0:00:09.890,0:00:14.914
From the moment I was born,[br]life has been full of surprises.

0:00:16.710,0:00:20.194
"Mazel tov, your baby is a redhead!"

0:00:20.214,0:00:23.240
the doctor smiled at my shocked mom.

0:00:23.916,0:00:26.696
No one in my family expected a ginger.

0:00:26.935,0:00:31.038
[br]My dad made his living [br]inventing children's games,

0:00:31.052,0:00:35.629
and his creativity instilled [br]the magical power of surprise in me.

0:00:36.029,0:00:39.799
One day, my mom came home [br]from the grocery store with eggs.

0:00:39.821,0:00:44.959
Suddenly, she dropped them,[br]and they splattered all over the floor.

0:00:45.358,0:00:51.033
The next day, my dad came home[br]carrying five chickens.

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"Surprise! I want us to have [br]five fresh eggs every morning."

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Honestly, I think the chickens [br]were more surprised than we were,

0:01:00.642,0:01:02.708
having to live in our small apartment.

0:01:02.738,0:01:04.329
(Laughter)

0:01:04.402,0:01:08.277
Fast forward 30 years later, [br]in my mid-thirties,

0:01:08.294,0:01:11.804
my dad attended a leadership[br]seminar I was delivering.

0:01:11.822,0:01:13.532
I gave him a good price too.

0:01:13.557,0:01:14.827
(Laughter)

0:01:14.832,0:01:16.902
Just before the break, [br]I tell the audience:

0:01:16.916,0:01:23.346
"Feel free to stick a post-it note [br]with your questions on the whiteboard."

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After the break, I walk back[br]on stage and discover a note...

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from my dad.

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"Gili, when are you getting married?

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(Laughter)

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I loved his surprises so much,

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but I couldn't even imagine

0:01:47.457,0:01:50.374
how much they would impact my life.

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Now, let's have some fun.

0:01:53.135,0:01:55.914
Everyone, please reach[br]for the envelopes.

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Open it.

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Yes!

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And hold what's inside up high[br]so we can all see it.

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Now, look around, look around.

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Do you see those big smiles?

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Well, why are you so happy? [br]It's only a dollar bill.

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Yes, you can keep it.

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(Laughter)

0:02:21.136,0:02:25.714
Now we all know that $1 [br]can't even buy you a cup of coffee.

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So, why are we so happy?

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Because of the element of surprise.

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Research shows,

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that the pleasure center in our brain [br]is more active during moments of surprise,

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and surprises intensify emotions[br]by up to 400%.

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Four hundred percent!

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When the brain identifies a surprise, [br]it releases dopamine.

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We remember better.

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So,

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today,

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I want to talk about[br]the gift of surprise,

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how it impacts our happiness,

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improves our connections,

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and even helps us deliver [br]powerful messages.

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Now, we all know that some surprises [br]are better than others, right?

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“Surprise! We're going to Disney World”

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versus "Surprise, dad, [br]I broke my phone again." (Laughter)

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As humans, we prefer[br]control and stability

0:03:29.632,0:03:32.952
over surprise and change,

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but even though we want control,

0:03:36.327,0:03:39.504
positive surprises still benefit us,

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and we can use the art[br]of surprise to impact others.

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Have you ever heard of a unique proposal?

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In a hot air balloon,

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on a mountain, or underwater,

0:03:58.148,0:04:02.053
I proposed with a ring

0:04:02.073,0:04:05.488
hidden inside[br]a warm... chocolate cake!

0:04:05.508,0:04:07.038
(Laughter)

0:04:07.188,0:04:09.083
And to this day,

0:04:09.102,0:04:13.388
my wife dreads cakes fearing [br]another lifelong commitment.

0:04:13.408,0:04:14.957
(Laughter)

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See, my dad's note[br]did influence me after all.

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But the problem is that many[br]relationships lack an element of surprise.

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Life tends to become [br]a predictable gray routine.

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So the magic is lost

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in the mundane daily tasks of laundry,

0:04:36.593,0:04:40.947
driving the kids, or watching [br]"Dancing with the Stars."

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However, research shows

0:04:43.983,0:04:49.075
that surprising your partner[br]with new activities together

0:04:49.096,0:04:52.362
reignites the relationship's spark,

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and increases the level of satisfaction.

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When was the last time[br]you surprised your loved ones?

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I see some of you are smiling [br]at each other. That's lovely.

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(Audience) Seven years ago!

0:05:04.461,0:05:06.985
Seven years ago? Not good enough!

0:05:07.011,0:05:08.500
(Laughter)

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You see, it's simple:[br]when you surprise someone,

0:05:12.952,0:05:16.351
when you surprise people, [br]you show you care about them,

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and surprises are fun.

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Last year, I saw my wife's car [br]parked at a shopping center.

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So to surprise her,

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I left her a very sweet note [br]on the windshield.

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Only I didn't tell her it was from me...

