February 5th, 2018 @ Ann Hansen

By Ann Hansen and Bo Krüger

Have you ever heard of the Peak-end rule? It might be that piece of insight that may take your meetings to the next level.

Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahnemann found that what we remember of an event is the peak and the ending. The longitude of the event is not important.

So how do you apply that knowledge to your next meeting or event?

Make a fantastic peak

Make sure the participants will have an extraordinary experience a least once during the meeting.

The best peak experiences are those that link to the objectives of the meeting. The peak could look like this:

• Change peak. Make sure the participants are taking part in creating something important and meaningful that can change the future of the company or the world.
• Learning peak. Make sure the participants learn something interesting and new.
• Networking peak. Make sure the participants make new and deep connection with other participants. Try speed-dating or a social activity.
• Fun peak. Have a funny activity like a game or hilarious speaker.

Make a fantastic ending

Make sure there is a fantastic ending, so your participants can leave fulfilled and satisfied. A well-designed ending can even save the memory of a poor meeting.

When designing a fantastic ending think of this:

• Change ending. Wrap up the decisions and outcomes of the meeting and tell the participants how it will influence the future of their work and the company.
• Feel-good ending. Make a funny, happy, energizing and engaging ending that makes the participants leave in a good mood. A glass of champagne, nice music, goodie bags and warm handshakes helps.
• Learning ending. Make the participants wrap up, what they have learned and how they can apply it when they get home. Give them something that can help them recall key learnings, A postcard, a video or an illustration to hang on the wall.
• Networking ending. Let the participants do something together, sing a song, make an energizer or give high fives.

For more insight on the subject of memory and creating peak experiences, check out Bo Krüger’s extended post.

(Explore meeting design even more with the revolutionary Meeting Design Game, created by this article’s authors Ann Hansen and Bo Krüger.)

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