Tracy Business Journal

Speaking-

Make it Memorable!

Advice from Expert Speakers.

 

Think  back to the last presentation you saw. What was it about? Hopefully you at least remember the general premise or objective. Do you remember any of the main points? How about the sub points? Whether or not you do, there's probably a reason.

   One of your goals as a speaker is certainly to have your message remembered. There are many things you can do to ensure that what you say stays with them long after they walk out the door.

   It helps if you understand your audience, but not just in terms of demographics, interests, or beliefs. You should understand a couple of things about people in general: people are visual, and people are emotional. If you can learn to effectively tie visual and emotional elements into your presentation, you are sure to be remembered.

   Let's look more closely at the visual aspects. People remember things more effectively if they are tied to a picture. This is a result of how the human brain processes memories and images. Many people use image association for remembering names, tying a name they want to remember to an object, or a picture in their mind.

 

    So how does that tie into speaking? To help your audience remember your message, be as visual as possible. Try using props or visual aides. In your visual aides, use colors and pictures (if appropriate). Use large and descriptive gestures during your talk to help paint your picture. A picture truly is "worth a thousand words", so plant pictures in their minds as often as possible, but particularly on the main points you want to emphasize.

    In addition to including visual elements in your presentation, using emotional tie-ins can be very effective. It is certainly a matter of style, but in my opinion, every presentation should have a least a few elements that will evoke an emotional response from the audience. People who are in an elevated emotional state tend to have better retention. (That's probably why my wife still remembers that I forgot to buy her flowers on Valentine's Day seven years ago!)

   One of my favorite ways to elevate the emotional state of an audience is with humor. People love to laugh, and it is especially important in many serious presentations, such as sales calls, where you are trying to convince your audience.

  

   If you make them laugh, they will be more inclined to trust you. If they are more inclined to trust you, you will be more likely to close the deal. But even if you don't close the deal that day, at least they'll be more likely to remember you next time they need your product or service.

   You can also use other emotion evoking techniques, such as touching stories to evoke sympathy and compassion, examples of government waste or taxes to evoke anger and a call to action, or anything else that ties into a strong emotion. However, make sure that your technique fits your talk. It will certainly depend on the person, but it may be inappropriate to use humor during a eulogy, or something that evokes sadness during a wedding toast. The audience may remember it, but that might not be a good thing!

   So give it a try in your next presentation. Spend time during rehearsal focusing on the visual and emotional elements. By keeping the basics of human nature in mind, you'll go a long way to ensuring your audience leaves with your message instead of leaving your message at the door.

Kevin Richter is an IT Manager for Robert Half International, Inc., and the Vice President of Public Relations for the Tracy Toastmasters.  He can be reached through e-mail at kevin.richter@rhi.com or by phone at (925) 598-5535.

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