In 2002, psychologist Elizabeth Loftus asked a group of people to recall childhood memories after being shown a fake advertisement for Disneyland featuring Bugs Bunny.
Of course, Bugs Bunny isn’t a Disney character. He’s from Warner Bros. Still, many people said they remembered meeting Bugs Bunny at Disneyland. Some even described hugging him or shaking his hand.
Why did they remember something that never happened?
Because memory is fragile. It doesn’t record – it reconstructs.
This has major implications for communication.
Average presenters think people will remember everything they say. So they speak for too long, show too many slides and pack in too much detail.
But great presenters know the truth: people remember very little.
So they don’t try to say everything. They focus on what matters most.
Timeless Presenter, my new book on the principles of communication that never expire, will be released soon.
If you’d like to be notified when it’s out, you can join the early access list here.