I’m reading a book right now called Saving Eutychus: How to Preach God’s Word and Keep People Awake. One specific line has stayed with me this week: “The more you say, the less people will remember.”
I’ve seen this challenge throughout my years in communications. A ministry begins with a good idea for a campaign or a page on its website. Then the additions begin. “We should mention this program. We need to explain our history. We don’t want anyone to miss this other opportunity.” Each request is reasonable, but eventually the reader has to work to find the point.
Researchers have seen a similar effect in reading. In two experiments I came across, students read either a textbook passage containing the main ideas alone or a longer version with additional explanations and examples. When tested two days later, those who read the longer version remembered less of the main ideas, even though they had spent more time reading overall. The researchers found that students spent less time on the central points when they were surrounded by more detail and had a harder time telling which ideas were most important.
That doesn’t mean every message should be short. Some subjects need careful explanation, but length ought to earn its place. A good story can help someone understand and remember an idea; an interesting detour can pull their attention away from it.
Before I publish something, I want to ask: If a reader remembers only one thing from this, what should it be? Then I can look at each paragraph and decide whether it helps that idea land. It’s often harder to cut a good sentence than a bad one. But the reader never sees what we took out. They only have to make sense of what we left in.
At Radiant, our team spends time getting to know your ministry so we can help make those calls with you. We’ll ask what this particular audience needs to hear, what belongs in the message and what can wait for another day. Your ministry has plenty worth saying. We want people to remember what you most wanted them to hear.
