We just came back from a great holiday, but all we talked about was the horrendous journey home. Why did we tell everyone about this?
And why am I sharing this??
Because it's a prime example of the power of endings. In life and in our work, how we wrap things up can make all the difference.
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 – 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶?
Some experiences can be wonderful, but if they end poorly, that’s often what we recall (and talk about) the most.
Whether it's a workout, a sporting event, or a project at work, the way it concludes leaves a lasting impression.
𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
Our brains have a funny way of prioritizing endings, often overshadowing everything that came before. It's partly due to what psychologists call the 'peak-end rule', where people judge an experience largely based on how they felt at its peak and its end, rather than based on the total sum or average of every moment of the experience.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 ‘𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲’, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 '𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴'
Another trick with our brains is what Danny Kahneman called an ‘experiencing self’, and a ‘remembering self’… the experiencing self is that part of us that lives in the moment, and the remembering self is the part of us that looks back and reflects on what we have experienced.
𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.
So in any case when you're designing experiences – whether it's an event, a session, or a program – don't overlook the ending.
End on a high note, and watch how it impacts the perception, recall and reputation of what you provide.
The good news is that even if the experience hasn’t been great if you set up a good ending… that can be a good result.
Like when we went to a tournament on our trip, the organisation was pretty average throughout the day, but it all ended with a great result, which had us walking away with positive reflections on the overall experience.
𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱!
We should always put a next step in front of people, especially if you know the end may not be a good one. That final result is not in our control in sport, so perhaps you can create an alternate ending – ideally a personalised follow-up - but there are many final moments you can create that will leave your people feeling good.
I think it’s worth spending some time on the endings, and remembering how we remember because, in the grand scheme of things, it's not just about how you start, or the journey, but how you finish.
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