The short answer is not much. In most cases, it goes in one ear and out the other!
Studies show that people forget half of what you say almost immediately; by the next day, it drops to a quarter and a week later, just a tenth.
That is pretty dispiriting given how long people spend preparing presentations.
However, help is at hand from the research of the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus, who at the beginning of the last century pioneered “The Forgetting Curve”.
Ebbinghaus not only showed that the human brain is extremely poor at retaining the spoken word, but he also gave us clear instructions on how to overcome this memory challenge.
In my workshops and coaching sessions, I play a memory game based on Ebbinghaus’s research. Wherever people are from, however educated or linguistically skilled they are, they all tend to remember and forget the same things. Remarkably, we all have the same brain, and it works in the same way, whoever we are!
How to craft a presentation that people will remember
First, let me share the results of the memory game:
1. People remember the first, and last things they hear. Ebbinghaus called this the primacy and recency effect.
2. They retain information that is repeated – although more recent studies show they recall even more if it is repeated using similar but different words.
3. They like information that is relatable to them, and that is linked or grouped by theme.
4. They also remember information that stands out or is unusual. At journalism school, we were always told dog bites man is not a story, but man bites dog is!
What does this tell us about how we should structure a presentation that people will remember?
1. Front-load and back-load your key points, as this is when the audience’s attention is at its peak.
2. Repeat information in a variety of ways to keep interest.
3. Group your ideas around clear messages so that they are easy to retain, and illustrate them with stories to build emotional connection.
4. Think like a journalist – what is going to surprise your audience? What arouses their curiosity and sparks their interest to pay attention to what you say?
5. Work extremely hard in the middle of the presentation to stimulate their interest, as this is when our recall is at its lowest. Use stories, striking facts, and strong visuals/audio/video to keep your audience attentive.
Ebbinghaus didn’t research whether people retain more from reading than listening.
But the good news for those of you reading this blog is that modern studies show high levels of retention when you read as you are not tempted to daydream or multitask.
With this in mind, do share this with friends and colleagues, and get in touch if you want to prepare and practice a presentation that people will remember!