The Power of Moments

August 7, 2017
Brothers Chip and Dan Heath—coauthors of Decisive and business school professors at, respectively, Stanford and Duke—take on the challenge of teaching readers how to foster memorable moments, for themselves and others, but fail to address the question of authenticity that their prescriptions raise. According to the Heaths, when remembering experiences, people mostly recall the high (or low) points and the endings. For a discrete period of time within a larger experience to become a “memorable moment,” it must involve either “elevation” (going beyond expectations), “insight” (learning something new about oneself), “pride” (feeling personal fulfilment), or “connection” (sharing the moment with another person). Each element is discussed within a separate section. In the section on elevation, the Heaths describe a California high school’s unique method of teaching Lord of the Flies: putting author William Golding on “trial” for libeling humanity. More often, however, the examples relate to corporate promotions, such as Pret a Manger employees being empowered to give away a certain number of free items weekly, thereby “elevating” the customer experience. The authors stress how their advice can boost corporate bottom lines, with fewer references to how they can improve readers’ personal lives. Moreover, the Heaths don’t address whether these carefully stage-managed experiences can ever feel wholly genuine, leaving a gap at the center of their book.

August 15, 2017
How significant moments have the capacity to redirect our future endeavors."Defining moments shape our lives, but we don't have to wait for them to happen" write co-authors Chip and Dan Heath (Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work, 2013) in their encouraging text, which analyzes the aha instances that have the underestimated ability to change lives. While acknowledging that some moments are naturally more memorable than others, the authors use a wide array of real-life situations as examples to identify the common denominators these meaningful experiences share. Their extensive research brought forth four elements that have the most impact: the elevation of moments using sensory influences, personal insight into our place in the world, pride in the things we do and for the people we love, and the valuable connections made in the business and personal arenas of our lives. An in-depth examination of these four elements makes up the foundation of the narrative, providing a sincere introduction to how readers can shape and improve the peaks in their own experiences. Infused with positivity and enthusiasm, the Heaths believe that whether your keepsakes include love letters, report cards, newspaper articles, or family photos, collectively they all define and represent the strongest and most significant moments in our lives. Using customer experience research, personal stories, professional profiles, and a series of situational "clinics" in which readers can apply the techniques provided, the authors offer simplified input into the process of shaping everyday moments into mightier ones using a wealth of practical strategies. Maximizing the frequency and intensity of these electric instances is the key, the authors insist, to improving life by creating a more satisfying professional and social world, preserving and commemorating one's milestones, and capitalizing on the opportunities to create them. Readers hungry for a bigger slice of life will find this book valuable. Heuristic advice and life-affirming direction form a gratifying combination in this motivational handbook.

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