Focus On Your First And Last Point To Communicate Effectively

Next time you write a blog or deliver a speech or make a presentation, use this trick to master communication. Always give the best points either at the beginning or the end of your talk. This is called the The Primacy Effect and the Recency Effect. When you hear a list of things, it is more likely that you will remember the words you heard first than words that occurred in the middle. Also, you are more likely to remember the most recent thing said or written. 

According to the primacy effect, you will more likely be able to recall the first few items of the list. In one study on primacy effect, participants were presented with a list of words, each being presented for a fixed amount of time. After the words were given, participants were asked to write down all the words from the list that they remember. It was found that participants correctly recalled words from the first and last few positions in a list than they recalled from the middle ones. 

(Also read: Compliment Sandwich: How You Communicate Effectively Without Offending) 
This is mainly because more items are processed in the brain when presented in the beginning. There is often more time for the rehearsal of the stimuli, so the information goes for a longer storage. Things that are said in a hurry or too much information always ends up getting stored in the short term memory. It is said that initial items presented are most effectively stored in long-term memory because of the larger amount of processing required to them. 

This trick is often used by lawyers and influencers. Usually lawyers keep the appearance of best suitable witnesses to the beginning or the end of the conference. It is often conveyed the best this way. 

New research from Berkeley and Harvard scientists says, "Humans have an inherent preference for the first choice they see. This phenomenon is called the primacy effect." Sales people also use this strategy in selling their products. They keep the best to the first or last. Even during job interviews last impression is as important as first impression. Last impression is the lasting impression, something that stays with the other person for a long time. 

That is the reason the best is always saved for the last. That is why every stage show ends with a grand finale. Last impression is what people take home. Making a good first impression is an important component of any job interview or personal interaction but equally significant is your last impression. 

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