Imagine an unstoppable force concentrating all of its energy on a single razor-sharp point. In an exploding burst of energy, it flashes across your vision in a blaze of white-hot light as it drives a single core idea deep into your long-term memory cells and then with a blast of searing heat welds it to your most passionate emotion forever.

You know this single idea will change your life forever. The idea is so clear, simple and full of insight, that you instantly recall everything good about your own life and you find yourself running to share this amazing new idea with the one person in the world that you love the most.

As you breathlessly approach the person you love, you wonder you can explain such impact, power and emotion. You repeat the simple words and watch as your feelings move across the face of the one you love. It was easy.

Simple, memorable and repeatable ideas hammered into our brain forever with one bold stroke are “zingwhacker” ideas.  “Zingwhacker” ideas have some crucial elements.  To make it simpler, all “zingwhacker” ideas are:

• Simple
• Intense
• Memorable
• Pictures
• Leveraged
• Emotional
• Repeatable

The human mind can only retain a limited number of messages in a block. We need to break information into units that can be “bookmarked” in the massive storage dump of information floating around in our heads.

In the summers when I was young, I went to the library nearly every day checked out a stack of books and read them.  What was more amazing was the fact that I actually remembered much of what I read.  I went through school barely studying and almost totally without taking notes and was able to recall the facts that I needed to get through the tests. I didn’t have a photographic memory, but my recall was excellent.

Then I started to get older.  Suddenly, the memory didn’t seem to do as well.  I struggled to recall people’s names – even if I could recite their entire life story – and I was concerned.  Maybe I was developing early signs of Alzheimer’s.  Fortunately, I knew a geriatric psychologist, so I asked her about memory problems.  After all, that was her field of expertise and if I needed help, I might as well get it early before the whole brain went.

After assuring me that I wasn’t in any immediate danger of early Alzheimer’s, she was kind enough to explain to me a little bit about how memory recall works. It turns out that I wasn’t so remarkable in my youth after all. 

Think of your brain as a computer hard drive for a second.  When you are born, it’s pretty much a formatted, blank disk.  There are a few key important bits of data on the disk, so that it knows how to operate, but other than that, it’s pretty much empty space.

As you live, you collect data.  You learn how to get your food. You learn the effects that crying has on your mother and you store data away.  You have a huge hard drive. People have about 100 billion nerve cells and many more cells in the brain that support the nerve cells, so there is room to store lots of stuff.

As a teenager, you’ve stored at least 13 years of data, but retrieval is quick.  Imagine that your brain has its own search system.  You put in keywords and the brain goes out and finds related information.  As a teenager, maybe you’ve known a few hundred people in your life, so if you are trying to remember a name it goes quickly.

Now imagine that you are working on your old computer 40 years later.  The hard drive is crammed with information that you haven’t used for years.  You pull out your trusty search engine and start trying to search for a name and the hard drive grinds and grinds as it searches through countless data looking for that one item that you want to know about right now.

If it makes you feel better, difficulty in recalling things is a symptom of knowing too much – I know I like that point of view! However, that doesn’t help us recall things.  What helps you recall things is when you create a bookmark in your brain so that you can find it more quickly. You can easily retrieve key information when you bookmark it.

When programmers want to search through a database of information, they create “indexes” so that they can find the information more quickly. Key information is stored in a separate list along with a record number so the computer can quickly locate the information that you want to retrieve.  In fact, you can create multiple indexes on the same data.  The more “indexes” that you create the more chances you have of finding the data quickly.

If your ideas contain all of the key “zingwhacker” elements they will be automatically bookmarked in the brains of everyone who hears your idea.  That means that they can quickly and easily retrieve the idea, and repeat your idea to anyone.  Plus, they will want to share your ideas, because “zingwhacker” ideas are tied to the key emotions and memories that we value the most. 

Let’s start with the word “zingwhacker” itself. Before today, the word “zingwhacker” never existed. In fact, I did a web search to make sure that there were no listings for that term whatsoever. Dictionary.com tells me that there are “No results found for zingwhacker” and I just did a domain name search and zingwhacker.com is available to be registered.

By the time you read this book, there will probably be many search results for the term “zingwhacker” and certainly the domain name will be taken and the term will start a life of it’s own.  In fact, I encourage you to spread the word about “zingwhacker” ideas. It’s clear that more people should know about them, so post an article on your blog, put it in your newsletter, mention “zingwhacker” ideas in your books, interviews and speeches.  Shout it on the radio and get it on the news. “Zingwhacker” is here to stay.

In effect, today I have started to create a new language that is unique to my message and you should do the same for your message.  Language is the way that we spread ideas and the words that we use matter.  How do some of these words make you feel?

