100 Things Every Presenter Needs to Know About People

11. It’s Easier to Recognize Information than Recall It

Remember the memory test earlier in this chapter? Without going back and looking at the list, take a pen and paper and write down as many of the words as you can. We’ll use this memory test to talk about recognition and recall.

Recognition is Easier than Recall

In the memory test you just took, you had to memorize a list of words and later write them down. This is called a recall task. If instead I had shown you a list of words or even walked you into an office and asked you which items were on the list, I would have been giving you a recognition task. Recognition is easier than recall. Recognition makes use of context. And context can help you remember.

Inclusion Errors

All the words you ...