So we’ve all experienced this: you leave the house as you usually do and come back to find that you’ve left the front door unlocked. You could’ve sworn that you locked it and vividly remember that you did but unfortunately, the door proves otherwise.  This is a classic example of a false memory.

A false memory feels like a recollection of a real experience to its owner, but is in fact only a construction of the mind. The reason they’re such a common and frequent occurrence is because the process of memory is an inherently active process. Human memory is fallible and prone to distortion; no one is spared from this. In business however, there is absolutely no room for mistakes. Distorted memory and forgetfulness can lead to catastrophe, especially in an environment where detailed and potentially life-saving procedures must be followed. Memory isn’t exactly always a reliable source of information.

The question then arises: how can you convey information in a way that is actually memorable?

Tell a story

When communicating, the aim is for people to not only believe what you’re saying, but also remember it. The concept of story-telling can be very effective in this regard.

Storytelling is a human experience that dates back to our earliest ancestors. We have evolved and developed the capacity to create and believe in stories. In Memory Games, a 90-minute feature documentary on Netflix, we’re shown just how powerful storytelling is in retaining information. The show unpacks how the contestants train for hours a day building memory palaces to memorise incredibly long sequences of numbers. A Memory Palace is an imaginary location in your mind where you can store mnemonic images or visual representations and create stories using those images. In Memory Games, they used memory palaces to give a story to a sequence of numbers. Each number would be a character: the number eight would be a snow man; number one would be a snake and so on. Each of these characters would then form part of a story that is based in the memory palace. They use stories to remember an unfathomable amount of information in their competitions.

Whatever you want to communicate must be a story. Case studies, for example are an effective way to make your content memorable.

Using images

Some people are visual learners, this means they process and retain information better when they see a visual representation of it. Having images in the form of photographs, graphics or videos creates memory.

Bear in mind that it’s important to use the correct type of content depending on the kind of information that is conveyed. For instance, whiteboard animations, also known as explainer videos work great for complicated information that’s difficult to process if only explained in words ‒ such as how a system works. The reason they’re so effective is their attention grabbing nature. They convey information in a simple way, using visuals for every concept that is explained. Images reinforce the story and make it more memorable.

Our memory may fail us at times but there are ways that can be changed. The use of stories as well as images is a great way to make sure that the information you are trying to portray to your audience becomes memorable. Sound Idea produces video and a range of animation types that will be a sure way to achieve your goal. A picture is worth a thousand words but a video is worth much more. Animation may be even more because the creative possibilities are endless.

For more on our content types on and how you can use them, visit our content production page on our main website.