TL;DR
Passengers don't remember the route. Most demos turn buyers into passive spectators who forget everything by the time they reach the parking lot. But one click shifts the brain from passive to active. When they touch your product, they own it. When they own it, they advocate for it. This is the IKEA effect: people value what they helped build. Also, attention dies around minute 12. Interactive moments reset the clock. Build choice points. Let them drive. Co-creation breeds ownership, and ownership closes deals.
The Generation Effect: We Remember What We Create
People remember information they generate themselves better than information given to them
Cognitive scientists call this the 'generation effect': When you generate an answer yourself, even if someone guides you to it, you remember it better than if they just tell you. Why? Generating information requires active processing. Your brain has to work. That work creates stronger memory encoding.
Most B2B demos are watch-only experiences. The prospect sits there while you drive. They're passengers. Passengers don't remember the route. But the moment you ask them to click a button, make a choice, or answer a question, their brain shifts from passive reception to active participation. Educational psychology research comparing lectures to interactive sessions found significantly higher engagement and retention when learners actively participated. In the compressed AI-era buying cycle, you often get one shot. Making that experience interactive dramatically improves both engagement and retention.
The IKEA Effect: We Value What We Build
People value things they partially created disproportionately higher than things given to them finished
Behavioral economists discovered something called the IKEA effect: When people assemble IKEA furniture themselves, they value it more highly than identical pre-assembled furniture. This isn't rational. The furniture is objectively the same. But psychologically, we overvalue things we contributed to creating. Co-creation breeds ownership.
This applies to ideas and solutions too. When someone participates in shaping a demo or workflow, they develop a sense of ownership. When your champion contributes their data and makes choices about the workflow, it's no longer 'that vendor's solution.' It's 'our approach.' This psychological shift is massive. They'll advocate harder for a solution they feel they helped shape. In competitive situations where multiple vendors have similar capabilities, the IKEA effect can be your differentiator. Let them customize. Have them input real data. Build the solution together.
Attention Span Reset: Interactive Moments as Palette Cleansers
Adult attention spans for passive listening wane after 10-15 minutes; interaction resets the clock
Research on adult learning shows attention span for passive listening typically maxes out around 10-15 minutes. After that, the mind wanders. But interactive moments reset attention. When you ask a question, poll the audience, or shift to a hands-on activity, you're giving the brain a break from passive reception.
Most enterprise demos run 30-60 minutes. That's 2-4x longer than sustained attention span. Without interactive resets, people check out around minute 12 and never fully come back. You might deliver brilliant insights in minute 35, but if attention dropped at minute 12, no one's encoding those insights. Strategic interaction isn't about 'making it fun.' It's about respecting biological attention limits. The best presenters vary their approach: present for 10 minutes, then ask a question. Demo for 8 minutes, then have the audience make a choice. Build choice points. Use medium changes as resets.
References
Behavioral science research supporting this chapter