Helpful, warm, powerful, influential, controlling, empowered, competent, professional, polished, authoritative, remarkable, impacting, giving, wise, exciting, inspiring, thrilling, unlimited, comfort, integrity, honesty, self-expression, intimate, discovery, brave, courageous, inspirational, dynamism, effectiveness, efficacy, endowment, faculty, function, gift, influence, potential, potentiality, qualification, skill, talent, turn, virtue, adeptness, aptitude, bent, capability, capacity, command, competence, comprehension, dexterity, endowment, expertise, facility, faculty, intelligence, knack, know-how, might, potentiality, power, proficiency, qualification, resourcefulness, skill, strength, talent, understanding.

Words can move people easily and head them in the direction that you want them to move. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key elements that make “zingwhacker” ideas so powerful.

Simple

Mike Rawlings, former president of Pizza Hut, once said, “People are busy, and they appreciate the effort you make. By simplifying, you honor those people.” 

I know, it’s dangerous, but let’s take a look at the world of politics for a second. Politicians come in all sizes, shapes, moral persuasions and ethical backgrounds, but the one thing that they do have in common is a need to communicate to masses of people.

Typically, communication comes via some kind of mass media and politicians are talking to lots of people so it can be tricky.  After all, not all people agree and some people are down right emotional about what they believe to be true. What’s more, the public holds a politician’s job in their hands. If the public wants you gone, you will be out on your ear eventually.

To make sure that they are putting their best foot forward, politicians hire media consultants.  These consultants teach politicians, how to look and sound good on camera, how to respond to the press and get their ideas across. After all, in politics it’s not what you said or thought you said, but what people heard or thought they heard you say.  That means that your words are important.

Consultants teach politicians to respond using “sound bites.” To create a “sound bite” you keep your response very short – from 10 to 20 seconds – and try to capture the key point that you want to make. By design, “sound bites” are the “appetizer” not the “main course.” “Sound bites” are a clear product of the fact that there is a noisy world out there and politicians need to cut through that noise with a clear, simple idea.  Here are a few key strategies for speaking in “sound bites”:

• Know your audience
• Be aware of any hidden agendas
• Know what questions people are likely to ask
• Rehearse your response
• The less you say the less chance you have of making a big mistake.

• Make a single point
• Support your key point with a simple example
• Restate your point

You should do the same as you create and deliver your “zingwhacker” ideas. The brain can only hold onto a maximum of about three ideas at a time, so don’t push the limits. One idea per “zingwhacker” is the rule.

This holds true at the micro level and the macro level.  Does it mean that you can’t express more than one idea?  No. But you do need to know that keeping it simple allows you to stick more ideas in someone’s overloaded brain.  You just need to stick them in one at a time.  You can make incredibly complicated systems simple if you convey ideas one at a time. Just imagine trying to explain everything that affects the entire United States.  That’s what we ask our politicians to do every day.

Think back for a moment to the United States presidential race between George Bush and John Kerry. Whatever you think about the merits of the men and their policies, there was a distinct difference in the level of simplicity that they offered to the public.

Bush based everything that he said and did on simple, clear messages. Listen to his speeches and you can tell that he delivered the same speech almost every time.  He only delivered three key ideas: cut taxes, fight terrorism and control Iraq.  Every sentence he used was short and clear. His campaign strategy was just as simple. All he wanted to do was win two key states, Florida and Iowa. Through simple, clear, repeated messages, the people trusted him.

John Kerry had dozens of messages. What he didn’t have was simplicity. Bush shut up after his key points and Kerry kept going until people couldn’t remember what he was saying. Bush simplified, Kerry amplified and confused. Clearly, the simpler choice is not always the better answer, but the simpler message always gets through.

But even beyond simple your “zingwhacker” ideas need to be stripped done to their core.  Not only were the ideas that Bush kept repeating simple, but they were core to the hearts and concerns of the American people.  Without Florida and Iowa, Bush could not win, so they were core to his success. As you fine-tune your “zingwhacker” ideas make sure that each message is core to your mission. You can’t waste bandwidth on ideas that are not mission critical.

Intense

Don’t create half-hearted ideas.  If you are going to put your core message out there, you need to buy into it all the way. You can use intensity to grab attention and to make your ideas resonate. 

We pay attention to almost anything that is intense or carried to an extreme. Think about the ways that we select colors. Color specialists tell us that red is associated with danger, fire, blood, war, power, energy and strength. As colors go red is an intense emotional color.

A doctor could tell you that red speeds up your metabolism, raises your blood pressure and speeds up your breathing.  Red is very noticeable which is why it is used for stop signs and other warning. Red may bring on a sexual response, which is why you may think of sex when you think red lipstick. Just the word red in print can bring on an intense response.  What do you think made Seth Godin’s idea of a “Purple Cow” stick in so many minds?

Some people use a very edgy style of writing.  In Internet marketing, The Rich Jerk, builds a whole persona around being a jerk.  It gets lots of attention and people remember it even it they don’t like the approach.  Just remember that having people notice and remember you may not be your only objectives.

Be passionate about your ideas and make your ideas passionate. Intensity burns ideas into our mind because it concentrates everything in a very small space.  Take your ideas to the extreme and people will remark about them.

