What Will They Remember?

We want to give people a lot of value. But they may appreciate us more if we give a little less.

- Jason Feifer

THERE'S A THING that most of us do: Whenever we get someone's attention, we go into what I like to call "Density Mode."

We think in ideas per second, and value per word. If we have a minute of someone's time, we'll talk fast to squeeze in more facts. If we're giving a presentation, we'll stuff it full of charts and graphs.

But consider this: What if, no matter what, your audience will only remember one thing you said or did?

If you knew that ahead of time, how might it change your approach?

I can tell you-because I've been operating under this assumption for years.

I first thought about it in 2011, as my wife and I planned our wedding. We were caught up in a million little decisions, so I thought back to what I remembered from other people's weddings. I realized it wasn't much-maybe just one or two memories per event.