With incentive trip participants increasingly desiring more free time, program sponsors may worry that the team-building component of group travel they deem critically important is harder to create.
The good news, say Dan and Chip Heath, authors of “The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact,” is that humans tend to think in moments. Incentive travel program sponsors need only create a handful of memorable experiences to make an indelible positive impression.
In short, some moments of an experience are vastly more meaningful than others, the Heath brothers state. Psychologists have discovered that in recalling an experience, people generally ignore most of what happened and focus instead on a few particular moments – the best or worst moment (known as the “peak”) and the ending. This means the memory of an event is far more favorable than the hour-by-hour ratings participants would provide.
For example, parents who take their children to Disneyland may spend much of the day in long lines under a hot sun. However, if asked to reflect on the experience several weeks later, the ride on Space Mountain (the peak) and the souvenirs purchased at the end of the day will stand out. Everything else will tend to fade.
Companies should think in peak moments and spot the occasions that are worthy of investment. “These extraordinary minutes and hours and days — they are what make life meaningful. And they are ours to create,” the authors state. – Paul Nolan
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