The Four Factors That Make A Moment

Last week I watched a soccer game in pouring rain. Not a drizzle, not a mist, but a “get on board the ark already you beasts” torrential downpour.

It was for the US Women as they prepare to go play in the Olympics and I won’t soon forget it. And, that in and of itself (the not forgettable-ness) is a reminder of the power of moments.

We don’t want our customers to have to be caught in the rain to have the right lingering impressions of us, but – if we want to engineer the experience they have when they interact with our businesses, there are 4 key elements we’ll want to be focused on.

Per Chip & Dan Heath,* defining moments (like a soccer game in a storm) are created from one or more of these:

Elevation: they rise above the average or every day. I don’t always choose to sit in the rain, but when I do it’s for the USWNT (apparently).

Insight: they re-wire our understandings of ourselves. “People like us do things like this” – we sing, and cheer, and celebrate in the rain. Apparently. I mean, obviously.

Pride: they catch us at our best. We celebrate when our team scores. Full-throated, soaked high-five slapping, unbridled celebration.

Connection: they are social or shareable. We fill the stands. We scream together. We send videos and pictures to our friends that aren’t there, boasting of our triumph over opponents and nature.

If you want to make something special, tap one or more of these to make it so.

*If you need ideas on how other businesses do it, check out the Heath brothers’ book, The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact.