Studies on how much information a human mind can retain varies. In a British Columbia Institute of Technology article, they report the following:
““Some studies suggest that humans forget approximately 50% of new information within an hour of learning it. Within 24 hours of learning something new nearly 80% of it will be forgotten. You will be lucky to recall 5% of what you learned 30 days later if you have not revisited that information.”
With these numbers in mind, you can do a few things to help your audience retain the information you’re delivering.
1. Know your audience. Before you deliver a presentation, get to know your audience. What do they already know about the topic? What is their level of learning? What age are they? Individuals of different ages will learn in different ways. This will help you tailor your presentation to maximize understanding.
2. Stick to one or two, no more than three key messages. Focus your information on the key points you want your audience to learn or know. This will allow you to focus on the topic with relevant information and your audience will retain the learning easier.
3. Ask questions. Make sure you haven’t lost your audience by checking in now and again. Ask for feedback or ask a question. Maybe ask someone to share an experience. The average attention span before you lose a listener is approximately 7 minutes, so give them a chance to engage.
4. Make it interesting. No one wants to listen for 30 minutes. Make your presentation more interesting by including slides with images or use props. Maybe include a personal anecdote the audience might relate to.
4. Summarize your messages. Before you end your presentation, summarize your key points. This will be the last thing your audience hears before they leave and hopefully remembers.
Next time you’re delivering a presentation or teaching a class, consider these simple points to keep your audience engaged and hopefully, they’ll retain the information you’ve delivered for longer than the day!
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