{"id":27809,"date":"2022-02-22T12:45:44","date_gmt":"2022-02-22T16:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/?p=27809"},"modified":"2023-12-27T11:43:51","modified_gmt":"2023-12-27T15:43:51","slug":"how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2022\/02\/how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"How to overcome information overload in communication"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Hint: Cutting copy is not the solution<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s the communicator\u2019s biggest problem: How do you get audience members to pay attention to, understand and remember your messages when they\u2019re burdened with so much information?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_27811\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27811\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"27811\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2022\/02\/how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication\/how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication.png\" data-orig-size=\"500,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Simple complexity&lt;\/strong&gt; It\u2019s not enough just to reduce information. To overcome information overload, you must also make messages more meaningful. &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/hand-holding-glowing-polygonal-lamp-on-759147367&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image by Mr.Thanakorn Kotpootorn&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication-300x180.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication.png\" alt=\"How to overcome information overload in communication\" title=\"How to overcome information overload in communication\" width=\"500\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-27811 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication.png 500w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication-300x180.png 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 500px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 500\/300;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"27811\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2022\/02\/how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication\/how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication.png\" data-orig-size=\"500,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Simple complexity&lt;\/strong&gt; It\u2019s not enough just to reduce information. To overcome information overload, you must also make messages more meaningful. &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/hand-holding-glowing-polygonal-lamp-on-759147367&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image by Mr.Thanakorn Kotpootorn&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication-300x180.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication.png\" alt=\"How to overcome information overload in communication\" title=\"How to overcome information overload in communication\" width=\"500\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-27811\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication.png 500w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/how-to-overcome-information-overload-in-communication-300x180.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-27811\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Simple complexity<\/strong> It\u2019s not enough just to reduce information. To overcome information overload, you must also make messages more meaningful. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/hand-holding-glowing-polygonal-lamp-on-759147367\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Image by Mr.Thanakorn Kotpootorn<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Your readers receive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2022\/02\/what-is-information-overload-in-communication\/\">the data equivalent of 174 newspapers, ads included<\/a>, daily. With this much information every day, how do you cut through the clutter of competing messages?<\/p>\n<p>The problem with information overload, as Bertram Gross taught us, is that your readers\u2019 processing capacity goes down as the amount of information goes up. When people struggle to manage information, not only are they unable to find the most important information \u2014 they also forget where they parked their cars.<\/p>\n<p>How can you overcome information overload to get the word out in your blog posts, social media, internal communications and more? Try these techniques to deal with information overload:<\/p>\n<h3>6 paradoxes for breaking through the clutter<\/h3>\n<p>What do you do when information overload occurs? Martin J. Eppler and Jeanne Mengis recommend these six \u201cparadoxes\u201d for presenting information that breaks through the clutter:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Familiar surprise<\/strong>. Grab audience members\u2019 attention in an intriguing, yet accessible, way. You might try an <a href=\"https:\/\/revvingupreadership.com\/2010\/06\/get-them-to-open-your-e-mailed-release\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">interesting subject line<\/a>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/revvingupreadership.com\/2010\/06\/write-leads-that-grab-the-reader\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">clever lead<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/revvingupreadership.com\/2010\/06\/doodle-your-chart-on-an-index-card\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> an unusual graphic.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Detailed overview<\/strong>. Before diving into the details, let your audience members know what they\u2019ll learn from this piece. You might provide context and an overview in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2019\/09\/multi-deck-headline\/\">summary after the headline<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Flexible stability<\/strong>. Don\u2019t make audience members learn new formats and structures to get your information. Standardized website and memo formats and information mapping help audience members find what they\u2019re looking for faster.