Fahgeddaboudit!
I don’t remember the Presidential oath. Unlikely I’ll need it. I’ve heard it before, again on Inauguration Tuesday and several times afterwards. Like many, I even felt compelled to read it once after that Tuesday’s event. At only 35 words, you’d think I’d remember it by now.
What I do remember is the images of President Obama pausing, stumbling, then resuming the oath with Chief Justice Roberts.
Makes you wonder why? Makes you wonder what stands out in Chief Justice Roberts’ mind? Makes you wonder if he used an image during the “do-over”, like perhaps an index card with the oath printed on it?? Even makes you wonder how much time and inconvenience was wasted orchestrating the ‘re-sync” effort??? All that wondering and rework from a communication failure. Well, luckily that never happens in a business….
We all know we’re more likely to remember images. Studies tell us that within 24 hours we forget 95% of what’s presented to us verbally. But, retention rates improve to 20% percent with audio/visual stimuli, 30 percent with demonstration, 50 percent with involvement, and 75 percent with practice-by-doing. (Sousa 1995 – no, not the tuba guy, by the way, and I’m certain you’ll never remember those figures.)
So remember this, if you just tell them, people fahgeddaboudit! (conjures up Sopranos images) And, by people, I’m thinking partners, CUSTOMERS, everyone in your supply chain, your boss. You know, the kind of people that make you and your business successful.
Are you making a habit of putting your Monet where you mouth is? Somebody’s using imagery, because unified collaboration is the buzz, and visual conferencing is growing big time.
Keeping the presidential theme, there’s Hope! Two words echoed at grade schools the world over - “show & tell”. It’s all about show and tell.
If you find you or the people you work with saying things like…
“Can you send me the deck?”
“Which folder is it in?”
“Oh, was that my action item?”
“I haven’t seen that.”
“How’s that work, do you have a demo”
or my favorite, “I don’t remember hearing that”
…perhaps it’s time to make a visual impression.
Help people remember your ideas with web conferencing. It’s catching on because it’s become so easy to use. It’s catching on because of the 3 E’s - economy, ecology, efficiency. In fact, “can you email that” is quickly being replaced by “can you fire up a web conference”, even when everyone is in the same room with their laptops! We hear this all the time (granted, we are a conferencing company).
Collaboration tools today are simple, intuitive and you can launch them on-demand... But you don’t just have to take my words for it, see for yourself - http://www.actconferencing.com/services/web/readyconnect-web-meeting.aspx
Gary is the Sr. Director of Strategy and Product at ACT.