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(Laughter)

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At first, she was excited, thrilled.

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She thought she had a secret admirer.

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(Laughter)

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Then she found out it was me.

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So a few weeks later,[br]she left me a surprise,

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a love note attached [br]to a parking ticket

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(Laughter)

0:05:54.499,0:05:57.389
she had received... so sweet!

0:05:58.297,0:06:03.447
Now a surprise doesn't have[br]to be expensive or sophisticated.

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It can be simple.

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Even small surprises make a big impact.

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And you can surprise your partners [br]with small gestures

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like painting a heart on a mirror, [br]or hiding a love note in their socks,

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or buying the book [br]they mentioned the other day.

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And the exciting thing about surprises

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is that whenever you surprise[br]someone, it also rewards you.

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Surprises reward everyone!

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And speaking about loved ones, [br]we have three daughters,

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all girls...

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(Laugther)

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Surprising them? Not easy at all.

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I'm not even allowed to tag them[br]on social media without their permission.

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Yet, with time, they realized [br]that some of our best moments

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are from surprising moments,

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like when our eldest daughter

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flew home to San Diego CA[br]from Washington DC

0:07:05.576,0:07:08.732
and jumped out of a box,

0:07:08.752,0:07:10.798
(Laughter)

0:07:10.822,0:07:16.523
or when our daughters expected [br]a seven-hour layover in New York,

0:07:17.428,0:07:20.182
but instead, we stayed there for a week.

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Two years ago, [br]after I published my recent book,

0:07:24.854,0:07:26.992
my daughters wanted to surprise me,

0:07:27.002,0:07:30.570
so they bought me a star,

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a real star.

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And they named it [br]after my book "Wow."

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Now, I guess I can't travel there,

0:07:41.916,0:07:45.151
but I will never forget [br]how it made me feel.

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Now, besides family,

0:07:47.477,0:07:50.397
we can use the art of surprise

0:07:50.407,0:07:54.647
with friends, or at work with colleagues,[br]customers, employees,

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but now, let's see how we can use it

0:07:59.516,0:08:01.849
to deliver compelling messages.

0:08:02.382,0:08:04.681
For more than 30 years,

0:08:04.702,0:08:07.946
I've delivered hundreds of talks [br]and workshops around the world

0:08:07.967,0:08:11.250
on many topics like influence, [br]communication skills,

0:08:11.273,0:08:14.773
and the mindset for success,

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and ever since[br]I started speaking on stage,

0:08:19.527,0:08:24.931
I've used unpredictable moments[br]to engage my audience.

0:08:25.715,0:08:29.694
Now why is it important [br]to surprise an audience?

0:08:29.948,0:08:32.588
Daniel Gilbert and[br]Matt Killingsworth discovered

0:08:32.608,0:08:37.253
that we wander off in our thoughts[br]and fail to be present

0:08:37.294,0:08:39.927
almost half the time,

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47%.

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That means that since I started talking [br]about nine minutes ago,

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some of you were present for only [br]four minutes and nine seconds.

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(Laughter)

0:08:51.405,0:08:56.879
That's exactly why it's a challenge [br]to deliver messages effectively

0:08:56.895,0:09:02.213
because if you are not paying attention[br]now, you will not remember anything.

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However, the moment[br]you surprise your audience,

0:09:08.743,0:09:11.205
you get their attention back.

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(Laughter)

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(Laughter)

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(Falling of a ping-pong ball[br]on the scene) Thank you.

0:09:45.198,0:09:46.505
(Laughter)

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(Audience) Yes!

0:09:49.404,0:09:52.742
I call these unexpected[br]moments, "Wow moments".

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(Audience) WOW!

0:09:55.242,0:09:57.502
Yes! (Applause)

0:09:58.952,0:10:03.856
Sometimes people raise their eyebrows,[br]drop their jaws, and even say...

0:10:03.875,0:10:05.425
(Audience) Wow!

0:10:05.445,0:10:09.835
Yes, "wow," and the great thing[br]about wow is that anyone can wow.

0:10:10.020,0:10:13.149
A friend of mine, Ayala Biran, [br]is a safety expert.

0:10:13.169,0:10:16.389
She was invited to speak [br]to construction workers

0:10:16.419,0:10:20.213
about protecting their heads [br]with safety helmets.

0:10:20.243,0:10:22.813
So picture this: she goes on stage,

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and suddenly, she picks up a watermelon

0:10:29.062,0:10:31.212
and drops it on the stage.

0:10:31.782,0:10:35.795
Bam! The watermelon splashes everywhere.

0:10:35.845,0:10:37.855
Everyone is shocked.

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Can you imagine the chunks[br]of watermelon on the stage?

0:10:47.208,0:10:49.412
Then she says, "What happens[br]to the watermelon

0:10:49.432,0:10:54.338
can happen to anyone without a helmet."

0:10:55.317,0:10:56.829
Wow!

