This book is a great addition to anyone's collection.
I found quite simple, yet, powerful suggestions on how to add meaning to your life, how to celebrate, and even more importantly, create moments in your life.
This book is a great addition to anyone's collection.
April 4, 2024
I LOVED this book!! It’s a must read. You REALLY NEED to read it. I was reading it as an entrepreneur perspective, but it can be applicable in your personal life too.
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