Be Memorable

October 8th, 2025

Inspired by Yasir Khan's TED Talk: "The SHARE Framework for Memorable Communication"

It's not what you say that matters.

It's what they remember.

That one line, spoken by Yasir Khan during a TED Talk I recently heard, hit me like a tuning fork in the chest. Think about it. How many conversations or presentations do you truly remember from the past week? Probably just a few. And those you do remember weren't the ones loaded with facts and bullet points. They were the ones that stood out.

That's the genius of Yasir's message: to be valuable, you must be memorable. And to be memorable, you must learn to SHARE.

His SHARE framework - Stand out, Highlight, Address, Repeatable, Emotion — is a five-step guide for anyone who wants to be a more compelling communicator, whether speaking to thousands or talking to one.

S - Stand Out

Twelve years ago, Yasir was checking into a hotel when the receptionist asked, "How are you doing today?" He gave the usual reply, "Good." The man behind him, wearing a cowboy hat, smiled and said, "Absolutely phenomenal."

The receptionist lit up. The air changed. Those two unexpected words made the moment memorable.

Our brains are wired to notice difference. When you say something fresh instead of routine, people perk up. So when someone asks how you are, skip "good." Try "better than yesterday" or "couldn't be better if I tried." Standing out doesn't mean being loud. It means being a breath of fresh air in a room full of recycled answers.

H - Highlight What's Important

Yasir once spoke to ninety executives. He filled the room with slides, facts, and data. Afterward, one executive came up and said, "That was a gift." Yasir smiled, until the man added, "But you only gave me the gift wrap."

The executive explained, "You gave us information, but not insight. I threw away the wrapping paper because you never told us what mattered most." That one comment changed how Yasir communicated. The lesson: never assume your audience will know what's important. Tell them. Guide their attention. In Dale Carnegie's words, "Tell the audience what you're going to say, say it, then tell them what you said." Don't deliver the wrapping paper. Deliver the gift.

A - Address Them

At a networking event, Yasir noticed his friend surrounded by a crowd. In minutes, eight people had gathered around, laughing and listening. Yasir leaned closer and discovered his secret. The man began every conversation with, "You know what I noticed about you?"

Everyone leaned in. One woman heard, "You have such a confident voice. You must be a lawyer." She laughed and said she worked in insurance, but she was flattered and engaged. Even when he was wrong, people felt noticed.

When you make it about them, you make it memorable. As Dale Carnegie reminded us, people love nothing more than talking about themselves except hearing about themselves. Use "you" more than "I." Focus your words outward, not inward.

R - Be Repeatable

When Yasir worked as a recruiter, he interviewed a candidate named Sam. On paper, Sam was the least qualified. But his story was unforgettable. He spoke about how his uncle inspired his passion for events, how he'd hit a ceiling in his home country, and how he chose to travel overseas to apply for just one job, at Yasir's company, because it matched his values so closely.

That dedication impressed everyone. Yasir repeated Sam's story to the hiring manager, who shared it with others. Sam got the job.

A message becomes powerful when it's repeatable. Use stories, short phrases, and analogies that others can easily retell. That causes ideas to spread one conversation at a time.

E - Emotion

Yasir told two stories that revealed how emotion cements memory.

As a child, he once wore a Bugs Bunny costume to a party. A girl he had a crush on laughed and said, "Of course you're Bugs Bunny; you've got the big front teeth." That single sentence embarrassed him so deeply he avoided smiling in photos for years.

Decades later, while checking out at a grocery store, a cashier looked up and said five words that changed his life: "You've got a good voice." Those words made him feel seen and set him on the path to becoming a professional speaker.

Emotion is the secret sauce of communication. People may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

Yasir ended his talk with a truth that every communicator should remember: "People can't follow what they forget."

So whether you're speaking to a crowd, leading a meeting, or calling your mother, remember to SHARE.