The one skill that makes people remember you

If you want your words to last, whether in a keynote, a meeting or a simple conversation, there’s one skill that matters more than charisma, storytelling, or even stage presence: clarity.

Over the years of having given 200+ high-premium keynotes across the globe, I discovered that audiences don’t remember your slides or your statistics. They remember your energy, plus the one sentence that cuts through the noise. The one sentence, concept or new angle that sticks with them a few weeks later still.

And clarity is the discipline that makes that possible.

Here are 5 methods you can use to show up as your strongest self on stage and in life:

• Clarity beats charisma: Clear words carry further than energetic delivery.
Example: Think back to a meeting where someone spoke with energy but left you unsure what their actual point was. Now contrast that with the colleague who said one clear, decisive sentence and that’s the line everyone quoted afterward.

• Anchor to one sentence: Every strong message can be distilled to one line.
Example: If you’re giving a presentation on innovation, don’t try to cover 10 ideas. Decide your one sentence: “Innovation is about solving one problem better than anyone else.” Everything else should orbit around that.

• Be authentic: Real conviction is more persuasive than performance.
Example: Instead of presenting what you think your boss or audience wants to hear, share what you truly believe. People can sense when a message comes from conviction and that’s when trust is built.

• Prepare less, clarify more: A guiding sentence beats a memorized script.
Example: Instead of writing a full script for your presentation, write one sentence on a sticky note: “Our team has the courage to deliver what others think is impossible.” Use that as your compass, and let your words flow naturally.

• Make it emotional: Data informs, emotions move people.
Example: Numbers fade, but emotions stick. If you say “Employee turnover costs us $1.2 million a year,” people will nod. If you say “Every time someone leaves, we lose part of our collective memory,” people will feel it and remember it.

Clarity is not just a communication tool: it’s one of life’s strongest leadership skills that makes your words unforgettable.

This October, in recognition of the UN’s Mental Health Month, I’ll be sharing some personal stories about my own mental health abysses across the coming 4 weeks, together with the tools and practices that helped me out of them. In November, we’ll then return to this newsletter’s usual topics on future technologies and neuroscience life hacks.