How We Learn
The human mind is a categorizing machine. It takes complicated experiences—being bitten by the neighbor’s sheepdog—and stores them in summarized form for future use. The result can be specific and useful (stay away from growling dogs), specific and not very useful (stay away from sheepdogs), or non-specific and even less useful (don’t leave the house).

Categorizing as a Marketing Tool
The mind uses a similar categorizing approach in assimilating marketing information, but the way information is presented can help determine the retained message. This is critical in long-form presentations like brochures or whitepapers, from which the reader is unlikely to retain all the detail you present. If, for example, you write a paper supporting a technology that is fast, secure, and cost-effective, you could devote a detailed section to each of the three attributes. The reader will probably not record the details presented in each section. But, as described in a previous entry, if you make convincing arguments the reader will record the conclusion of each section. (Headings can help define your key points.)

Persuasive Presentation
As you conclude the presentation, you now have a reader who accepts that this technology is fast, that it is secure, and that it is cost-effective. All you need do to complete the logical argument is summarize, linking the attributes—speed, safety, and economy—to the technology. The reader may remember your key points or simply that this is a superior technology, but by effectively structuring the presentation you have brought to bear a great deal of information without expecting the reader to memorize more than a few key points. In short, no matter how complex your argument, your presentation can help keep it simple.