Looking to improve your audience engagement? Evoke a connection with imagery.
Imagery is a short cut to connection. No reading required. Images are recognizable, memorable and can evoke emotions. Reflect on the power logos: even children too small to read know the Golden Arches.
According to John Medina, author of Brain Rules, The more visual the input becomes, the more likely it is to be recognized and recalled.
If information is presented orally, people remember about 10 percent, tested 72 hours after exposure. That figure goes up to 65 percent if you add a picture^1.
Imagery works. A while ago I gave a business update. We were #1 in customer service by reducing errors by 50% and saved $20 million dollars. Instead of using a table or graphs, I showed imagery. One hour later at the end of the meeting, everyone easily remembered the results.
Pictures transcend language. When I worked in Asia I used pictures while conducting remote training or strategy deployment. Clarity is critical when you're on a conference call with 8 people of different nationalities located in 5 different countries. It's been years since I worked in Asia and people still recall my “leaky bucket” picture from priority setting training.
Imagery works with a variety of audiences, from business people and plant personnel, to law enforcement. I use imagery for a variety of topics like contract management, business updates, and strategic planning. My rule of thumb is the more complex the topic, the simpler and more visual the presentation.
Convey concepts, not words. Make a lasting impression.
Interested in learning more about using imagery? Check out 5 Easy Ways to Use Imagery