October 14, 2025

Creating the Engagement Effect Featuring Steve Spangler

30 minutes

Transforming Ordinary Customer Moments into the 'Best Day Ever'

Shep interviews Steve Spangler, Emmy award-winning television host, STEM educator, and bestselling author. He talks about his new book, The Engagement Effect, and how leaders, teachers, and businesses can create powerful, engaging experiences that ignite emotional connections, build trust, and inspire action.

This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:  

How can leaders create more engaging experiences for their customers and employees?

How can emotional and intellectual connections drive stronger customer loyalty?

Why is it important for businesses to treat engagement as an experiment rather than a fixed process?

How can leaders and managers inspire employees to deliver exceptional customer service?

How can companies operationalize the "best day ever" experience for both customers and team members?

Top Takeaways:  

Engagement is about creating experiences, not transactions. Create an experience that connects emotionally and intellectually with your customers by making them feel involved and valued.

Treat engagement as an experiment. Try new things, see what works, and don't be afraid to fail or make changes. When leaders create a culture where it's okay to try and sometimes fail, employees feel more comfortable contributing and taking risks.

The way you treat your employees and customers shapes their experiences and loyalty. Positive experiences lead to better engagement, while negative ones can create lasting disengagement.

It's not enough to have a great product. What elevates your brand is how you present it. What creates a loyal following is getting people excited, curious, and the desire to be involved.

Allow your customers to help craft their experience. Sometimes, your customers will create powerful moments themselves, and your job is to set the stage and then step back. Invite feedback and participation. Pay attention to what they find most meaningful and operationalize it so that it becomes a part of the typical experience.

Approach leadership with a teacher's mindset. The best leaders don't just tell people what to do. They inspire, guide, and help others discover answers for themselves.

Plus, hear how Steve's viral Mentos-and-Diet-Coke experiments, Chewy.com's famous pet owner story, and more real-world examples bring the engagement effect to life. Tune in!

Quote: 

"The engagement effect is when you emotionally and intellectually connect to an experience, and it makes the customer move forward with an action."

About:  

Steve Spangler is an Emmy award-winning TV host, STEM educator, and bestselling author. He is known for making science unforgettable through TV, social media, and live demonstrations. With over 4.3 billion video views and years on DIY Sci and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, he has inspired millions worldwide. His latest book, The Engagement Effect: Cultivating Experiences that Ignite Connection, Build Trust, and Inspire Action, is out now.

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.

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By Shep Hyken & C-Suite Radio

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