#3
Wow & Aha
WOW grabs attention. AHA makes it count. This note breaks down the difference between impressing a room and shifting how it thinks, and why you need both to make a workshop work.
Getting a WOW is easy.
Just throw money at the problem.
More lights. More noise. More spectacle.
You’ll get the oohs and wows.
But then what?
The WOW fades.
The lights go out.
People clap. And forget.
Now the AHA,
That’s different.
An AHA doesn’t just impress.
It sticks.
It shifts something.
It hits deep and can’t be unseen.
That moment when the message clicks,
when someone suddenly gets it,
not just hears it,
that’s the moment that matters.
But here’s the truth:
You can’t buy that moment.
An AHA takes effort.
Real work.
Designing with clarity.
Thinking like them, not just like you.
Cutting the fluff.
Sweating the details.
Being clear enough to be understood,
and bold enough to be remembered.
Sure, a WOW can help.
It grabs the attention you need to land the AHA.
But WOW is not the goal.
WOW is the servant.
AHA is the impact.
Just throw money at the problem.
More lights. More noise. More spectacle.
You’ll get the oohs and wows.
But then what?
The WOW fades.
The lights go out.
People clap. And forget.
Now the AHA,
That’s different.
An AHA doesn’t just impress.
It sticks.
It shifts something.
It hits deep and can’t be unseen.
That moment when the message clicks,
when someone suddenly gets it,
not just hears it,
that’s the moment that matters.
But here’s the truth:
You can’t buy that moment.
An AHA takes effort.
Real work.
Designing with clarity.
Thinking like them, not just like you.
Cutting the fluff.
Sweating the details.
Being clear enough to be understood,
and bold enough to be remembered.
Sure, a WOW can help.
It grabs the attention you need to land the AHA.
But WOW is not the goal.
WOW is the servant.
AHA is the impact.
Now, picture this.
A simple 2x2 grid.
X-axis: WOW
Y-axis: AHA
Let’s walk through it:
Bottom left, no WOW, no AHA.
Nobody wants to be there.
Empty show. Empty minds.
Top left, AHA, but no WOW.
The genius no one listens to.
Smart ideas. No attention.
And a refusal to play the game.
Result?
No one hears them.
No one moves.
Bottom right, WOW, but no AHA.
The showman.
Brilliant at turning heads.
Terrible at making them think.
Result?
Everyone’s dazzled.
No one’s changed.
Top right, That’s the zone.
WOW opens the mind.
AHA changes it.
You need both.
One to capture.
One to convert.
So next time you build a session,
aim for that upper-right corner.
Not just applause.
Understanding.
Not just a flash.
A shift.
Thank you.
And Free Palestine.
A simple 2x2 grid.
X-axis: WOW
Y-axis: AHA
Let’s walk through it:
Bottom left, no WOW, no AHA.
Nobody wants to be there.
Empty show. Empty minds.
Top left, AHA, but no WOW.
The genius no one listens to.
Smart ideas. No attention.
And a refusal to play the game.
Result?
No one hears them.
No one moves.
Bottom right, WOW, but no AHA.
The showman.
Brilliant at turning heads.
Terrible at making them think.
Result?
Everyone’s dazzled.
No one’s changed.
Top right, That’s the zone.
WOW opens the mind.
AHA changes it.
You need both.
One to capture.
One to convert.
So next time you build a session,
aim for that upper-right corner.
Not just applause.
Understanding.
Not just a flash.
A shift.
Thank you.
And Free Palestine.