The peak-end rule at your event: plan your peak and your finish

How do we look back on an experience? Not as the average of all the moments combined. Psychologist Daniel Kahneman showed that we mainly remember two moments: the high point and the ending. This is called the peak-end rule. For anyone putting together a conference, presentation or party, it may be the most useful bit of psychology there is.

The research

In a well-known experiment in 1993, people held their hands in cold water at 14 degrees for sixty seconds. In a second round, this lasted ninety seconds: the same sixty seconds, plus thirty seconds during which the water became one degree warmer. When asked which round they wanted to repeat, most people chose the longer one.

Objectively, this meant more discomfort, but with a less unpleasant ending. Similar results can be seen in medical examinations: a calmer ending makes patients feel that the whole experience was less unpleasant.

What this means for an event

• Plan a real high point. A moment that stands out. A surprising speaker, an interactive highlight, a quiz that builds suspense. Without a high point, no one has anything to talk about afterwards.
• Don't let the ending fizzle out. Many conferences end with an overlong panel, a rushed summary and a muddled announcement about drinks. That final quarter of an hour colours people's memories of the whole day.
• Stop at your high point. It is better to finish a little earlier on a strong moment than to carry on until the energy has gone. That applies to a presentation, a quiz and a party.

The common mistake

Most running orders are created from start to finish. The opening gets all the attention, with an opening film and a strong first speaker. Then the programme runs over, and the ending is cut down to whatever time is left. The very moment people remember best gets the least attention.

That's why I plan the ending just as carefully as the opening. Often, I even start with the ending. What should people feel as they walk out of the room?

How to approach it

1. Decide in advance which moment will be the day's high point, and give it a good place in the programme. Not straight after lunch.
2. Write out the ending minute by minute. Who has the last word, and what is it?
3. Build in a buffer before the ending, so delays elsewhere don't eat into it.
4. Agree with your event host what will be cut if the programme runs over. The ending should not be on that list.

And what about a presentation?

Finish with your strongest point, and leave the audience with a feeling. Not with the question of whether there are any questions. It's better to schedule the Q&A before your final minute, so you have the last word.

What this means for the client

A good event host looks after the high point and the ending throughout the day, even when the programme shifts. At an evening event or gala, a presenter does the same. Discuss what's on the programme in your briefing, and which moment people should remember. If you want to know which role you need for that, read the article on the differences between an event host, moderator, debate chair and presenter.

For the speaker who stands out

As a less well-known speaker, you are rarely top of the bill. You don't have to be. If your session is what people talk about over drinks, you've created the day's high point. So think about your own talk in terms of a high point and an ending too, rather than a steady stream of information.