How to Craft a Memorable Message, According to Science

We forget much of what we experience in a day. So, how can you craft presentations, emails, and speeches that people will actually remember? Here are a few tips backed by science.

1) Chunk it up. Tie together the points you want to convey under the umbrella of a central idea. Start with a basic principle, and then break it down into subcategories. This makes it easier for your listener to stitch the pieces together in a meaningful way (and remember them).

2) Be concrete, especially with complex topics. Research shows that people find it harder to memorize an abstract concept like, “justice,” than something that they can easily visualize, like, “gavel.” One strategy is to introduce your idea by telling an emotionally engaging story, embellished with sensory details that are easy to recall.

3) Provide callbacks. Recalling things that we previously learned can make our memories stronger and easier to access when we need them. In your message, reference important parts more than once.

4) Spark curiosity. The key to memorable communication lies not in conveying the answer, but in establishing a compelling question. By highlighting the gap between what your audience knows and what you want them to know, you can elicit a little error signal in their brains, leading to a state that is conducive to new learning.

[thatpsychologyguy]

This post is as drab as watching wet paint dry.