Chip and Dan Heath's incredible book The Power of Moments opened my eyes to an incredible insight around patient experience.

Most of our lives are pretty forgettable.

That's why we say things like "time flies".

We do the same thing, day in and day out, and our brain doesn't "notch" those experiences as unique, so they blend together in our memory.

However...certain experiences stand out.

The Heaths call these "Peak Moments".

Building Peaks vs. Fixing Potholes

For most of us, when we think about our business, we think about fixing problems.

We want the patient experience to be pleasant, positive, and problem-free.

Nothing wrong with that, but...

Here's the issue.

Imagine you drove down a street with no potholes.

Would you call your friends and tell them what an incredible street you just drove down?

Nope, you wouldn't register it at all.

Fixing problems whelms people.

A pleasant experience doesn't overwhelm, or underwhelm...it just whelms.

In order to create peak moments, we have to intentionally build peaks.

Facilitating Peak Experiences

Peak experiences can be defined as:

"...a highly valued experience which is characterized by such intensity of perception, depth of feeling, or sense of profound significance as to cause it to stand out, in the subject's mind, in more or less permanent contrast to the experiences that surround it in time and space."(1)

How could we facilitate such an experience?

Here are a few ideas:

• Using Motivational Interviewing: This communication technique was developed to lead patients/clients to intrinsic awareness and motivation to change. By eliciting self-awareness and motivation to change, you stand to create an inflection point in their lives.
• Better Hearing Demonstrations: We have the unique opportunity to at least partially restore a sense that has become diminished or lost during our initial consultation with a patient. Letting them hear their spouse's voice, listen to their favorite music, hear birdsong for the first time in years, or have an "aha!" moment of realization about the state of their hearing is deeply powerful and emotional.
• Creating Community: Because hearing loss is a silent condition, many individuals feel alone. By creating a support group or community of your patients, you can transform your patients' self-perception and create a new sense of empowerment and solidarity.