Picture This...
Gerry Sandusky
Voice of the Baltimore Ravens. Leadership Communication Coach. I empower leaders and rising leaders to improve their communications and tell their story in ways that grow their influence, income and career.
An acre is 43560 square feet.
You’ll probably never remember that number.
An acre is roughly the size of a football field without the endzones.
You’ll never forget that mental image.
We process pictures—both visual and mental—up to 60,000 times faster than words and numbers. Our brains crave pictures.
Think about it: When people understand what you are saying, they say, “I see your point.”
When it comes to communicating, we tend to overload our audience—whether that’s an audience of one or an audience of 20,000—with too many words and numbers and not enough pictures.
Take that last sentence. Notice how much easier it is to see when I state it like this: whether that’s sitting at your desk talking with your boss or sending out an email that reaches as many people as fill an arena to watch Caitlin Clark play a basketball game.
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The first was filled with words and numbers. The second was filled with mental images. That makes the second easier to both consume and to remember.
Yes, you still have information to convey. I understand. By wrapping visuals around information, it makes the information more accessible and more memorable. Let me prove it to you. Without going back to read the first two paragraphs of this communication, can you recall how many square feet make up an acre? Can you remember the visual equivalent I shared with you?
Pictures help put information in context which according to John Medina, author of Brain Rules, increases retention by 40-percent. That’s the difference between a glass of water that’s a little more than half full and a glass that’s full. Again, do you see how the visual picture brings a simple statistic to life.
Here’s how to do it. Remember this simple two-word phrase: It’s like.
When you are explaining a concept, process, or statistic—especially one that is new to your audience, follow the explanation with that magic phrase: it’s like.? Forty-three thousand, five hundred sixty square feet. It’s like a football field without the endzones.
Click.
The information falls into place and the picture helps you recall it when you need it.
Want more useful communication tips like this? Download our free guide: 5 Ways to Give Better Presentations in Half the Time. Click here to get your copy.