
President Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863. Some of the more powerful phrases he spoke that day still echo across the United States, even though his speech, at two minutes 46 seconds and only 272 words, was the shortest given that day. View a larger image
Image attributions vary, but visit Wikimedia for details and a fascinating history of this image.
Lists of tips for memorable presentations or memorable articles often include suggestions to tell stories, be engaging, use humor, and so on. This is all good advice. To that extensive list, I would add one item: give your audience what they'll need when they're telling someone else about your work. That is, support word-of-mouth about your content.
Most Something magical happens when you create
your work with word-of-mouth in mindcreators who make conscious efforts to support word-of-mouth about what they create do so as an add-on, after the creative work is largely complete. But something magical happens when you create the work with word-of-mouth in mind. This post contains suggestions for doing exactly that. For example, the first suggestion below is to "Focus on what's most important," and avoid trying to do too much. It's advice that's a bit easier to follow when you remember that your auditors can repeat to others only what they can remember. With all this in mind, here are some concrete suggestions for supporting word-of-mouth.
- Focus on what's most important
- Trying to do too much makes all of it less memorable. A list of seven or eight items is about all anyone can handle. (No need to count mine; it's in the title)
- Structure your recommendations as lists
- Lists make it easier to use mnemonic techniques, which help you as you deliver presentations. And lists help your audience and readers as they try to recall your material, or relay it to colleagues and associates who ask, "What was that talk/article about?"
- Exploit the List Length Effect
- There is experimental evidence that as the number of items in a list increases, the probability of correctly recalling or recognizing an item decreases. [Kinnell & Dennis 2011] This is yet another reason to focus on what's most important.
- Exploit the Word Length Effect
- There is experimental evidence that as word length increases, the probability of correctly recalling the word decreases. In general, memory performance degrades as the word complexity increases. And as word familiarity declines, recall performance also does.
- Be strategic about rhyming and alliteration
- Rhyming and alliteration can be particularly effective if not forced. For example, Tuckman's sequence of stages of small group development is described as "forming, storming, norming, performing." [Tuckman 1965] Tuckman himself attributed the popularity of his model, in part, to this device, writing that the terms, "…probably account for [the 1965] paper's popularity," and, "…quotability may be the key to success." [Tuckman 1984]
- Invent a novel Acronym
- An acronym is formed from the first letters of the words of a phrase to make a pronounceable (though not necessarily real) word. Example: NASA for National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
- Invent a novel acrostic
- An acrostic is a word composition consisting of an ordered list of (sometimes) sentences, or (more often) phrases. The first letter or phoneme of each element, sequentially, forms a memorable name, phrase, or sentence. Unlike acronyms, the ordered list is usually coherent, and the word formed from the ordered list is usually relevant to it. More at LitCharts.com
Last words
Brevity and simplicity are essential. If the mnemonic device you adopt is longer or more complicated than the material you're trying to make memorable, remembering the material is easier than remembering the device. Brevity makes you more quotable; simplicity makes you more understandable. So, when someone asks you what this article was about, what will you say? Top
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Related articles
More articles on Effective Communication at Work:
Mudfights
- When we steer the discussion away from issues to attack the credibility, motives, or character of our
debate partners, we often resort to a technique known as the ad hominem attack. It's unfair, it's unethical,
and it leads to bad, expensive decisions that we'll probably regret.
Interviewing the Willing: Strategy
- At times, we need information from each other. For example, we want to learn about how someone approached
a similar problem, or we must interview someone about system requirements. Yet, even when the source
is willing, we sometimes fail to expose critical facts. How can we elicit information from the willing
more effectively?
Getting Into the Conversation
- In well-facilitated meetings, facilitators work hard to ensure that all participants have opportunities
to contribute. The story is rather different for many meetings, where getting into the conversation
can be challenging for some.
When the Answer Isn't the Point: II
- Sometimes, when we ask questions, we're more interested in eliciting behavior from the person questioned,
rather than answers. Here's Part II of a set of techniques questioners use when the answer to the question
wasn't the point of asking.
The Passion-Professionalism Paradox
- Changing the direction of a group or a company requires passion and professionalism, two attributes
often in tension. Here's one possible way to resolve that tension.
See also Effective Communication at Work for more related articles.
Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout
Coming July 9: On Being Seriously Funny at Work
- Humor is such a valuable tool at work that it ought to be recognized as an official contribution by team members who provide the laughs that keep some teams from auto-destructing. Even if you're not known for bringing the funny, there are a few simple techniques that can change your image. Available here and by RSS on July 9.
And on July 16: Responding to Unwelcome Events
- Unwelcome events have two kinds of effects on decision-makers. One set of effects appears as we respond to events that have actually occurred. Another set manifests itself as we prepare for unwelcome events that haven't yet occurred, but which might occur. Making a wrong decision in either case can be costly. Available here and by RSS on July 16.
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