Gözde Yeşiltaş's Key Ideas from Stop Talking, Start Influencing
by Jared Cooney Horvath

The brain processes images faster and more effectively than text or speech.

Use pictures, diagrams, or metaphors to anchor your message.

Stories trigger emotional engagement and are easier to recall.

Wrap data or ideas in narrative structures.

Memorized speeches feel fake. The brain prefers natural conversation.

Learn your core points, then speak authentically and fluidly.

People only pay attention to what they choose to focus on.

Control focus with cues like gestures, pauses, and rhetorical questions.

Challenge improves memory.

Don’t make everything easy—well-designed difficulty strengthens learning.

The brain stores knowledge in networks.

Show how ideas link together, rather than presenting facts in isolation.

Sleep helps solidify memory.

Encourage breaks and reflection rather than info overload.

The brain remembers the unexpected.

Use novelty, humor, or contrast to grab attention.

People engage more when challenged intelligently.

Speak with clarity, not simplification.

Emotional content boosts recall and action.

Make your audience feel something—curiosity, urgency, joy, etc.

Influence isn’t about being perfect; it’s about being real and relatable.

Show vulnerability and passion to inspire trust and connection.

Stop dumping information. Start shaping experience. Influence happens when people feel, connect, struggle, and see themselves in the message.