brain

With all the sights, sounds and visual stimulation we are bombarded with everyday, have you ever wondered what the most effective method is for retention of your conference information?  You aren't the only one — and a recent PCMA article by Barbara Palmer titled "Audio/Visual Neurological" identifies the best ways attendees learn and retain information. 

Andrea Sullivan, Organizational Performance Consultant for BrainStrength Systems aptly put it this way, "With meetings and events, there is a big question: How do we actually go to these things and retain anything? Knowing what we know now about how the brain processes information and how we experience events, AV really needs to be a part of a learning design and a strategy."

But how do you go about renting audio visual equipment that will be effective?
 
Sullivan went onto share the following, "We are taking in about 1 million bits of information every second, but we can be conscious of only 16 to 40 bits. We are taking in all this information through our senses, but sensory memory is really short and information — if it is not rehearsed — is lost after 30 seconds."
 
In the study titled "Audiovisual Technologies and Adult Learning in Meetings", the following information was presented regarding learning and retention: 
 
Human Learning and Retention
  • 83% of learning occurs visually
  • 17% of learning happens through sound, smell, taste and touch combined

Retention and Visual Imagery

  • 65% of attendees retain the speaker's message when it is combined with their words and visual imagery
  • 10% of attendees retain the speaker's message when it is words only

Learning and AV — The ways to learn from best to worst:

  • Hearing and graphics
  • Graphics alone
  • Reading and graphics
  • Hearing, reading and graphics
  • Hearing and reading
  • Reading text
  • Hearing the spoken word

Here are three additional takeaways from the research: 

  • Even though sight is the most dominate sense, do not throw away your PowerPoint presentation equipment! According to Sullivan, PowerPoint is used improperly because it has too much text on each slide. Sullivan states, "Our brains process text by first translating it into spoken words, but images don't go through that step." Bottom line: Less text and more images. 
     
  • Music in your meeting helps set the mood. According to Sullivan, one form of audio sensory input that starts nearly every region of our brain is music. If it ties into the message on the slides or is integrated into the video presentation, it can be very effective because it triggers an emotional response. Bottom line: Music matters.
     
  • Color influences our mood, too. Sullivan states, "Warm colors, such as reds and oranges, produce animated states while blue creates a quiet, inward focus. If I am doing brainstorming or strategic planning, I will definitely bring in blue. I do project management trainings…I will use red." Bottom line: Color counts. 

AV Event Solutions, a California meeting equipment provider, can help you with all your AV rental needs to make your meeting more impactful with your attendees. From presentation services audio visual equipment to sound and lighting rentals, they have it all! Give them a call at 888.249.4903 to get the process started!