Have you ever shared a brilliant idea in a meeting, only to have it vanish into thin air a week later? You invest time and energy into crafting a compelling message, yet it fails to make a lasting impression. It’s frustrating—especially when you know your idea has the potential to drive change.
The issue isn’t the quality of your idea; it’s how the message is delivered. In today’s fast-paced world, where messages—even important ones—are quickly lost, you need a strategy to make your ideas memorable and shareable. This is where memifying your message comes in. It’s about turning your ideas into sticky, repeatable nuggets that people remember, repeat, and act upon.
The Power of a Meme
A meme isn’t just a funny image online—it’s a powerful cultural tool. Think of a meme like a gene in biology: while genes help pass on physical traits, memes help pass on ideas. A strong meme captures attention and spreads from person to person, embedding itself in our minds and culture. For leaders, creating a meme-worthy message means you’re no longer just communicating—you’re starting a ripple effect that amplifies your message beyond the room.
How I’ve Used Memification to Make Ideas Stick
In The Art of Alignment, I used these exact strategies to create memorable success formulas for effective leadership practices. My readers and clients often tell me they love these tools because they stick in their minds like an ABBA song. Years later, they don’t need a binder to remember what they learned—the practices are wired into their brains. I also work closely with my coaching clients to help them master the skill of powerfully communicating what matters most. It’s always rewarding to hear their stories of how their memified messages were not only adopted but created the positive behavior shifts they were hoping for.
Five Tips to Memify Your Message
To create a message that sticks, it needs to be memorable, repeatable, and impactful. Here are five strategies to help you memify your message for maximum impact:
Use Acronyms: Create a Mental Hook
Acronyms work because they provide a mental shortcut, simplifying complex ideas into an easy-to-remember format. When you distill your message into an acronym, it becomes a catchy, memorable phrase that people can easily recall and share.
Example: One of my most effective acronyms is SHUVA, which stands for See, Hear, Understand, Value, and Appreciate. This captures a core leadership behavior: truly acknowledging others. SHUVA has taken off because it’s simple, memorable, and meaningful.
Action Step: When creating a new process or framework, think about how you can distill it into an acronym. Keep it short, relevant, and tied directly to the core idea.
Leverage Alliteration: Make It Catchy
Alliteration uses repeated sounds to create a rhythm that’s catchy and pleasing to the ear. This makes your message easier to remember and repeat. That’s why phrases like “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” stick in our minds.
Example: In my alignment framework, I use the steps: Propose, Probe, Re-Propose, Close. The repetition of the “P” sound creates a flow that helps people remember the sequence easily.
Action Step: Try using alliteration when crafting your key message. Even simple phrases like “Plan, Prepare, Perform” or “Connect, Communicate, Collaborate” can enhance recall.
Use Metaphors and Analogies: Paint a Picture
Metaphors and analogies turn abstract ideas into something tangible. They create vivid mental images, making your message easier to understand and remember.
Example: I often use the metaphor of a boat to explain alignment. When everyone is rowing in sync, the boat glides effortlessly across the water. But if even one person is out of sync, it creates drag, slowing the whole team down. This visual image helps leaders grasp why alignment matters.
Action Step: Consider the core message you want to convey. What common experience or visual image could you use as a metaphor? A well-chosen metaphor can make your message much more relatable and memorable.
Tell Stories: Make It Relatable
Stories are the oldest and most effective form of communication. They connect with people emotionally, making your message stickier. A good story brings your message to life and gives it context that facts and figures alone can’t provide.
Example: When coaching on career alignment, I often share the story of a CFO who excelled at crunching numbers but lacked passion for finance. We shifted her focus to team-building—a role she loved—and her engagement and performance soared. This story makes the concept of career alignment more tangible and memorable than a simple explanation.
Action Step: Wrap your key points in a story. Choose a relatable example that highlights the core of your message and helps your audience see its real-world application.
Make It Colorful: Use Vivid Language
Bland language fades into the background, but colorful language stands out and grabs attention. Instead of saying, “We need to improve team communication,” say, “Let’s tear down the walls and build bridges of understanding.” The more visual and dynamic your language, the more likely your message will stick.
Example: When teaching alignment, I often say, “Alignment is like learning jazz—it starts with practicing scales, builds through reading music, and ultimately becomes the art of improvising together.” This metaphor captures the journey from structure to synergy, emphasizing how foundational skills lead to effortless, harmonious collaboration.
Action Step: Review your key message and swap out any generic or bland words for vivid, descriptive language. Use strong verbs and visual imagery to make your message come to life.
Conclusion: Memify Your Message for Maximum Impact
In a world of information overload, getting your message to stick is crucial. By using acronyms, alliteration, metaphors, stories, and colorful language, you can turn your ideas into memorable, shareable messages that create a ripple effect. Before your next meeting or presentation, ask yourself: Is this message memified? If it’s not memorable, it won’t make an impact.
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