The answer lies in using 1 or more of these 5 tools…

1. Simplicity
2. Unexpected
3. Visual
4. Credibility
5. Emotions

For an idea to be heard and acted upon you need to do 2 things:

1. Grab the focused attention of your audience
2. Make your idea memorable

Seriously, have you ever been in a meeting where important things were discussed. The meetings ends, you walk upstairs and then you’ve completely forgotten what you were supposed to do. In less than 5 minutes the “important things that were discussed” have been forgotten because the next urgent task is dominating your attention.

That happens to me all the time. And that’s why we take notes.

But…

The really powerful ideas, the ones that win the battle to be heard and acted on willingly have something else. Something that makes them stick in your mind. These 5 tools will show you how to make your ideas stick.

Simplicity

Mike Tyson famiously said:

“Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face”

The military has a similar saying:

“No plan survives contact with the enemy”

To remove this problem the military have The Commanders Intent. This is the condensed, super easy to remember and act on version of the plan.

Imagine, the objective is to take the hill. The plan is to split into 2 groups from the tree a third of the way up the hill. Group A goes East, through the river and is sheltered by the trees as they try to reach the hill undetected. Group B goes West, silent climbing the rock face without any ropes to reach the hill undetected.

That’s the plan. Is it simple and easy to remember?

Here’s The Commanders Intent: run up the hill and don’t get shot.

This is an extreme example to illustrate a point.

Most of us are so attached to ideas and we’re so in love with the detail and hard work that we’ve put into creating them, that we forget about our audience.

Simple ideas that are easily understood, win the battle to be heard and acted on.

Complex ideas sound good in the moment and are forgotten 5 minutes later.

Simplify your ideas and watch the level of buy-in soar.

Unexpected

To grab the focused attention of your audience you need something that is going to shake him from his half listening, half day-dreaming state. Journalists call this The Lead, copywriters call this The Hook.

What is this wonder tool?

It’s a sentence or statement that breaks from the norm. Something that makes your reader or listener do a double take because it just doesn’t make sense. What exactly does that mean? Here are some advertising hooks to illustrate the point:

• How to get super slim by eating Big Mac’s and French Fries
• The 7-Figure Pizza Boy
• Broke student becomes property millionaire in just 12-months

By placing 2 competing ideas in the same sentence or statement you force your reader or listener to do a double take. You force them into your ad or story or presentation.

Why? Because it just doesn’t make sense that a broke student can become a property millionaire. You immediately want to know how. Similarly, the idea of getting super slim by eating Big Mac’s and Fries violates everything we know about good diet and nutrition. Not to mention our waistlines.

If you can make your reader or listener do a double take because of a statement that peaks his interest and makes him want to learn more… then you’ve just won the battle to be heard.

Visual

If you want your audience to hear what you are saying then you’ve got to make them see what you are talking about.

Visual communication tools capture attention, amplify meaning, clarify complexity, and create powerful reactions in your listener or reader.

So what are visual communication tools? Metaphors and similes as well as references from our own lives.

When telling the story of losing my first business I talk about hitting the iceberg of change and the moment the ship sunk.

Why because these are visual tools that make the audience see what I am talking about. They know that I didn’t hit a real iceberg and that my business wasn’t a ship and this language makes the story memorable.

By using references from your audience’s life, you make them see what you saw in a particular moment.

You can also use visual language to clarify meaning to a non-technical audience. For example, if you’ve made a precision machine, how can you make your audience see what it can do? The technical way is to say that it’s accurate to 1 nano meter. If you’re lucky, the listener will write this down and as soon as you leave the room this critical fact will be forgotten.

If you say it’s like taking a penalty kick in London when the goal is in Edinburgh and always getting the ball in the top right corner of the goal. Describing your product like this makes your audience see the level of accuracy that you are talking about. You’ve just make them say that’s impressive to themselves and you’ve given them a short memorable story that they can tell to other decision makers.

Credibility

The beauty of a Hook is that you grab the focused attention of your audience. The more unbelievable the claim, the more of their attention you will have. However… if you don’t immediately prove it or answer the question why should I listen to you then they will move on to the next thing.

Your credibility in the market is testimonials from people you have helped. This is the real-world proof that you can actually deliver on your claims.

But…

What if you are talking to an audience that already knows you such as your boss or your team?

You’ve got to tell them why they should believe that your new idea will work better than what they are doing now. So you’ve got to tell them the research or studying you’ve done.

Remember: dry facts are going to put your audience to sleep. So use visual language (metaphors) to illustrate your point. Or keep it short (Commanders Intent).

Once you’ve answered the why should I listen to you / why should I believe you question then move quickly onto the benefit or what your idea will do for them.

Emotions 

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou

That Maya Angelou quote perfectly illustrates the importance of emotion to make your ideas memorable.

But how do you make your ideas emotional?

By telling a true personal story. By having the courage to tell your personal story in all it’s gory details.

You see, none of us lives on easy street. It’s easy to think that everyone else has an easier life than we do but that’s just not the case.

If you’ve achieved something spectacular in your life, here’s one thing I know for sure: it didn’t come easy!

How do I know this, if I don’t know you? Because success didn’t come easy in my life and it hasn’t come easy in the lives of other successful people I know or have read about.

In fact, most successful people have endured more hardship on their road to riches than most people would imagine.

So, if success is always the result of hard work and not giving up why do we believe in the talent myth? Because we need an excuse for why we haven’t achieved the levels of success that we want in our lives.

By having the courage to share the struggles that you went through on your road to riches you will inspire your audience to do the same.

By having the courage to share the struggles that you went through on your road to riches you infuse your ideas and your story with emotion… and this will make it memorable.

Now It’s Your Turn

I hope you use these 5 ways to make your ideas memorable so people hear and act on what you say at home, at work and in the market.

Each of these memorable tools can be used separately and their power is multiplied when you combine them. The easiest way to combine all 5 tools is by telling a personal story.

To discover how to tell an inspiring personal story click here to watch a video that shows you how: How To Differentiate Your Product, Your Service & Yourself With Storytelling

Or if you prefer to read a blog then click here: 5 Simple Steps To Tell A Thrilling Tale

If you found this useful please leave a comment below.

If this can help someone you know then please share it with them.

Carpe diem

Roland Eva

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