0:10:56.847,0:11:02.047
That's exactly how a message becomes[br]not only memorable but also unforgettable.

0:11:02.776,0:11:06.571
Now there are many creative ways [br]to wow an audience,

0:11:06.594,0:11:10.647
and in my book, I've collected [br]more than a hundred ideas.

0:11:11.391,0:11:15.276
When designing a wow moment, [br]you want to ask yourself one question:

0:11:15.313,0:11:20.116
what emotion do I wish to evoke [br]to deliver my message?

0:11:20.447,0:11:24.972
In most cases, we want[br]to evoke positive emotions

0:11:25.065,0:11:26.967
like joy,

0:11:27.037,0:11:28.755
trust,

0:11:28.817,0:11:30.107
and surprise,

0:11:30.171,0:11:33.525
but sometimes we can[br]evoke negative emotions

0:11:33.681,0:11:35.781
like sadness,

0:11:35.931,0:11:37.461
or fear.

0:11:38.194,0:11:41.550
Why is it important to trigger emotions?

0:11:43.303,0:11:48.985
Well, when an emotion[br]is attached to a message,

0:11:49.003,0:11:50.961
people remember it better.

0:11:51.032,0:11:55.827
Sometimes people[br]may forget what you say,

0:11:55.852,0:12:00.022
but they never forget [br]how you make them feel.

0:12:00.531,0:12:04.202
So if surprises make such a big impact,

0:12:04.221,0:12:06.831
why don't we use them more often?

0:12:07.138,0:12:12.548
As part of my research, [br]I posted that question on social media,

0:12:12.573,0:12:17.047
"Why don't you surprise more often?"[br]and hundreds of people replied.

0:12:17.638,0:12:20.573
Most of them said, "What if I fail?"

0:12:20.684,0:12:22.894
"What if they don't like my surprise?"

0:12:22.987,0:12:25.058
"I'm an introvert,"

0:12:25.166,0:12:27.382
"I'm not good at surprising,"

0:12:27.456,0:12:30.936
and the best one,[br]"I'm an accountant. We don't do wow."

0:12:30.956,0:12:32.725
(Laughter)

0:12:34.515,0:12:39.064
However, there are lots of reasons [br]why you should surprise more.

0:12:39.301,0:12:41.778
First, "Satisfaction."

0:12:42.453,0:12:44.959
When we surprise,

0:12:44.979,0:12:49.989
we increase the level[br]of satisfaction in our relationships.

0:12:51.229,0:12:55.811
When we surprise, [br]we create unforgettable moments.

0:12:55.859,0:12:57.829
We activate the dopamine,

0:12:57.836,0:13:01.275
and we create magical moments [br]for the people we care about.

0:13:01.546,0:13:06.451
When we surprise,[br]we renew the spark in our life.

0:13:06.473,0:13:11.452
We become more present [br]as well as the people that we surprise.

0:13:11.668,0:13:17.138
Surprises reward everyone.

0:13:17.218,0:13:21.834
And surprises[br]intensify emotions by up to 400%.

0:13:22.832,0:13:25.906
And "Simplicity," it's simple to do it.

0:13:25.932,0:13:29.162
Even small surprises make a big impact.

0:13:29.324,0:13:31.600
And last but not least,

0:13:32.649,0:13:33.944
"Enjoyment."

0:13:33.997,0:13:39.468
When we surprise, we activate [br]the pleasure center in our brain,

0:13:39.500,0:13:42.839
so we impact our happiness.

0:13:43.220,0:13:50.084
That's why I'm so passionate[br]about spreading the gift of surprise.

0:13:50.541,0:13:55.743
After my dad passed away[br]seven months ago at the age of 94,

0:13:56.630,0:14:03.350
I realized that one[br]of his secrets to a great life

0:14:03.381,0:14:05.971
was his habit of surprising,

0:14:05.993,0:14:11.638
and I truly believe it helped him[br]think with flexibility, humor, and joy,

0:14:12.513,0:14:15.591
and kept him young forever.

0:14:17.074,0:14:22.904
So now, I invite you all[br]to embrace surprise.

0:14:23.320,0:14:29.404
Take a moment to reflect on how you can[br]apply the gift of surprise in your life.

0:14:31.439,0:14:34.588
You know, at the beginning of every year,

0:14:34.608,0:14:38.387
I pick one word as my inspiration [br]for the whole year,

0:14:38.417,0:14:43.263
and every morning, I focus on that word.

0:14:45.563,0:14:49.873
This year, I'm choosing [br]the word "surprise,"

0:14:50.167,0:14:53.837
and I invite you all to join me

0:14:53.872,0:14:56.257
and let "surprise" be your word too

0:14:56.277,0:15:01.374
so together, we can create[br]a year full of surprises.

0:15:03.450,0:15:05.155
It's wow or never.

0:15:05.528,0:15:06.971
Thank you.

0:15:07.001,0:15:08.941
(Applause)