By: Kate Zabriskie
01/03/2022
They’re with me, I just know it, at least I think they’re with me... OK, maybe not. Oh no! They’re gone. Well, thank goodness that’s over!
Has that happened to you? How about the following:
• I addressed this issue 30 minutes ago. How did they forget so soon? They have minds like sieves—easy in and easy out. Frustrating!
• He seemed surprised when I called on him. It’s his area of expertise. He kind of recovered, but imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t known the topic. Frankly, it wasn’t a great moment for either of us.
Too often, trainers, facilitators, and speakers think people are with them and retaining information, but in truth, they’ve misheard, drawn incorrect conclusions, taken mental vacations to the Bahamas, or worse.
Fortunately, fixing those problems isn’t as tough as it may initially seem. When used consistently, anchors, signposts, echoes, and loops can help improve the clarity and stickiness of a message. These four devices help people find their way to understanding the message, hear instructions or key messages more than once, and recall earlier messages.