After sitting through one too many PowerPoint presentations, I began thinking about different presentation techniques and the most effective methods for making information memorable, or sticky. During my research, I came across the Cognitive Load Theory, which highlights the importance of how people process information and the implications for presentation design.
Dr. John Sweller, Professor of Education at the University New South Wales, Australia, developed this relatively straightforward theory that suggests people learn, process, and remember information better when it’s presented in a simple manner that doesn’t require considerable memory load–the amount of memory necessary to process and remember information.
In today’s boardrooms many people use PowerPoint as the way to present information, regardless of the content. This is a problem because people tend to include too much information on each slide and, as a result, end up reading the information directly off the projector screen. According to Sweller’s Theory, this presentation method is redundant and reduces the audience’s ability to remember what you’ve said.
So, the next time you’re putting together a business presentation, remember that every person has a different capacity for processing information and PowerPoint is not always the right tool for the job. Try to resist the temptation of putting everything on the slides, and improve your likelihood of presentation success by remembering two key things:
Focus on Simplicity: Make your messages clear and simple, and avoid using complex data. This will reduce memory load and increase audience recall.
Avoid Redundancy: If you’re going to use PowerPoint, do not read the information directly off the slide. PowerPoint presentations are more effective when they’re used to highlight key points from your presentation, not to repeat it.
To learn more about Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory click here.
What will all of this mean for me? It’s the question of the day as employees watch the stock market plummet, retirement savings shrink, and global currencies fluctuate. The financial crisis brings many questions to mind, and the role of senior leaders is to answer those questions and keep people focused on the right things.
We’ve learned a few lessons about communicating during uncertain times, and offer six quick tips here as you consider your communication approach.
- Get out there. A lot. If you think people are panicking now, closing your office door and saying nothing is the last thing that will help. During times of uncertainty, people want to hear from their leaders, and overcommunication is the strategy of choice.
- Set the right expectations and communicate using “probabilities.” You don’t know exactly what this will mean for your organization, but you do have some ideas. How will the end of the year wrap up? What does 2009 look like? Set expectations that are realistic and share your personal view. Regularly invoke probabilities (e.g., what will happen, what probably will happen, what we don’t know, what won’t happen) to set expectations for the upcoming months.
- Have a consistent elevator speech that you and your leadership team use. Leadership needs to communicate a consistent front during all times—especially during times of uncertainty. Get your leadership team clear on what to say and how to say it.
- Understand the questions that are on peoples’ minds. Walk in the shoes of your employees to better understand the concerns of the day. Speaking directly to these concerns will give you more credibility and relevance.
- Recognize it’s what you do more than what you say. Actions speak louder than words. The 440K spa trip? Probably not the right time.
- Lead with courage. Employees smell fear, and fear paralyzes. Leaders must set realistic expectations about the future while concentrating on moving people forward with confidence. Hopefully, the strategy hasn’t changed. Remind people, and help employees to understand what they can do and why.
