Recently my husband and I watched “Les Triplettes de Belleville” on TV, a very quirky animated movie about an eccentric grandmother who rescues her kidnapped cyclist grandson with the help of three former vaudeville triplets. We had seen it in the theater in 2003, but I remembered almost nothing about the movie; I had only the vaguest memories of the setting, plot, and characters. Seeing it again, much of it was unfamiliar. Considering there are movies I saw decades ago where I can still recall many scenes line for line, I found this a bit distressing.

Interestingly, my husband pointed out to me that this movie is completely without dialogue. Everything’s communicated through gestures, expressions, scenery, sound effects, and action. And it dawned on me that, for me, recalling a movie like this is much like remembering what happened before age 2-1/2 or 3, when I didn’t have much language to speak of (literally).

I’ve always been pretty verbal, but the fact that language is so tied into my memory was a revelation. You’ve probably heard about how some people are visual, some auditory, and some kinesthetic (tactile) in the way they process information — it’s a fundamental principle of neurolinguistic programming (NLP). Realizing how much the delivery of a message relates to memory and recall gave me a new appreciation for understanding the way my clients think. If I communicate information in a way that’s easy for them to grasp, not only will they “get” my message in the moment, but they are more likely to retain that message over time. And this is critical in building long-term relationships with clients, and providing services that people might not want right now, but may need sometime in the future.

As for me, the next time I watch a movie without dialogue, I think I just might take some notes…