Nancy Mays

Information Overload: How Organizations Can Cut Through the Clutter

Most people in the U.S. spend between 11 and 13 hours a day consuming media. Tweets. TV shows. TikToks. We’re only a click away from knowing whatever we want to know. Whether or not we really NEED to know it is a different question, altogether. 

And, no surprise, all that “knowing” does not give us a sense of peace. The opposite, in fact. 

A study published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction surveyed 273 county-level emergency managers from 43 states to examine the relationship of information overload to stress, analytical and intuitive thinking and mangers’ critical thinking disposition. 

The study found that: 

  • When the managers perceived information overload, they felt stressed. 
  • When the managers felt stressed, their analytical thinking skills declined. 
3 Tips for Cutting Through the Clutter 

As organizations sending information out – whether to clients or team members – we need to recognize that our news faces stiff competition. So, how can we optimize our messaging to give it a fair shot? Here are three tips: 

Start with PAM

Before sending any message, visit with PAM. Jot down the: 

  • Purpose. Why are we sending the message? What’s the end game? Ask what you want the recipient to know, feel and do because of the message. If you can’t succinctly articulate the purpose, the message may not be ready to send. 
  • Audience. Who is the audience and, more importantly, What’s In It For Them? We call that the WIFM. Too often, leaders communicate without considering what would motivate the recipient. 
  • Medium. What’s the best way to send a message? These tips will help you decide: 
    • Email: Best for messages that are short, to-the-point and one-sided. 
    • Phone call: Best for messages that need room for follow up questions. Also best for negative news. 
    • In person: Best if you’re building and nurturing a relationship. 
    • Text or Slack: Only acceptable if the person has messaged you this way before.
Be clear. Be brief. Be gone. 

Some leaders feel that unless the message is weighted down with jargon, it won’t sound important.