Focus & Repetition & Focus & Repetition & Focus & Repetition

When you reemphasize a point over and over, you may concerned that you are repeating yourself but it will not feel that way to the listener. Your client or prospect does not know your material as well as you do, so as they process the message, it will take time for them to integrate your message into their thinking. Time and repetition are the only things that can help that integration process. The time part is up to them; they will only think about what you are saying as much as they want to. The repetition part is up to you.

Beyond this, your listener cannot take in too much material. If you try to explain too many concepts, or ideas, or processes, they will not take them all in. If you attempt to get too much across, your message will get muddied, and you will lose impact.

There are a number of well known, and almost universally accepted studies that have been executed in the psychology and behavior science world which support this assertion.

The original Dilution Effect study done by psychologists Richard E. Nisbett, Henry Zukier, and Ronald E. Lemley in 1981 showed convincingly that adding less relevant, or mediocre information to an otherwise strong case causes the receiver to temper their opinion. In other words people were less convinced when mediocre points were added on to a strong case.

A more recent study from 2024 published in Scientific Reports explicitly tested whether more arguments are better than a single argument. The study found that exposing listeners to weaker supporting arguments along with a strong main argument reduced the overall persuasive effect of the strong argument. This study essentially shows us that our brains average arguments together instead of adding them on top of one another.

What does all of this mean? It means that trying to make many points or arguments dilutes focus by weighing down strong arguments, and by pulling attention from the main point. Your buyers just simply won’t take in that much information. And even if they do, the additional information they take in will likely detract from the point you were trying to make.

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There is one simple device that can be used to help you keep focus as you prepare presentations, and this device also helps your clients internalize and integrate your main message. The method laid out below is often attributed to Aristotle, but he almost certainly did not say it, although it does conform to his argumentative and rhetorical style.

Tell them what you are going to tell them: Tease out the information you are going to provide at a high level, and inject some mystery and excitement by explaining your point at a high level while leaving gaps in the details.

Tell them: This is the only part that most people already do. This is the core of the presentation, and the time when you fill in most of the detail gaps, but not all, as you still want to leave some mystery. The trick here is to stick to the main points of focus and not expand scope.

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Tell them what you told them: Again, here it is important not to expand scope. The object in this third iteration of your main argument is to contextualize the same points you have already made and make sure they are understandable, digestible, agreed upon, and actionable for next steps.

You will notice that there are three steps to the above method, and that is not a coincidence. There is something about the number three. It pains me significantly to talk about this because, much to the annoyance of my wife, family, and friends, I am quite OCD, definitely in the social and colloquial sense, and almost certainly in the medical sense as well, and one matter of obsession for me is the number four, and more generally, even numbers. Even numbers make sense to me, and make things seem complete and in order, and beyond that, I just like the number four. I would like everything to be, and happen, in fours.

All of that said, there is magic in the number three. Three is the number that establishes a pattern. We find this in storytelling as old as the written word, and we find this in law, and legal texts, including the Talmud dating back thousands of years; the Bible, think three wise men, and the Trinity; and in more recent social and cultural touchstones including stories and fairy tales like Goldilocks and The Three Bears, and The Three Little Pigs and the recurring theme of three wishes when a genie lamp is found. The number three is also used consistently in humor and joke construction. The formula goes; something happens; then a pattern is established; then the third occurrence is the punchline. Our brains recognize the number three as something special, and of note.

Two is not enough to establish a pattern, and four is too much to remember easily. People can easily remember three things, and at the same time don’t consider the satisfaction of three criteria or components to be mere happenstance. This is why it is a good idea to pick no more and no less than three points that you would like your buyer to take away from your interaction or presentation. Repeat those three things over and over again, and make sure that the focus stays there. Tell them the three things you are going to tell them about, then tell them the three things, and then tell them about the three things you told them about.

Repetition is important. Let me repeat. Repetition is important. In presentations and meetings, it is indispensable. Your client will not get bored by what you are saying, they likely won’t even notice it, and they definitely won’t think it’s weird. They aren’t paying as close attention to you as you think or would like. They have not heard your content as many times as you, so it is new for them. And, they don’t understand all the things you are telling them, so hearing things for a second and third time helps their brain ingest and integrate the thinking that will help them complete their solution puzzle for themselves.

The high level framing of your information at the beginning of a presentation allows the client to prepare their brain to take in the subject matter. The high level framing of your information at the end allows them to reflect on it within the context of verything they have heard. Select the information that you really want to drive home and find ways to say it in interesting and captivating ways. Cover less, and go deeper. It is even okay to call out repetition, and note that the reason you are doing it is due to how important the point is. This will work as a signal to the client to listen. It is also okay to state outright what you want the client to leave the conversation understanding. This is another signal to pay greater attention.

It can be scary to leave out information. You may worry that the piece of information you have left out is the one compelling thing that would have convinced your buyer. However, if you try to share too much information you may end up diluting conversations and failing to resonate with all of your buyers. Focus on your most compelling arguments, build a story around them, and repeat those points over and over… and over, so that your listener has the ability to integrate your information into the way they think.

Focus & Repetition