One of the statistics that’s often used to promote the use of video on websites these days comes in the form of an old marketing and education aphorism.  It has many forms, but goes something like this:

People generally remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, and 50% of what they hear and see.

There are literally hundreds of variations on this quote on the web today, and it’s actually quite amusing to go through some of them, such as this one and this one and this one and this one and this one.  And often there are research footnotes to back it up.

So of course, when I wanted to use these statistics in putting together compelling (but accurate) materials on why companies and organizations should enhance their websites with video, I wanted to use as accurate a quotation as possible.  So I started trying to trace the quote back to its original source, and found that it was like trying to hold mercury in my hand.  Every time it appeared I was getting close to the original research, it would slip through my fingers and I’d find myself at a dead end — or worse, an infinite loop.

Now, thanks to a recent analysis I discovered by learning-and-performance consultant Will Thalheimer Ph.D., I know why: the original research doesn’t exist and the statistical conclusions were made up and perpetuated along the way.  Here is an excerpt from his excellent online article, “People Remember 10%, 20%…Oh Really?” (followed by more in his follow-up “One More Time”):

People do NOT remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they see, 30% of what they hear, etc. That information, and similar pronouncements are fraudulent. Moreover, general statements on the effectiveness of learning methods are not credible—-learning results depend on too many variables to enable such precision. Unfortunately, this bogus information has been floating around our field for decades, crafted by many different authors and presented in many different configurations, including bastardizations of Dale’s Cone.

…

The percentages, and the graph in particular, have been passed around in our field from reputable person to reputable person. The people who originally created the fabrications are to blame for getting this started, but there are clearly many people willing to bend the information to their own devices. Kinnamon’s (2002) investigation found that Treichler’s percentages have been modified in many ways, depending on the message the shyster wants to send. Some people have changed the relative percentages. Some have improved Treichler’s grammar. Some have added categories to make their point. For example, one version of these numbers says that people remember 95% of the information they teach to others.

All of which reminds me of the old line: “82.6 percent of all statistics used to prove a point (including this one) are made up on the spot.”

In rejecting the bogus statistics, however, it’s important not to discard the larger point.  There’s no doubt in my mind that a well-produced film or video program conveys experiences and impressions in a way that is much easier to retain and internalize than, in many cases, the written word.  Film and video is all about experience and emotion and hearing things in people’s own words.  Human beings are simply “wired” to retain experiences that touch so many senses and emotions.  In other words, people respond to good storytelling.

You might not be able to measure it with statistics, but every day we see viewers of our films moved to action and we hear from viewers who remember tiny details that touched off some emotion or memory.

The power of visual storytelling is indisputable.  We just may not be able to put numbers on it all the time.