Are You Impossible to Ignore?

With so much noise out there, how can your message be heard? In her new book, Impossible to Ignore: Creating Memorable Content to Influence Decisions, cognitive scientist Carmen Simon, PhD, says it is crucial to craft messages according to how the human brain works.
 
“Most people worry about not remembering the past,” says Simon ”In business, what we should be worried about is whether our audiences remember us in the future…where decisions happen.” When we attempt to influence people, our audiences are likely to make decisions about our messages at a future point. This point can be minutes, weeks, or months later. The key ingredient to business success is people remembering us in the future, and making a decision in our favor.
 
Simon notes that memory works via associations. The stronger the associations we enable, the more likely someone will take the action we want them to take. Her advice: Be clear what it is you want your audience to remember and implant cues (verbal, visual, audio) that will stick. Memorable phrases (“Get curious, not furious”) and content that makes people smile are two winners.
 
We want to hear: What techniques do you use to get people to remember the essence of your message? What are some cues that you remembered and that caused you to take action? To join the conversation, click "comments" below on our Community of Practice Forum.
 
If you would like to read more about creating a habit around masterful communication, check out our book: Be Quiet, Be Heard: The Paradox of Persuasion.

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