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Simple complexity<\/strong>. Just shaving more words off your message doesn\u2019t solve information overload. You also need to make the information more understandable. Visual and verbal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/04\/why-is-a-metaphor-effective\/\">metaphors clarify complex concepts<\/a>; they help audience members understand new information by linking it to familiar ideas.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Concise redundancy<\/strong>. Deliver information in multiple formats to reach different information consumers. You might present information through <a href=\"https:\/\/revvingupreadership.com\/2010\/06\/make-it-safe\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">statistics, analogies and examples<\/a> in an article, for instance, or visually and verbally in a meeting.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Unfinished completeness<\/strong>. Get audience members involved in the message with comments, polls and questions at the ends of articles. When audience members participate in a message rather than just consuming it, they understand it better and remember it longer.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Find Eppler and Mengis\u2019s work in \u201cPreparing Messages for Information Overload Environments.\u201d That\u2019s a report of the International Association of Business Communicators\u2019 Research Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>Note that cutting word count does not make this list.<\/p>\n<h3>Surprise gets attention.<\/h3>\n<p>Why is surprise so effective at overcoming information overload in communication?<\/p>\n<p>Our brains are designed to notice changes so we can react to danger.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSurprise jolts us to attention,\u201d write Chip Heath and Dan Heath in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1400064287?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwwyliecomco-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1400064287\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die<\/a>. \u201cSurprise is triggered when our schemas fail, and it prepares us to understand why the failure occurred. When our guessing machines fail, surprise grabs our attention so that we can repair them for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How do you create a surprising message? Chip and Dan Heath offer this three-step process:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Start with your key message<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Figure out what\u2019s counterintuitive<\/strong> about that message. What are the unexpected implications?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Craft your message to focus<\/strong> on this \u201cuncommon sense.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>To make surprise effective, make it \u201cpostdictable\u201d \u2014 i.e., predictable after the fact. Think \u201cSixth Sense,\u201d not \u201cBlack Swan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>How to? Make sure your surprise is key to your core message. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/03\/communicate-dont-decorate-for-creative-content-marketing\/\">Communicate, don\u2019t decorate<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Surprise gets attention. <a href=\"https:\/\/revvingupreadership.com\/2011\/05\/curiouser-and-curiouser\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Curiosity keeps attention<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Increase your return on information.<\/h3>\n<p>In 1989, systems scientist Russell Ackoff created a hierarchy of information, from least valuable to most:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Data<\/li>\n<li>Information<\/li>\n<li>Knowledge<\/li>\n<li>Understanding<\/li>\n<li>Wisdom<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Despite this, most organizations still invest the bulk of their resources on gathering and moving data, the least on wisdom.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s expensive. It wastes time.<\/p>\n<p>Is your copy just adding to the pile of facts \u2014 data \u2014 in your organization? Or is your piece of information likely to help your audience members find knowledge and understanding?<\/p>\n<p>To increase your rate of return on information, consider Ackoff\u2019s hierarchy before you press Send. Is your copy just adding to the pile of facts \u2014 data \u2014 in your organization? Or is your message likely to help your audience members find knowledge and understanding?<\/p>\n<p>As this data deluge threatens to engulf your workplace, your company needs communicators who add value to information. They need people who translate instead of regurgitate, who inform instead of disseminate.<\/p>\n<p>Do that, and you can serve as an organizational alchemist who transforms a flood of facts into a stream of knowledge. Wisdom, even.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s the gold standard of the Information Age.<\/p>\n<h3>\u2018Be a complexity reducer, not an information producer\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>Diane Gayeski, Ph.D., once found that a restaurant chain gave managers four to six hours\u2019 worth of information to process each day. (That, alas, is not Gayeski\u2019s most startling statistic, just the handiest.)<\/p>\n<p>Gayeski, CEO of Gayeski Analytics, helps companies figure out how much time they\u2019re asking employees to spend processing information.<\/p>\n<p>After watching her clients\u2019 employees deal with a huge amount of information, Gayeski came up with this rule of thumb for communicating:<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"standalone\">\u201cBe a complexity reducer, not an information producer.\u201d<\/h5>\n<p>That would make a great job description for communicators.<\/p>\n<p>Which role are you playing for your audience?<\/p>\n<p>How can you make sure you\u2019re cutting through the clutter, instead of contributing to it? One approach is to do less, but do it better.