Memorable

If you want an idea to spread like wildfire, people have to remember it long enough to pass it on.  Soon, I’ll tell you exactly how memory works and how you can move your ideas quickly into your audience’s long-term memory, but for now just realize that if you want to make your ideas stick, you need to make sure that they remember it.

For now, here’s one of the ways that you can help them remember. All you need to do is give your idea a unique name.  Names make it much easier for people to remember ideas. That’s one of the reasons that I gave “zingwhackerer” ideas a special name. 

You can combine ideas to create some great names.  I’ll be talking about names in much more detail so. For now, just notice that zing and whacker are words that I combined to create this new name.  Each part of the new name gives you a feeling already. Combined they have even more power. In fact, you might call it a mental picture …

Pictures

What comes to mind when you think of “zing?”  I’m pretty sure you can’t see a zing sitting on a table – or if you can you have a better imagination than I do. You do have a picture in your mind though.  If someone says the phrase, “leaping for joy” you probably don’t see the letters L-E-A-P-I-N-G-F-O-R-J-O-Y in your head. What you see is a picture of someone jumping high with a smile on their face.

Our brain takes letters and words and transforms them into pictures.  Just imagine if you had to read this book one letter at a time.  Imagine what a chore that would be! Instead of reading letters we translate collections of letters into patterns that we see on the page. Then we turn those patterns into sounds and pictures in our mind.

If you want to make your “zingwhacker” ideas really fly, you need to help your audience move into a clear, vivid picture as quickly as you can.  Let’s say I talk about vitality, animation and zest. Then I excite your interest and enthusiasm about smashing ideas into your audiences head with a smart, resounding blow.  Does that conjure up any pictures for you?  No? What if I talk about 16 pound hammers or cattle prods?  Now “zingwhacker” is more than a made-up word, it’s a picture in your head.

Even better, you created the picture.  Did you ever read a fantasy book and then see a movie based on the book? Somehow, the movie that the movie producer creates never matches up to the world that you’ve built in your own head.  People are wonderful at creating their own pictures. All you need to do is plant the key thoughts and lead your audience into creating a better picture for your “zingwhacker” ideas that you could ever imagine.

Linkage

Systematic External Linkage is the super glue that locks “zingwhacker” ideas into the brains and hearts of your audience.

Let’s start with a simple idea like “Keep Kids Safe.”  The idea is simple and it’s fairly clear – although it really doesn’t say much about what we are kids safe from.  We can systematically start linking this one simple idea to many things that are external to the core idea.  Each link will create a stronger bond and weld this idea tightly into your thoughts, feelings and emotions.

We have senses of sight, touch, taste, smell and hearing. We can link our idea to any of those senses. Within the sense of sight, we could associate our idea with the color red to create an interruption, a particular picture to convey innocence or a lightning bolt to make you feel a troubling storm was coming on.  We could link a bitter taste to a feeling of defeat or a sweet ice cream cone to happy days. You can connect the touch of a warm blanket to feelings of safety, the smell of freshly baked bread to family or the sound of screeching tires to danger.

If you systematically touch on every sense, the bond between your idea and your audience will grow. We can do the same thing with emotions or stories or past associations with trusted people.  We can link ideas to divergent fields of studies.  Validation of key ideas outside of your own niche will strengthen the authority of your ideas.

All you have to do is to look for external connections. The more specific ways that you can offer ties and validation from external places the better off you are. You can link to different:

• Age Groups
• Geographic Locations
• Races
• Experience Levels
• Religious Backgrounds
• Fields of Expertise
• Political Persuasions
• Types of Businesses
• Income Levels
• Emotional Types
• Educational Levels
• Cultural Backgrounds
• Media Types
• Learning Methods

Of course, the list is as long as our list of differences.

Emotional

Our emotions shape our actions and we remember things that grab our emotions.  We buy emotionally, we talk emotionally and we spread ideas emotionally. If your idea isn’t tied to emotions then it won’t reach its maximum impact. People rationalize their decisions based on facts, but they make their decisions because of the way they feel.

In its advertising, Olive Garden uses a tag line: "When you're here, you're family," which is a purely emotional idea. They don’t try to tell you that their lasagna is better or that their bread is fresher or even that it costs less.  What they are selling is your memories of what it means to eat a great meal with your family.

Advertisers often use fear and humor to motivate their audience.  However, you need to be careful when you start using these elements.  If you use fear as a motivation, you had better be providing a solution and if you use humor, you had better make sure that your message isn’t being lost. Humor is an attention getter, but how often have you laughed your head off at a commercial only to wonder what they were selling after you watched it.

Repeatable

People can’t spread your message if they can’t say it easily and comfortably.  Does your idea roll of the tongue easily?  If you ask someone to repeat your idea can they do it?  Try repeating your idea several times in a row or tell a child your idea and see if they can spout it right back at you.

Get Started Now

Take a few ideas and start using this SIMPLER system to create your own “zingwhacker” ideas.

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Ken McArthur

Best-Selling Author, Marketing Expert, and Legendary Creator of Impact Presents "The Impact Factor"