Why Your Audience Forgets 90% of What You Say — And What to Do About It
Dr. Carmen Simon, cognitive neuroscientist and author of Impossible to Ignore, has spent years studying how the brain processes and retains information. Her research using EEG and eye-tracking technology consistently shows that after 48 hours, people remember at most 10% of what they were exposed to. For coaches, this is both a challenge and an opportunity.
The 10% Message: Your Competitive Edge
Most coaches pack their videos with tips, frameworks, and calls to action — hoping something lands. But Simon's research shows that when you present to a group, each person walks away remembering a different 10%. The result? No unified takeaway, slower decision-making, and weaker conversions. The fix is simple but counterintuitive: decide your 10% message before you record. What is the one thing you want someone to remember 48 hours later? As Simon puts it, "People make decisions in your favor based on what they remember, not on what they forget."
Repetition Is the Mother of Memory
Simon's studies show that in a 5-minute video, you need to repeat your core message at least 4 times. In a 10-minute video, at least 6 times. This feels uncomfortable — but even brilliant minds have human brains. Repetition is not redundancy; it is how you take control of what your audience carries with them. Use stories, analogies, and examples to vary the delivery, but always come back to the exact same core phrase.
Surprise Beats Novelty
You don't need to reinvent the wheel every time you record. Simon distinguishes between novelty (something never seen before) and surprise (something familiar presented in an unexpected way). Surprise is far easier to create and just as effective at capturing attention. For coaches, this could mean opening with a counterintuitive stat, flipping a common assumption, or telling a client story with an unexpected twist. As Simon says, "Twist the familiar."
How to Structure Coaching Videos That Stick in Memory
Use Tension to Create Curiosity
In Impossible to Ignore, Dr. Simon maps emotions along two axes: valence (positive or negative) and arousal (alert or relaxed). The worst place for your audience is low arousal and negative valence — that's where "boredom is where memories go to die." The sweet spot for coaches? Create moments of tension. Pose a problem your ideal client is struggling with. Let them sit with the discomfort for a beat before offering your perspective. This keeps the brain in approach mode — leaning in rather than tuning out.
Prime the Brain Before Key Points
Before delivering your most important insight, set up the brain to receive it. This is called priming. Tell a short story, show an image, or ask a provocative question right before your core message. As Dr. Simon explains in her research, getting the brain into a ready state makes the next piece of information land harder. For coaching videos, this means your best content shouldn't come out of nowhere — it should follow a deliberate emotional setup.
The Fractal Principle: Cauliflower All the Way Down
Dr. Simon uses fractals as a metaphor for content structure. A fractal has the same properties at every level of magnification — like how each tiny floret of cauliflower mirrors the whole head. Your coaching videos should work the same way: whether someone watches 30 seconds or 10 minutes, they encounter the same core message. This prevents cognitive overload because complexity is fine — randomness is what overwhelms. Keep your core consistent and build outward from there.
How BIGVU Helps Coaches Apply These Brain Science Principles
Knowing the science is one thing. Applying it consistently to your video workflow is another. BIGVU gives coaches a practical system to put the neuroscience principles from Dr. Carmen Simon's work into action every time they record.
Script Your 10% Message with AI
BIGVU's AI script writer helps you clarify your core message before you hit record. Define your topic, audience, and key takeaway, and the tool generates a script built around that single memorable point — with built-in repetition so your message lands multiple times naturally.
Deliver with Confidence Using the Teleprompter
Repeating your 10% message requires precision, not improvisation. BIGVU's teleprompter lets you deliver your script naturally while maintaining eye contact with the camera. You stay on message without sounding rehearsed, which builds the trust and authority that coaches need to convert viewers into clients.
Look Polished Without a Production Team
Coaches don't need expensive setups to create professional videos. BIGVU handles captions, branding, music, and editing in one place — so you can focus on your message while the tool handles how it looks and sounds. The result is consistent, credible content that makes you impossible to ignore.
As Dr. Carmen Simon summarizes: Clarify, surprise, repeat. That's the formula for making your coaching message stick. And with the right tools, you can apply it to every video you create.