<\/p>\n<p>This suggestion flies in the face of current communications cultures. There, writers and editors are expected to produce a website, weekly newsletters, daily updates and hourly news flashes for each audience they serve. (Test: When you check your inbox, how do you feel about getting yet another corporate message?)<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t get sucked into the system. Remember, nobody wants more information. (<a href=\"https:\/\/revvingupreadership.com\/2022\/02\/the-information-overload-barrier-in-communication\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">According to the Pew Research Center<\/a>, they especially dislike corporate communications.) They just want better information.<\/p>\n<p>One solution? Perform triage on your work:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Prioritize your efforts<\/strong> around business objectives. That\u2019s a quick way to filter relevant information from irrelevant information.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Spend the most time<\/strong> on top-priority items. That will help you with day-to-day project management as well as information overload in the workplace.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Do a moderate job<\/strong> on mid-priority tasks.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hack out low-priority projects<\/strong>. Can you get by with five Ws and an H?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Even better: Decline low-priority projects that don\u2019t further business objectives. (The best communicators have created a culture where they can do so. One\u2019s even created management software to help.)<\/p>\n<p>The alternative? In addition to contributing to information overload, you\u2019ll condemn yourself to a career of mediocrity.<br \/>\n____<\/p>\n<p>Sources: \u201cThe Too-Much Information Age,\u201d <em>Seed Magazine<\/em>, January\/February 2008<\/p>\n<p>Chip Heath and Dan Heath, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1400064287?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=wwwwyliecomco-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1400064287\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die<\/em><\/a>, Random House, 2007<\/p>\n<p>Managing of organizations<\/p>\n<div id='MMC-Clear' class='widgets_on_page wop_tiny1  wop_small1  wop_medium1  wop_large1  wop_wide1'>\n\t\t\t<ul><li id=\"custom_html-81\" class=\"widget_text widget widget_custom_html\"><div class=\"textwidget custom-html-widget\"><a title=\"Clear-writing workshop, a mini master class\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/mini-master-classes-home\/clear-writing-course\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/clear-writing-training-mmc.png\" alt=\"Clear-writing workshop, a mini master class\" title=\"Clear-writing workshop, a mini master class\" width=\"auto\" height=\"auto\" border=\"0\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 250px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 250\/250;float:left; text-align:left; margin: 0 auto; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 18x; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px; color: #FFFFFF; max-width:100%; max-height:100%;\" class=\"img-max lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/clear-writing-training-mmc.png\" alt=\"Clear-writing workshop, a mini master class\" title=\"Clear-writing workshop, a mini master class\" width=\"auto\" height=\"auto\" border=\"0\" style=\"float:left; text-align:left; margin: 0 auto; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 18x; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px; color: #FFFFFF; max-width:100%; max-height:100%;\" class=\"img-max\"><\/noscript><\/a><h3>Reach more readers with tight writing<\/h3>\r\n\t\r\n<p>Would your piece be twice as good if it were half as long? Yes, say readability experts.<\/p>\r\n\t\r\n<p>So how long should your message be? Your paragraphs? Your sentences? Your words? What reading ease level should you hit?<\/p>\r\n\t\r\n<p>Learn how to write clearer, more concise messages at our <a title=\"Clear-writing workshop, a mini master class\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/mini-master-classes-home\/clear-writing-course\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>clear-writing course<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"btn btn--depth\" style=\"text-align: center;  margin: 10px 0 20px; width:100%;\"><a id=\"btnTT\" style=\"\" title=\"BOOK NOW\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/mini-master-classes-home\/clear-writing-course\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-width=\"91\">BOOK NOW<\/a>\r\n<!-- [if mso]>\r\n<p style=\"line-height:0;margin:0;\"><v:roundrect xmlns:v=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/mini-master-classes-home\/clear-writing-course\/\" style=\"width:153px\" arcsize=\"8%\" strokecolor=\"#D96237\" filled=\"t\"><v:fill type=\"gradient\" angle=\"180\" color=\"#f16522\" color2=\"#f16522\"><\/v:fill><v:textbox style=\"mso-fit-shape-to-text:t\" inset=\"0px,11px,0px,11px\"><center style=\"font-size:16px;line-height:24px;color:#FFFFFF;font-family:sans-serif;font-weight:bold;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;mso-text-raise:4px\">BOOK NOW<\/center><\/v:textbox><\/v:roundrect><\/p>\r\n<![endif]--><\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><!-- widgets_on_page -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hint: Cutting copy is not the solution<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":27811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[358],"tags":[265,13019],"class_list":{"0":"post-27809","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-information-overload","8":"tag-communication","9":"tag-simple-complexity","10":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.4 (Yoast SEO v23.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to overcome information overload in communication<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Simple complexity: It\u2019s not enough just to reduce information. 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