If They Remember Everything - You Said Too Much

When it comes to high-stakes communication, there’s a common trap even seasoned speakers fall into.

They’ll try to say everything. Include every data point. Every nuance. Every carefully crafted detail. The logic is simple: if you include it all, surely something will land.

But the opposite tends to happen.

Say too much, and nothing sticks. You end up talking at people instead of connecting with them.

🧠 The reality? Whether you’re speaking to a boardroom, a livestream, or a packed auditorium, your audience isn’t retaining everything you say. They remember what resonates, what’s repeated, and what moves them.

Humans don’t absorb endless streams of content - we retain what’s clear, what’s emotionally anchored, and what’s delivered in digestible chunks. Overloading your message simply doesn’t work.

📓Information is Not Enough

As a speaker, your role isn’t to prove how much you know. It’s to make your message land cleanly, clearly, and memorably.

This means you will need to ruthlessly prioritise what you share. Consider the below:

• What’s the one idea they must walk away with?

• What is non-negotiable for them to remember?

• What can be cut out (even if it hurts)?

Most of us overestimate the value of more content. But aiming for clarity rather than content is the way forward for your message to land.

📉Less is More

Think about the speakers you admire. Do they overwhelm you with facts and bullet points? Or do they build ideas like stepping stones, with each one intentional?

Simplicity doesn’t equal dumbing down. In fact, it’s often a sign of deeper mastery. It’s hard to make complex messages stick.

💬 The echo test
A simple rule: if your audience can’t easily repeat your core message to someone else later that day, you haven’t done your job.

No matter how senior the room, your communication should pass the echo test.

🛠️ How to do this:

• Start with the headline. If your entire talk was one sentence, what would it be?

• Build around it. Every story, stat, and metaphor should serve that single idea.

• Edit out the extras. If it’s not making the message stronger, it’s making it weaker.

• Use silence. Pauses create space for people to absorb what matters. Don’t fill every moment.

🌰In a Nutshell

Saying more doesn’t mean you are saying it better. If your message includes everything, your audience remembers nothing.

Instead, make the essential unmissable.

⭐Until next time,
Hannah