Should you use visuals when you present? It depends. The single biggest reason for using visuals is…
MEMORABILITY
When you present, the goal is for your message to come across “loud” and “clear” to your audience. Merely finishing the presentation isn’t the goal.
Our objective is to share the message in a way that’s remember-able.
COMMUNICATION success only happens when the AUDIENCE can repeat your central idea in their own words.
Our ability to recall a message is enhanced by up to 650 percent when we use visuals. Let me share that again. Our ability to recall a message is enhanced by up to 650 percent when we use visuals… Six hundred and fifty percent.
Why such a big bump?
It’s because of a principle called the Picture Superiority Effect.
The picture superiority effect refers to the fact that pictures and images are more likely to be remembered than merely words alone.
It is grounded in the notion that the human memory is extremely sensitive to the symbolic modality of how information is presented.
It’s called dual-coding. Using both creates both verbal and image codes, whereas word stimuli only generate a single verbal code.
If you only hear something … three days later recall is 10 percent.
Hear words and add an image… three days later recall is upwards of 65 percent.
So, should you use images when present?
The answer is only if you want to enhance the ability of your audience to remember your message or call to action.
… And there is no excuse not to use great images. Here are three amazing places to go for high quality, free images:
Unsplash[dot]com
Gratisography[dot]com
Pixabay[dot]com
What’s your go-to place for images?
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Stan Phelps walks the walk. He stands out in the sea of sameness by modeling his own Differentiated Experience (DX) message: Differentiation isn’t just about what you say, it’s about what you do and, more importantly, how and why you do it. Stan leverages his unique collection of 5,000+ case studies on customer, employee, and brand experience to engage audiences with informative learning-based experiences. He believes purposeful DX wins the hearts of employees and customers, and differentiation ultimately boosts loyalty, retention, referrals, and results.
Find Stan’s in-person and virtual keynotes, workshops, and Goldfish tank programs at StanPhelps.com.