Once you finish reading the list, try to distract them by talking about anything else for about one minute. Then ask each participant to take out a piece of paper and write down as many words as they can remember.

Debrief by exploring the four basic principles of memory as follows: 

Primacy and recency – ask participants to raise their hands if they remembered the first and last words (dream and pillow). Explain that people easily remember the first and last things they hear in a series. Link back to the importance of having a high energy start and a final recap and review of your presenation.

Surprise – ask those who remember the word (artichoke) to raise their hands. Make the point that most people tend to remember things that are different, new or unexpected.  People will remember your presentation for much longer if it is novel and untraditional if not shocking.

Repetition – Ask those who remember the word (night) to raise their hands. Most participants must have remembered and wrote this word because you repeated it three times. Explain that people remember things more if they are repeated and how important it is to recap and review the main key points of your presentation more than once to ensure your audience can remember them.

False-memory – Ask participants to raise their hands if they remember the word (bed). Reveal that this word was not in the list but still some of them did write it down and raise their hands. Explain that our brain automatically closes gaps in what it sees and hears or reads, and sometimes assumes things that never took place happened. Most participants would have written the word (bed) because it simply fits and belongs to the list logically even though you never read it.