One of the biggest mistakes leaders I work with make when communicating is assuming that because they have explained something clearly, people will remember it.
Remember this: People won't remember everything you want them to. Nor will they even understand what you thought you communicated. People filter information, lose focus, and forget details. If you want your message to influence how people think or act, you need to make that message easy to recognize and remember.
That starts with knowing exactly what your message is. .
What We Will Cover
Why a topic is not the same as a message
How to create a clear, memorable central message
How to reinforce your message without overcomplicating it
A Topic Is Not a Message
Imagine you're leading a meeting about “improving team performance”. That's the topic, but what do you want people to understand or do differently?
Perhaps your central message is: “Better feedback builds stronger teams.”
Now you have a point to communicate. Added to that you can explain why feedback matters, share examples, and discuss how to make it more effective. Each part supports the same idea and reinforces your central message.
So often presenters I watch speak to their topic, without ever landing a central message. With only a topic and without a clear message, people are left to decide for themselves what matters most. They might remember an interesting example or a passing comment, but miss the point you wanted to make.
A clear and memorable central message gives your communication direction. It helps people understand not just what you're talking about, but what you want them to take away.
Make Your Message Clear and Memorable
The backbone of your communication requires that you know your message. A strong central message is a short, complete statement. It expresses an opinion, a direction, or an action rather than simply naming a subject.
Let’s use a silly but easy to understand example: “Bananas” is a topic. “Bananas are the perfect fruit” is a message. It gives people a clear idea they can remember, question, or discuss.
Your central message should aim for roughly three to eight words. Use familiar language, avoid unnecessary jargon, and make the point specific enough to mean something.
Once you have your clear message, you can break down the supporting points that will help people understand and believe it. If you claim that bananas are the perfect fruit, you might explain their convenience, nutritional value, and versatility. These supporting points give people reasons to understand your position.
The same principle applies to leadership topics. Whether you're introducing a strategy, giving feedback, or leading a meeting, start with the idea you want people to remember. Then build your explanation around it.
Repeat the Message, Not Just the Information
Leaders sometimes avoid repeating themselves because it feels unnecessary or uncomfortable. Once they've made a point, they move on to the next one.
This is dangerous, at least as far as people remembering your message is concerned. What feels repetitive to the speaker may be the first time the audience has fully absorbed the message. People are distracted, processing other information, or simply not ready to hear it the first time.
A Lesson From My Own Client Work
During a workshop on communication, I introduced the message upfront that “connection drives content”. It was the central idea behind the session, but when I later asked the audience what the overall message was, they didn't remember it. I had even repeated it a few times after the opening, and yet still it hadn’t landed.
The lesson was simple: knowing your message isn't enough. You have to communicate it in a way people can remember.
As speakers, we often assume that because an idea is clear in our own minds, it will be clear to everyone else. But people are processing information, filtering distractions, and deciding what deserves their attention. If we mention our most important point only once, there's a good chance it won't stick.
That's why repeating your central message matters. Not because people aren't listening, but because effective communication gives them more than one opportunity to connect with the idea. The research shows that people often need to hear a message 7+ times before it really begins to take memorable form in their minds.
Repetition is not a sign that your message is weak. It's how you help it stick.
The key is to repeat the central message while using supporting information to develop it. Rather than repeating the same explanation, reinforce the same idea from different angles.
Start with your central message. State the idea you want people to remember.
Link out to a supporting point. Explain a reason, share an example, or offer evidence.
Link back to the message. Return to your original wording before moving to the next point.
For example, if your message is “Better feedback builds stronger teams,” you might explain how timely feedback helps people correct mistakes earlier. Then return to the central message before discussing another benefit. You can say something like, “That was one reason why better feedback builds stronger teams.” By inserting your central message into your segway sentences, your audience benefits from repetition without even knowing you’re doing it.
One last point on repetition: Keep the wording consistent. If you change the message every time you repeat it, people have to work harder to connect the ideas. They may not even hear it as the same fundamental message.
Put Your Message Where It Matters Most
You don't need a formal presentation to use this approach. Your central message can guide everyday leadership communication.
Meetings: Be clear about the outcome you want before inviting people into the discussion.
Feedback conversations: Identify the one point you most want the person to understand.
Emails: Make your purpose clear in the opening lines and, where appropriate, the subject line.
Presentations: Introduce your central message, support it throughout, and return to it at the end.
Think about what you want someone to remember after the conversation is over. If you cannot express it in a short, clear statement, you may need to clarify your own thinking before communicating it to others. That’s why it’s so important to know your message.
And while there are conversations where the purpose is to more to explore, listen, or clear the air rather than deliver one fixed message, even then, a simple intention can help guide the conversation. And that intention can come in the form of a central message.
Make It Your Responsibility to Be Remembered
Effective communication isn't measured by how much you say. It's measured by what people understand and can take forward.
As a leader, you cannot control everything your audience remembers. But you can take responsibility for making your message clear, giving it meaningful support, and reinforcing it throughout the conversation.
Before your next meeting, presentation, or important conversation, ask yourself one question:
What is the one thing I want people to remember?
Start there. Build around it. And keep bringing people back to it. When you know your message, others will too.