Making key messages memorable
Strong key messages
One secret of making a presentation memorable is to have a really strong key message. The key message will be something that stands out, yet is supported by the detail of your presentation.
Effective key messages tend to be:
- concise;
- easy to understand;
- memorable.
Advertising is full of memorable key messages that fulfil those criteria:
- ‘Just do it’ – Nike.
- ‘Your country needs you’ – wartime recruitment campaign in the UK.
- ‘Five a day’ – health campaign to encourage people to eat fruit.
When it fulfils these three criteria, the chances are that you will make your message stick successfully. Repetition of the key message in different ways is another method of getting it across.
Why draw your key message?
When you are presenting to a group they will not remember everything you say. What you need to be certain of, however, is that they remember your key message. Perhaps you have a call to action which is important that everybody understands. If your message is captured in a memorable picture this will help to ensure that it sticks. If you can draw all or some of the picture ‘live’ then you will also add to its impact.
Once you have the picture drawn, make sure you have it constantly visible allowing you to refer to it whenever you need. It also provides a focal point and makes it easy for you to talk about your message and to gather additional ideas from the group.
Using metaphors adds impact to key messages
Metaphors are an integral part of the way we speak. When encapsulated in a picture they can really help people to remember your spoken words. As you read the three examples below, just notice what happens to your thoughts and feelings:
- ‘Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.’
- ‘We are not out of the woods yet.’
- ‘We are running to stand still.’
Key messages often contain metaphors – making them memorable
We will explore the power of metaphors in more detail in the next chapter, but keep an eye out for examples as we now explore further key messages.
Types of key messages
It is helpful to think about different types of key messages. Sometimes you simply may want to inspire people, or perhaps you are interested in making sure they do something specific. It may be that you want to highlight the essence of a problem for your organisation or perhaps point the way towards the future.
Let’s look at some examples of different types of key message and ways to make them memorable with pictures:
- Pearls of wisdom (e.g. famous quotes or your personal gem of wisdom).
- Calls to action (e.g. asking for a specific behaviour or quality of thinking).
- Highlighting a problem (e.g. the current situation).
- Showing the way to a solution (e.g. the strategy for success).
- Fascinating facts (e.g. where a fact helps support a key message).
Let’s look at examples of each type and how they might be conveyed in a drawing.
Have a go
Have a look at the following examples and draw the pictures below. As you draw, see what other pictures come to mind and draw those too.
1. Pearls of wisdom
‘Don’t be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can’t cross a chasm in two jumps.’
David Lloyd George (1863–1946), British Prime Minister
‘Logic will get you from A to B – imagination will take you everywhere.’
Albert Einstein
2. Calls to action
‘Keep your eyes open for every opportunity’
‘We need connected thinking’
5. Fascinating facts
Facts can be sparks for creating key messages or ways of illustrating them. Therefore, one way of coming up with key messages is to find a fact that is relevant to it.
Here we see how a fact can be used to create a key message and provide a memorable picture.
The sub-four-minute mile
Until Roger Bannister ran a mile in under four minutes, many people believed it was impossible. The fact that this was a belief that limited performance was illustrated when shortly after he achieved it, a number of other athletes also ran a mile in under four minutes.
This is a very useful story to make a point about the power of belief.
A simple drawing with a written key message makes it memorable.
‘If we believe it, we can achieve it’
Here is another example of using facts to reinforce key messages. Despite the fact that man started flying planes only around the early 1900s, a man landed on the moon well within the same century. This fact could be used to support a number of different key messages, for example, ‘It’s amazing how quick progress can be.’
‘It’s amazing how quick progress can be’
Where to use key messages in a presentation
One of the important things about a key message is that you want it to be memorable. It’s a known fact that people tend to remember things that are:
- first;
- different;
- last.
First – primacy
People very easily remember things that come first and there are numerous examples in everyday life. Ask yourself when did you first meet your best friend? Or what was the first drink you had today?
The same applies when asking people to remember information, such as lists, when you will find the first word often is very easy to remember.
Different – the isolation effect
When so much information is competing for attention it is natural that much of it is filtered out. However, it is known that an isolated item will attract attention. The ‘von Restorff effect’ was named after psychiatrist Hedwig von Restorff (1906–62). She found that items that stand out like a sore thumb are much more likely to be remembered than other information. We tend to remember the unusual or distinctive. This might be unusual facts, striking quotes or highly colourful and vivid images.
Last – recency
We also remember things that are last, or the most recent in our experience. For example, you can easily remember the last meal you had. What was the last journey you made? Where was the last place you saw your best friend? All of these are easy to answer and the principle is applied easily in presentations by including things that you want people to remember at the end of your talk.
Tips to get your key message across
Include it in a story
The key message itself can be introduced first with a story in the form of an example or business case. You may tell this whilst doing the drawing or showing a pre-prepared picture. The story format is a memorable one and a great way to ensure people remember your key message.
Stories are great to help you deliver key messages
The key messages often can be really obvious in the story, which is very helpful. However, drawing the picture can create a powerful association with your story that will keep it in the audience’s mind.
Be brief – less is more
Brief but dramatic experiences stay in our memory for a long time. Similarly, you will create more impact when you can contain your key message to a brief input. If you are introducing it through a story, you would be amazed how well a very brief story or anecdote can work. A short story with a good picture can give great impact to your message.
Repetition makes ideas memorable
Repetition is great for memory, but there is a balance to be struck between repeating a message in order to reinforce it and saying it too often. However, you will be able to repeat your message effectively if you do so in relation to a new point or fresh evidence that you are introducing. In this instance it makes complete sense to point out to your audience how the information you have just given contributes to the overall key message.
Repeating a message at the end of sections is also a useful time to emphasise it.
What if I have an electronic presentation?
It may be the case that the bulk of what you want to say is contained in an electronic presentation. However, this does not preclude you from introducing your key message with a ‘live’ drawing. On the contrary, to do so injects a change of pace and produces a positive state in the room. This has the benefit of creating variety for the audience and also making your key point stand out from the rest of the presentation.
There is also nothing to stop you also having your key point within the electronic presentation. Having drawn it on a flipchart, you can keep it visible throughout whilst still proceeding with your electronic visuals. Furthermore, you can even have a professional-looking picture in an electronic presentation that is a version of what you drew informally on a flipchart.
Putting it all into practice – get the ‘key message’ habit
Next time you are creating a talk, have a go at deciding right up front what is the key message you want to get across. Decide whether it is simply an important and inspirational message to remember or whether it is a call to action. Then see what images come to mind as you think about it. Ask yourself what metaphors, stories or examples would illustrate your key message. Also try to craft the message itself in different ways until it has an impact. Sometimes key messages lack emotional impact. Therefore, see if you can achieve a form of words that gives a good feeling as you read it. If you do this, the chances are that you will come up with a good image to go with it.
Another key tip is to try coming up with a number of alternative images. What you will find is that you always come up with one that is easier to draw than the others, yet still has the same impact.
The main thing is that your picture is visually powerful enough to carry your key message and make it stick in the minds of your audience.
Summary
- Keep your key messages concise, easy to understand and memorable.
- Use pearls of wisdom, calls to action and fascinating facts.
- Use metaphors to add impact to messages.
- Highlight problems and solutions with key messages.
- Present key messages at the start and end of your talk to ensure they are remembered.
- Repeat key messages during a talk to make them stick.
- Keep your sketches of key messages visible throughout to ensure they are absorbed.
More practice
Illustrate a key message:
- Write down one key message that relates to your work or that of your organisation.
- Sketch some of your ideas that could represent that message.
- Redraw the best one and write the message to go with it.